scholarly journals Absolute Pitch: Evidence for Early Cognitive Facilitation during Passive Listening as Revealed by Reduced P3a Amplitudes

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 623-637 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Rogenmoser ◽  
Stefan Elmer ◽  
Lutz Jäncke
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Processing Stage ◽  
Cognitive Mechanism ◽  
Passive Listening ◽  
Processing Level ◽  
Tone Category

Absolute pitch (AP) is the rare ability to identify or produce different pitches without using reference tones. At least two sequential processing stages are assumed to contribute to this phenomenon. The first recruits a pitch memory mechanism at an early stage of auditory processing, whereas the second is driven by a later cognitive mechanism (pitch labeling). Several investigations have used active tasks, but it is unclear how these two mechanisms contribute to AP during passive listening. The present work investigated the temporal dynamics of tone processing in AP and non-AP (NAP) participants by using EEG. We applied a passive oddball paradigm with between- and within-tone category manipulations and analyzed the MMN reflecting the early stage of auditory processing and the P3a response reflecting the later cognitive mechanism during the second processing stage. Results did not reveal between-group differences in MMN waveforms. By contrast, the P3a response was specifically associated with AP and sensitive to the processing of different pitch types. Specifically, AP participants exhibited smaller P3a amplitudes, especially in between-tone category conditions, and P3a responses correlated significantly with the age of commencement of musical training, suggesting an influence of early musical exposure on AP. Our results reinforce the current opinion that the representation of pitches at the processing level of the auditory-related cortex is comparable among AP and NAP participants, whereas the later processing stage is critical for AP. Results are interpreted as reflecting cognitive facilitation in AP participants, possibly driven by the availability of multiple codes for tones.

scholarly journals The Interaction Between Timescale and Pitch Contour at Pre-attentive Processing of Frequency-Modulated Sweeps

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
I-Hui Hsieh ◽  
Wan-Ting Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Pitch Contour ◽  
Hemispheric Dominance ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Speech Comprehension ◽  
Cortical Processing ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Related Potentials

Speech comprehension across languages depends on encoding the pitch variations in frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps at different timescales and frequency ranges. While timescale and spectral contour of FM sweeps play important roles in differentiating acoustic speech units, relatively little work has been done to understand the interaction between the two acoustic dimensions at early cortical processing. An auditory oddball paradigm was employed to examine the interaction of timescale and pitch contour at pre-attentive processing of FM sweeps. Event-related potentials to frequency sweeps that vary in linguistically relevant pitch contour (fundamental frequency F0 vs. first formant frequency F1) and timescale (local vs. global) in Mandarin Chinese were recorded. Mismatch negativities (MMNs) were elicited by all types of sweep deviants. For local timescale, FM sweeps with F0 contours yielded larger MMN amplitudes than F1 contours. A reversed MMN amplitude pattern was obtained with respect to F0/F1 contours for global timescale stimuli. An interhemispheric asymmetry of MMN topography was observed corresponding to local and global-timescale contours. Falling but not rising frequency difference waveforms sweep contours elicited right hemispheric dominance. Results showed that timescale and pitch contour interacts with each other in pre-attentive auditory processing of FM sweeps. Findings suggest that FM sweeps, a type of non-speech signal, is processed at an early stage with reference to its linguistic function. That the dynamic interaction between timescale and spectral pattern is processed during early cortical processing of non-speech frequency sweep signal may be critical to facilitate speech encoding at a later stage.

On the Nature of Gender Categorization

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Tomelleri ◽  
Luigi Castelli
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Processing Stage ◽  
Brain Potentials ◽  
Ongoing Process ◽  
Gender Categorization

In the present paper, relying on event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we investigated the automatic nature of gender categorization focusing on different stages of the ongoing process. In particular, we explored the degree to which gender categorization occurs automatically by manipulating the semantic vs. nonsemantic processing goals requested by the task (Study 1) and the complexity of the task itself (Study 2). Results of Study 1 highlighted the automatic nature of categorization at an early (N170) and on a later processing stage (P300). Findings of Study 2 showed that at an early stage categorization was automatically driven by the ease of extraction of category-based knowledge from faces while, at a later stage, categorization was more influenced by situational constrains.

scholarly journals Soil organic carbon dynamics following afforestation in the Loess Plateau of China

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 11181-11211 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Lu ◽  
J. Liski ◽  
R. Y. Chang ◽  
A. Akujärvi ◽  
X. Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Carbon Fixation ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Successional Stage

Abstract. Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the largest terrestrial carbon pool and sensitive to land use and cover change; its dynamics is critical for carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere. In this study, we combined a modeling approach and field measurements to examine the temporal dynamics of SOC following afforestation of former arable land at six sites under different climatic conditions in the Loess Plateau during 1980–2010. The results showed that the measured mean SOC increased to levels higher than before afforestation when taking the last measurements (i.e., at age 25 to 30 yr), although it decreased in the first few years at the wetter sites. The accumulation rates of SOC were 1.58 to 6.22% yr–1 in the upper 20 cm and 1.62 to 5.15% yr–1 in the upper 40 cm of soil. The simulations reproduced the basic characteristics of measured SOC dynamics, suggesting that litter input and climatic factors (temperature and precipitation) were the major causes for SOC dynamics and the differences among the sites. They explained 88–96, 48–86 and 57–74% of the variations in annual SOC changes at the soil depths of 0–20, 0–40, and 0–100 cm, respectively. Notably, the simulated SOC decreased during the first few years at all the sites, although the magnitudes of decreases were small at the drier sites. This suggested that the modeling may be advantageous in capturing SOC changes at finer time scale. The discrepancy between the simulation and measurement was a result of uncertainties in model structure, data input, and sampling design. Our findings indicated that afforestation promoted soil carbon sequestration at the study sites, which is favorable for further restoration of the vegetation and environment. Afforestation activities should decrease soil disturbances to reduce carbon release in the early stage. The long-term strategy for carbon fixation capability of the plantations should also consider the climate and site conditions, species adaptability, and successional stage of recovery.

scholarly journals Rapid orienting of spatial attention toward and away from aggressive voices

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Burra ◽  
Dirk Kerzel ◽  
David Munoz ◽  
Didier Grandjean ◽  
Leonardo Ceravolo
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Auditory Spatial Attention ◽  
Vocal Signals

Salient vocalizations, especially aggressive voices, are believed to attract attention due to an automatic threat detection system. However, studies assessing the temporal dynamics of auditory spatial attention to aggressive voices are missing. Using event-related potential markers of auditory spatial attention (N2ac and LPCpc), we show that attentional processing of threatening vocal signals is enhanced at two different stages of auditory processing. As early as 200 ms post stimulus onset, attentional orienting/engagement is enhanced for threatening as compared to happy vocal signals. Subsequently, as early as 400 ms post stimulus onset, the reorienting of auditory attention to the center of the screen (or disengagement from the target) is enhanced. This latter effect is consistent with the need to optimize perception by balancing the intake of stimulation from left and right auditory space. Our results extend the scope of theories from the visual to the auditory modality by showing that threatening stimuli also bias early spatial attention in the auditory modality. Although not the focus of the present work, we observed that the attentional enhancement was more pronounced in female than male participants.

scholarly journals Cortical Auditory Disorders: A Case of Non-Verbal Disturbances Assessed with Event-Related Brain Potentials

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sönke Johannes ◽  
Michael E. Jöbges ◽  
Reinhard Dengler ◽  
Thomas F. Münte
Keyword(s):  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Absolute Pitch ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Sensory Processes ◽  
Auditory Disorders

In the auditory modality, there has been a considerable debate about some aspects of cortical disorders, especially about auditory forms of agnosia. Agnosia refers to an impaired comprehension of sensory information in the absence of deficits in primary sensory processes. In the non-verbal domain, sound agnosia and amusia have been reported but are frequently accompanied by language deficits whereas pure deficits are rare. Absolute pitch and musicians’ musical abilities have been associated with left hemispheric functions. We report the case of a right handed sound engineer with the absolute pitch who developed sound agnosia and amusia in the absence of verbal deficits after a right perisylvian stroke. His disabilities were assessed with the Seashore Test of Musical Functions, the tests of Wertheim and Botez (Wertheim and Botez, Brain 84, 1961, 19–30) and by event-related potentials (ERP) recorded in a modified 'oddball paradigm’. Auditory ERP revealed a dissociation between the amplitudes of the P3a and P3b subcomponents with the P3b being reduced in amplitude while the P3a was undisturbed. This is interpreted as reflecting disturbances in target detection processes as indexed by the P3b. The findings that contradict some aspects of current knowledge about left/right hemispheric specialization in musical processing are discussed and related to the literature concerning cortical auditory disorders.

Cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy: the international hematopoietic cell transplantation experience from 1982 to 1999

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 881-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Peters ◽  
Lawrence R. Charnas ◽  
Ye Tan ◽  
Richard S. Ziegler ◽  
Elsa G. Shapiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Transplantation ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Hematopoietic Cell ◽  
Neuropsychological Function ◽  
Early Stage Disease ◽  
Clinical Onset ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Degree Of Disability

AbstractCerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a disorder of very-long-chain fatty acid metabolism, adrenal insufficiency, and cerebral demyelination. Death occurs within 2 to 5 years of clinical onset without hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). One hundred twenty-six boys with X-ALD received HCT from 1982 to 1999. Survival, engraftment, and acute graft-versus-host disease were studied. Degree of disability associated with neurologic and neuropsychological function and cerebral demyelination were evaluated before and after HCT. Complete data were available and analyzed for 94 boys with cerebral X-ALD. The estimated 5- and 8-year survival was 56%. The leading cause of death was disease progression. Donor-derived engraftment occurred in 86% of patients. Demyelination involved parietal-occipital lobes in 90%, leading to visual and auditory processing deficits in many boys. Overall 5-year survival of 92% in patients with 0 or 1 neurologic deficits and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) severity score less than 9 before HCT was superior to survival for all others (45%; P < .01). Baseline neurologic and neuropsychological function, degree of disability, and neuroradiologic status predicted outcomes following HCT. In this first comprehensive report of the international HCT experience for X-ALD, we conclude that boys with early-stage disease benefit from HCT, whereas boys with advanced disease may be candidates for experimental therapies.

Impaired Processing of Complex Auditory Stimuli in Rats with Induced Cerebrocortical Microgyria: An Animal Model of Developmental Language Disabilities

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 828-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew G. Clark ◽  
Glenn D. Rosen ◽  
Paula Tallal ◽  
R. Holly Fitch
Keyword(s):  
Specific Language Impairment ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Total Duration ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Language Disabilities ◽  
Rapid Auditory Processing ◽  
Processing Deficits

Individuals with developmental language disabilities, including developmental dyslexia and specific language impairment (SLI), exhibit impairments in processing rapidly presented auditory stimuli. It has been hypothesized that these deficits are associated with concurrent deficits in speech perception and, in turn, impaired language development. Additionally, postmortem analyses of human dyslexic brains have revealed the presence of focal neocortical malformations such as cerebrocortical microgyria. In an initial study bridging these research domains, we found that male rats with induced microgyria were impaired in discriminating rapidly presented auditory stimuli. In order to further assess this anatomical-behavioral association, we designed two experiments using auditory-reflex modification. These studies were intended to assess whether auditory processing deficits in microgyric male rats would be seen in threshold detection of a silent gap in white noise, and in oddball detection of a two-tone stimulus of variable duration. Results showed no differences between sham and microgyric subjects on gap detection, but did show that microgyric subjects were impaired in the discrimination of two-tone stimuli presented in an oddball paradigm. This impairment was evident for stimuli with total duration of 64 msec or less, while both groups were able to discriminate stimuli with duration of 89 msec or greater. The current results further support the relationship between malformations of the cerebral cortex and deficits in rapid auditory processing. They also suggest that the parameters characterizing rapid auditory processing deficits for a specific task may be influenced by stimulus features and/or cognitive demand of that particular task.

Temporal Dynamics of Cognitive–Emotional Interplay in Moral Decision-making

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1018-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michela Sarlo ◽  
Lorella Lotto ◽  
Andrea Manfrinati ◽  
Rino Rumiati ◽  
Germano Gallicchio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Moral Decision Making ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Valence And Arousal ◽  
Specific Number

This study investigated the temporal dynamics of emotional and cognitive processing underlying decision-making in moral judgment. Thirty-seven participants were presented with a set of 60 dilemmas varying in whether killing one individual was an intended means to save others (instrumental dilemmas) or a foreseen but unintended consequence (incidental dilemmas). Participants were required to decide between Options A (letting a specific number of people die) and B (killing one person to save a specific number of people). ERPs were recorded to a slide displaying the letters A and B while subjects were deciding between the options, and movement-related potentials were recorded time-locked to the behavioral response, thus allowing the investigation of both stimulus- and response-related processes during decision-making. Ratings of emotional valence and arousal experienced during decision-making were collected after each decision. Compared with incidental dilemmas, instrumental dilemmas prompted a lower number of B choices and significantly more unpleasant decisions. A larger P260 component was found in the frontopolar and frontal areas when subjects were deciding on instrumental than incidental dilemmas, possibly reflecting an immediate affective reaction during the early stage of assessment and formation of preferences between available options. On the other hand, decisions on incidental dilemmas required greater attentional resources during the fairly controlled later processing, as reflected in the larger slow wave amplitudes. In addition, facilitation of action selection and implementation was found for incidental dilemmas during the second stage of decision-making, as supported by the larger amplitudes of both components of the Bereitschaftspotential.

scholarly journals Assessing auditory processing endophenotypes associated with Schizophrenia in individuals with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana A. Francisco ◽  
John J. Foxe ◽  
Douwe J. Horsthuis ◽  
Danielle DeMaio ◽  
Sophie Molholm
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Presentation Rate ◽  
22Q11.2 Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Deletion Syndrome ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Oddball Paradigm ◽  
Cognitive Measures ◽  
22Q11.2 Deletion ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Adaptation Effects

AbstractBackground22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11.2DS) is the strongest known molecular risk factor for schizophrenia. Brain responses to auditory stimuli have been studied extensively in schizophrenia and described as potential biomarkers of vulnerability to psychosis. We sought to understand whether these responses might aid in differentiating individuals with 22q11.2DS as a function of psychotic symptoms, and ultimately serve as signals of risk for schizophrenia.MethodsA duration oddball paradigm and high-density electrophysiology were used to test auditory processing in 26 individuals with 22q11.2DS (13-35 years old, 17 females) with varying degrees of psychotic symptomatology and in 26 age- and sex-matched neurotypical controls (NT). Presentation rate varied across three levels, to examine the effect of increasing demands on memory and the integrity of sensory adaptation. We tested whether N1 and mismatch negativity (MMN), typically reduced in schizophrenia, related to clinical/cognitive measures, and how they were affected by presentation rate.ResultsN1 adaptation effects interacted with psychotic symptomatology: Compared to an NT group, individuals with 22q11.2DS but no psychotic symptomatology presented larger adaptation effects, whereas those with psychotic symptomatology presented smaller effects. In contrast, individuals with 22q11.2DS showed increased effects of presentation rate on MMN amplitude, regardless of the presence of symptoms. While IQ and working memory were lower in the 22q11.2DS group, these measures did not correlate with the electrophysiological data.ConclusionsThese findings suggest the presence of two distinct mechanisms: One intrinsic to 22q11.2DS resulting in increased N1 and MMN responses; another related to psychosis leading to a decreased N1 response.

scholarly journals Mapping the human auditory cortex using spectrotemporal receptive fields generated with magnetoencephalography

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pierre R. Falet ◽  
Jonathan Côté ◽  
Veronica Tarka ◽  
Zaida-Escila Martinez-Moreno ◽  
Patrice Voss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Spectrotemporal Receptive Fields ◽  
Modulation Rate ◽  
Human Auditory Cortex ◽  
Time Required

AbstractWe present a novel method to map the functional organization of the human auditory cortex noninvasively using magnetoencephalography (MEG). More specifically, this method estimates via reverse correlation the spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRF) in response to a dense pure tone stimulus, from which important spectrotemporal characteristics of neuronal processing can be extracted and mapped back onto the cortex surface. We show that several neuronal populations can be found examining the spectrotemporal characteristics of their STRFs, and demonstrate how these can be used to generate tonotopic gradient maps. In doing so, we show that the spatial resolution of MEG is sufficient to reliably extract important information about the spatial organization of the auditory cortex, while enabling the analysis of complex temporal dynamics of auditory processing such as best temporal modulation rate and response latency given its excellent temporal resolution. Furthermore, because spectrotemporally dense auditory stimuli can be used with MEG, the time required to acquire the necessary data to generate tonotopic maps is significantly less for MEG than for other neuroimaging tools that acquire BOLD-like signals.

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