A silent disco: Differential effects of beat-based and pattern-based temporal expectations on persistent entrainment of low-frequency neural oscillations

Abstract

Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (h.a.slagter@vu.nl). AbstractTemporal expectations (e.g., predicting "when") facilitate sensory processing, and are suggested to rely on entrainment of low frequency neural oscillations to regular rhythmic input.However, temporal expectations can be formed not only in response to a regular beat, such as in music ("beat-based" expectations), but also based on a predictable pattern of temporal intervals of different durations ("memory-based" expectations). Here, we examined the neural mechanisms underlying beat-based and memory-based expectations, by assessing EEG activity and behavioral responses during silent periods following rhythmic auditory sequences that allowed for beat-based or memory-based expectations, or had random timing. In Experiment 1 (N = 32), participants rated how well probe tones at various time points fitted the previous rhythm. Beat-based expectations affected fitness ratings for at least two beat-cycles, while the effects of memory-based expectations subsided after the first expected time point in the silence window. In Experiment 2 (N = 27), using EEG, we found a CNV following the final tones of memory-based and random, but not beat-based sequences, suggesting that climbing neuronal activity may specifically reflect memory-based expectations. Moreover, we found enhanced power in the EEG signal at the beat frequency for beat-based sequences both during listening and the silence. For memory-based sequences, we found enhanced power at a frequency inherent to the memory-based pattern only during listening, but not during the silence, suggesting that ongoing entrainment of low frequency oscillations may be specific to beatbased expectations. Finally, using multivariate pattern decoding on the raw EEG data, we could classify above chance from the silence which type of sequence participants had heard before.Together, our results suggest that beat-based and memory-based expectations rely on entrainment and climbing neuronal activity, respectively.

Sustained neural rhythms reveal endogenous oscillations supporting speech perception

“…In Experiment 1, sustained MEG oscillations were maximal at parietal sensors and had a clearly different scalp topography and source configuration from typical auditory responses (cf. [ 46 ] for a similar shift towards parietal sensors after rhythmic stimulation). In Experiment 2, individual tACS phase lags leading to highest word report accuracy after tACS offset were unrelated to those measured during tACS.…”

“…Both perception and electrophysiological signals have been shown to briefly oscillate after a rhythmic sequence of simple visual [40][41][42] or auditory [43][44][45] stimuli, such as flashes or pure tones. A recent study showed that such a sustained rhythmic response occurs when preceded by a stimulus evoking the perception of a regular beat, but not when participants merely expect the occurrence of a rhythmic event [46]. Although neural entrainment is widely explored in speech research [1,2], we are only aware of 1 study reporting sustained oscillatory effects produced by human speech: Kösem and colleagues [17] showed that, immediately after a change in speech rate, oscillatory MEG responses can still be measured at a frequency corresponding to the preceding speech (summarized in [15]).…”

Sustained neural rhythms reveal endogenous oscillations supporting speech perception

“…Both perception and electrophysiological signals have been shown to briefly oscillate after a rhythmic sequence of simple visual [40–42] or auditory [43–45] stimuli, such as flashes or pure tones. A recent study showed that such a sustained rhythmic response occurs when preceded by a stimulus evoking the perception of a regular beat, but not when participants merely expect the occurrence of a rhythmic event [46]. Although neural entrainment is widely explored in speech research [1,2], we are only aware of one study reporting sustained oscillatory effects produced by human speech: Kösem et al [17] showed that, immediately after a change in speech rate, oscillatory MEG responses can still be measured at a frequency corresponding to the preceding speech (summarized in [15]).…”

Rhythmic abilities in humans and non-human animals: a review and recommendations from a methodological perspective

“…Similarly, while some consider metre to be a property of rhythm that is emergent from the presence of a beat in a dynamical systems perspective [25], others consider the hierarchical perception of metre as distinct from beat perception, and more related to language processing [6]. Thus, the precise relationship and interdependence of processing of rhythmic patterns, a beat and metre remains a topic for future research [26,27]. It is also often not clear which type of structure elicits rhythmic behaviour.…”

“…Meter Musical notation relationship and interdependence of processing of rhythmic patterns, a beat, and meter remains a topic for future research [26,27]. It is also often not clear which type of structure elicits rhythmic behavior.…”