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Updated: May 4, 2026
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Detecting Pre-Stimulus Source-Level Effects on Object Perception with Magnetoencephalography
Published on: July 26, 2019
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Magnetic source localization of early visual mismatch response
Ana Susac1, Dirk J Heslenfeld, Ralph Huonker
1Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Bijenicka 32, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia, ana@phy.hr.
Brain Topography
|December 12, 2013
Summary
The visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) response, based on sensory memory, is feature-specific. Its neural generators are located in the occipital cortex and are independent of attention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) is a brain response linked to sensory memory.
- The precise neural origins and attentional requirements of the vMMN remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the neural generators of the sensory-memory-based vMMN.
- To investigate the attention dependence of the vMMN response to unattended visual stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and spatio-temporal source localization were employed.
- Participants performed a central visual task while peripheral grating patterns were presented.
- vMMN was derived by comparing MEG responses to infrequent versus equiprobable gratings in non-attended conditions.
Main Results:
- The vMMN response peaked between 100 and 160 ms.
- Neuromagnetic sources of vMMN were localized to the occipital cortex.
- vMMN sources differed from those evoked by equiprobable stimuli and were stimulus-dependent.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest distinct neural systems for pre-attentive visual change detection based on memory.
- New evidence supports the feature-specific nature of the visual mismatch negativity.
- The vMMN is generated independently of attentional focus.
