Temporal uncertainty enhances suppression of neural responses to predictable visual stimuli

• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118314
• Publication Date: 2021-06-25T08:15:58Z
• Authors: Sanjeev Nara; Mikel Lizarazu; Craig G Richter; Diana C Dima; Radoslaw M Cichy; Mathieu Bourguignon; Nicola Molinaro
• Keywords: Predictability; Magnetoencephalography; Visual processing; Feature (linguistics)

Contextual information triggers predictions about the content ("what") of environmental stimuli to update an internal generative model surrounding world. However, visual dynamically changes across time, and temporal predictability ("when") may influence impact on processing. In this magnetoencephalography (MEG) study, we investigated how processing feature specific is affected by ("when"). Participants (N = 16) were presented with four consecutive Gabor patches (entrainers) constant spatial frequency but variable orientation onset. A fifth target was after a longer delay higher or lower that participants had judge. We compared neural responses entrainers where could, could not be temporally predicted along entrainer sequence, inter-entrainer timing (predictable), (unpredictable). observed suppression evoked in cortex for predictable stimuli. Interestingly, found uncertainty increased expectation suppression. This suggests uncertain scenarios neurocognitive system invests less resources integrating bottom-up information. Multivariate pattern analysis showed features decoded from responses. Temporal did affect decoding accuracy early responses, specificity activity preserved conditions. sustained over time jittered than isochronous These findings converge suggest cognitive processes detail, while rely more heavily abstract expectations.