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Mapping Cortical Dynamics Using Simultaneous MEG/EEG and Anatomically-constrained Minimum-norm Estimates: an Auditory Attention Example
Published on: October 24, 2012
Localizing pre-attentive auditory memory-based comparison: magnetic mismatch negativity to pitch change
Burkhard Maess1, Thomas Jacobsen, Erich Schröger
1Max Planck Institute of Human Cognitive and Brain Science, Stephanstr. 1a, D-04104 Leipzig, Germany. maess@cbs.mpg.de
Neuroimage
|June 29, 2007
Summary
Mismatch negativity (MMN) to pitch changes involves both sensory processing and cognitive comparison. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) separated these mechanisms, showing distinct temporal patterns in auditory cortex for automatic change detection.
Area of Science:
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event-related potential (ERP) reflecting automatic change detection in auditory processing.
- Two theories explain MMN: a sensory non-comparator account and a cognitive comparator account.
- Previous research suggests MMN has both sensory and cognitive components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To disentangle the sensory and cognitive contributions to frequency MMN using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG).
- To investigate the temporal and spatial characteristics of these two mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) was employed to record brain activity.
- A condition controlling for refractoriness effects was used to isolate MMN components.
- Spatial principal component analyses and inverse modeling were applied to analyze MEG data.
Main Results:
- MMN to pitch change was confirmed as a compound of sensory and cognitive mechanisms, separable in time.
- The sensory component peaked earlier (105-125 ms) with dipolar patterns, while the cognitive component peaked later (170-200 ms).
- Both mechanisms were localized to the gyrus temporales transversus bilaterally, with distinct temporal profiles.
Conclusions:
- Frequency MMN arises from temporally distinct yet spatially overlapping sensory (non-comparator) and cognitive (comparator) mechanisms.
- These findings elucidate the neural basis of automatic frequency change detection in the auditory cortex.
