When temporal prediction errs: ERP responses to delayed action-feedback onset

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Auditory Perception
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) studies reveal sensory suppression linked to predicting self-generated sensory feedback.
• The precise timing prediction of sensory feedback and the impact of temporal delays on perception remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how prediction errors from delayed auditory feedback affect sensory feedback processing.
• To determine the impact of temporal delays between action and sensory feedback on auditory perception.

Main Methods:

• Participants listened to self-generated or externally generated tones.
• Self-generated tones were presented with varying temporal delays (0, 50, 100, 250 ms) relative to a button press.
• Event-related potentials (ERPs) including P50, N1, P2, and N2 were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Action-related P50 amplitude suppression occurred for immediate and 100 ms delayed tones.
• The N1 response tolerated temporal uncertainty up to 100 ms.
• P2 suppression decreased with increasing delay, and a 250 ms delay elicited an enhanced N2 response.

Conclusions:

• The brain's forward model exhibits functionally distinct processes sensitive to sensory feedback timing.
• Auditory processing shows relative tolerance for short temporal delays (up to 100 ms) but increased sensitivity to longer delays.
• Temporal prediction errors only impact conscious detection of altered sensory feedback after a temporal integration window of approximately 100 ms.