Jones Alexander, Hsu Yi-Fang, Granjon Lionel, Waszak Florian
Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France; CNRS (Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, UMR 8158), Paris, France; Middlesex University London, United Kingdom.
Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan.
Neuroimage. 2017 Aug 1;156:352-362. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.05.042. Epub 2017 May 19.
The dynamic attending theory proposes that rhythms entrain periodic fluctuations of attention which modulate the gain of sensory input. However, temporal expectancies can also be driven by the mere passage of time (foreperiod effect). It is currently unknown how these two types of temporal expectancy relate to each other, i.e. whether they work in parallel and have distinguishable neural signatures. The current research addresses this issue. Participants either tapped a 1Hz rhythm (active task) or were passively presented with the same rhythm using tactile stimulators (passive task). Based on this rhythm an auditory target was then presented early, in synchrony, or late. Behavioural results were in line with the dynamic attending theory as RTs were faster for in- compared to out-of-synchrony targets. Electrophysiological results suggested self-generated and externally induced rhythms to entrain neural oscillations in the delta frequency band. Auditory ERPs showed evidence of two distinct temporal expectancy processes. Both tasks demonstrated a pattern which followed a linear foreperiod effect. In the active task, however, we also observed an ERP effect consistent with the dynamic attending theory. This study shows that temporal expectancies generated by a rhythm and expectancy generated by the mere passage of time can work in parallel and sheds light on how these mechanisms are implemented in the brain.
动态注意理论提出，节律会引注意的周期性波动，从而调节感觉输入的增益。然而，时间预期也可能仅由时间的流逝驱动（前周期效应）。目前尚不清楚这两种时间预期是如何相互关联的，即它们是否并行起作用并具有可区分的神经特征。当前的研究解决了这个问题。参与者要么敲击1赫兹的节律（主动任务），要么使用触觉刺激器被动地呈现相同的节律（被动任务）。基于这个节律，随后提前、同步或延迟呈现一个听觉目标。行为结果符合动态注意理论，因为与不同步目标相比，同步目标的反应时更快。电生理结果表明，自我产生的节律和外部诱导的节律会引δ频段的神经振荡。听觉事件相关电位显示出两个不同的时间预期过程的证据。两项任务都呈现出一种遵循线性前周期效应的模式。然而，在主动任务中，我们还观察到一种与动态注意理论一致的事件相关电位效应。这项研究表明，由节律产生的时间预期和仅由时间流逝产生的预期可以并行起作用，并揭示了这些机制在大脑中的实现方式。
