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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
Allocentric or craniocentric representation of acoustic space: an electrotomography study using mismatch negativity
Christian F Altmann1, Stephan Getzmann, Jörg Lewald
1Career-Path Promotion Unit for Young Life Scientists, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. altmann@cp.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Plos One
|August 1, 2012
Summary
Our brain uses a head-referenced (craniocentric) system to process auditory space, not an environment-referenced (allocentric) one. This finding was revealed through electroencephalography and mismatch negativity brain responses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Maintaining a stable perception of the environment despite constant self-motion is a complex neural process.
- Understanding how the brain constructs a stable auditory world, especially concerning spatial representation, remains a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether auditory space is encoded using an allocentric (environment-referenced) or craniocentric (head-referenced) frame of representation.
- To determine the neural basis of auditory spatial encoding using electroencephalography (EEG).
Main Methods:
- Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) and the mismatch negativity (MMN) auditory evoked potential.
- Presented auditory stimuli (noise bursts) to subjects in an anechoic chamber.
- Introduced auditory deviants based on either allocentric or craniocentric frames of reference, sometimes while subjects cued to rotate their heads.
Main Results:
- A significant mismatch negativity (MMN) response was observed specifically in the craniocentric deviant condition, occurring between 136-188 ms post-stimulus onset.
- Distributed source modeling (sLORETA) indicated neural activity in the lateral superior temporal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule.
- No significant MMN was found for the allocentric deviant condition.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that auditory space is primarily represented in a craniocentric frame of reference at the level of the mismatch negativity.
- This indicates the brain prioritizes head-based orientation for processing auditory spatial information, rather than environmental cues, during this specific neural response.
