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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography
Published on: July 26, 2019
Effects of prior stimulus and prior perception on neural correlates of auditory stream segregation
Joel S Snyder1, W Trent Holder, David M Weintraub
1Department of Psychology, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154, USA. Joel.Snyder@unlv.edu
Abstract:
We examined whether effects of prior experience are mediated by distinct brain processes from those processing current stimulus features. We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) during an auditory stream segregation task that presented an adaptation sequence with a small, intermediate, or large frequency separation between low and high tones (Deltaf), followed by a test sequence with intermediate Deltaf. Perception of two streams during the test was facilitated by small prior Deltaf and by prior perception of two streams and was accompanied by more positive ERPs. The scalp topography of these perception-related changes in ERPs was different from that observed for ERP modulations due to increasing the current Deltaf. These results reveal complex interactions between stimulus-driven activity and temporal-context-based processes and suggest a complex set of brain areas involved in modulating perception based on current and previous experience.
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