Rhythmic training decreases latency-jitter of omission evoked potentials (OEPs) in humans

In this study omission evoked potentials (OEPs) were studied in rhythmic experts (n=12) and non-musicians (n=12). Trains of auditory stimuli were presented. Trials (n=90) contained five omissions and started with a random number of beats, thus making every first omission unpredictable. Participants had to tap along with the first beat after the fifth omission (n=90), thus determining timing-accuracy. Single-trial OEPs elicited by every first omission were obtained by means of wavelet denoising allowing determination of latency-jitter. Clear OEPs, consisting of a slow positive wave, maximal over Pz, were observed in response to unpredictable omissions. No group differences in OEPs amplitudes or latencies were observed. However, rhythmic experts showed less latency-jitter of both the OEPs positive wave and of behavioral responses compared with non-musicians.