Neuronal responses to omitted tones in the auditory brain: A neuronal correlate for predictive coding
Ana B Lao-Rodríguez1,2, Karol Przewrocki3, David Pérez-González1,2,4
1Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory (CANELAB), Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y León, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Science Advances
|June 14, 2023
Summary
The brain predicts upcoming sounds, and this study found neurons that respond to unexpected sound omissions. These predictive neural responses are stronger in awake animals, highlighting the role of attention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Cognitive studies show the brain computes multilevel predictions for survival.
- Neuronal evidence for predictive processes is challenging due to difficulty separating predictive activity from stimulus responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide neuronal evidence for predictive coding in the brain.
- To investigate the neural correlates of prediction using stimulus omissions.
- To examine the influence of arousal and attention on neural predictions.
Main Methods:
- Recorded single-neuron activity in auditory cortical and subcortical regions of anesthetized and awake animals.
- Used unexpected stimulus omissions within regular tone sequences.
- Analyzed neuronal responses to omitted tones and frequency deviants.
Main Results:
- Identified a subset of neurons reliably responding to omitted tones (omission-sensitive neurons).
- Omission responses were more frequent and larger in awake animals compared to anesthetized animals.
- Omission-sensitive neurons also responded to frequency deviants, with enhanced omission responses in the awake state.
Conclusions:
- Omission responses provide empirical evidence for predictive processes in the brain, occurring even without sensory input.
- Arousal and attentional states modulate the neural representation of predictions.
- Findings advance our understanding of how the brain generates predictions at the neuronal level.
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