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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
Top down influence on visuo-tactile interaction modulates neural oscillatory responses
Noriaki Kanayama1, Luigi Tamè, Hideki Ohira
1Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies, Department of General Systems Studies, University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8902, Japan. kanayama@ardbeg.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Neuroimage
|December 17, 2011
Summary
Top-down control influences how the brain processes multisensory information. Changes in expected sensory input modulated gamma band responses, suggesting this brain activity reflects expected stimulation, not just binding.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Sensory Processing
Background:
- Multisensory integration relies on both bottom-up and top-down neural processes.
- Top-down control mechanisms are crucial for modulating how the brain responds to simultaneous sensory inputs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how top-down control influences neural responses during multisensory stimulation.
- To examine the role of expectation in modulating multisensory integration using electroencephalography (EEG).
Main Methods:
- Utilized EEG recording and time-frequency analyses to study neural responses.
- Employed tactile and visual stimuli, varying spatial congruency and the proportion of congruent trials to manipulate top-down control.
- Participants performed a tactile discrimination task while ignoring visual distractors.
Main Results:
- The behavioral crossmodal congruency effect was modulated by the proportion of congruent trials, indicating altered top-down control.
- EEG gamma band responses and gamma-theta coupling were significantly affected by the manipulation of top-down control.
- Late theta band responses, linked to the congruency effect, were not influenced by stimulation expectancy.
Conclusions:
- Gamma band responses are sensitive to the correspondence between expected and actual multisensory stimulation, extending beyond a simple marker of multisensory binding.
- Theta band responses are influenced by stimulus congruency but appear unaffected by stimulation expectancy, highlighting distinct neural mechanisms in multisensory processing.
