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Top-down and bottom-up modulation of brain structures involved in auditory discrimination
Esther K Diekhof1, Franziska Biedermann, Rudolf Ruebsamen
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Systems Neuroscience Unit, Georg-August-University Goettingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, D-37075 Goettingen, Germany. e.diekhof@med.uni-goettingen.de
Brain Research
|August 25, 2009
Summary
This study reveals distinct brain networks involved in auditory deviancy detection. Automatic processing activates the temporal gyrus, while attention and response selection involve frontoparietal networks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- Auditory deviancy detection involves both automatic and voluntary processes.
- Understanding the neural basis of sensory discrimination is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural correlates of auditory deviancy detection using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- To differentiate the brain activity associated with automatic processing, attentional control, and accurate stimulus representation during sensory discrimination.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to measure brain activity.
- Participants performed a task involving the detection of auditory deviant events, with varying levels of awareness and accuracy.
- Analysis focused on identifying brain regions activated during subliminal processing, correct detection, and false alarms.
Main Results:
- Subliminal processing of undetected deviant events activated the left superior temporal gyrus.
- Both correct detections and false alarms engaged a frontoparietal network associated with attention and response selection.
- Accurate deviancy detection, specifically, involved the putamen, anterior cingulate, and middle temporal cortex, indicating reliance on factual stimulus representation.
Conclusions:
- Sensory discrimination involves dynamic interactions between bottom-up sensory input and top-down cognitive control.
- Distinct neural pathways support automatic auditory processing versus volitional attentional control and accurate stimulus evaluation.
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