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A Method for Tracking the Time Evolution of Steady-State Evoked Potentials
Published on: May 25, 2019
Top-down modulation of the auditory steady-state response in a task-switch paradigm.
Nadia Müller1, Winfried Schlee, Thomas Hartmann
1Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz Konstanz, Germany. nadia.mueller@uni-konstanz.de
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
|March 4, 2009
Summary
Auditory attention influences brain responses to sound, specifically enhancing contralateral and reducing ipsilateral activations in the left hemisphere for 20 Hz auditory steady-state responses (aSSR). This clarifies complex attentional effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Auditory selective attention is crucial for processing complex auditory environments.
- The precise impact of attention on auditory steady-state responses (aSSR) remains debated.
- Previous research suggests complex, frequency-dependent attentional modulation of aSSR.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how auditory attention modulates aSSR.
- To examine hemispheric differences in attentional effects on aSSR.
- To determine if modulation frequency influences attentional effects on aSSR.
Main Methods:
- A dichotic listening experiment using amplitude-modulated tones.
- Participants performed an auditory detection task with cued attention.
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure brain activity.
Main Results:
- Attention modulated aSSR, but effects were specific to the left hemisphere and 20 Hz responses.
- Contralateral neural activations were enhanced by attention.
- Ipsilateral neural activations were reduced by attention.
Conclusions:
- Auditory attention influences aSSR in a complex, frequency- and hemisphere-specific manner.
- Findings support a detailed model of attentional modulation involving differential effects on ipsilateral and contralateral pathways.
- The study highlights the specific role of the left hemisphere in attentional modulation of 20 Hz aSSR.
