Event Abstract

Differential effects of frequency adaptation and sequential predictability on auditory evoked potentials

  • 1 University of Barcelona, Spain

Auditory processing can be modulated by the stimulation context, as for instance seen in a suppression of electrical brain activity in response to repeated and predictable sounds. To determine whether context effects relying on repetition-related frequency adaptation or on more complex forms of predictability share similar processing stages, we recorded human auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) in the range of the middle- and long-latency response (MLR, LLR) in a paradigm isolating the effects of stimulus probability and stimulus predictability. The same tone was presented in different contexts: either a) taking the role of a frequent tone (p = 0.8), or being presented in a block of five equi-probable tones of different frequencies, which occurred b) in a regular descending pattern, or c) in random order (serving as a control condition). Increased stimulus probability was associated with an attenuated Nb component (41-47ms) of the MLR and with a reduced early phase of N1 (80-100ms) of the LLR with the specific pattern of results indicating cross-frequency adaptation to be narrower at the level of the Nb compared to N1. Predictable, but rare, stimuli were associated with a slow wave starting before tone onset and an amplitude reduction of the Pa component (31-37ms) of the MLR and the later portion of N1 (120-150ms) of the LLR. The findings suggest that repeated input is filtered by probability-dependent frequency adaptation at different processing stages. Modulations of the AEP related to stimulus predictability suggest that the auditory system encodes regular sequential patterns and suppresses responses to predictable stimuli. Importantly, the neural processes showing probability-related adaptation can be dissociated from those sensitive to sequential predictability. Funding: Supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PSI2009-08063, JCI-2009-04401) and the ERANET NEURON project PANS (EUI2009-04086).

Keywords: AEP, Perception

Conference: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation

Topic: Poster Sessions: Neurophysiology of Sensation and Perception

Citation: Grimm S and Escera C (2011). Differential effects of frequency adaptation and sequential predictability on auditory evoked potentials. Conference Abstract: XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI). doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00350

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Received: 23 Nov 2011; Published Online: 28 Nov 2011.

* Correspondence: Dr. Sabine Grimm, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain, sabine.grimm@physik.tu-chemnitz.de