Abstract
Previous event-related potential (ERP) experiments have consistently identified two components associated with perceptual transitions of bistable visual stimuli, the “reversal negativity” (RN) and the “late positive complex” (LPC). The RN (~200 ms post-stimulus, bilateral occipital-parietal distribution) is thought to reflect transitions between neural representations that form the moment-to-moment contents of conscious perception, while the LPC (~400 ms, central-parietal) is considered an index of post-perceptual processing related to accessing and reporting one’s percept. To explore the generality of these components across sensory modalities, the present experiment utilized a novel bistable auditory stimulus. Pairs of complex tones with ambiguous pitch relationships were presented sequentially while subjects reported whether they perceived the tone pairs as ascending or descending in pitch. ERPs elicited by the tones were compared according to whether perceived pitch motion changed direction or remained the same across successive trials. An auditory reversal negativity (aRN) component was evident at ~170 ms post-stimulus over bilateral fronto-central scalp locations. An auditory LPC component (aLPC) was evident at subsequent latencies (~350 ms, fronto-central distribution). These two components may be auditory analogs of the visual RN and LPC, suggesting functionally equivalent but anatomically distinct processes in auditory vs. visual bistable perception.
Highlights
Bistable stimuli refer to a class of physically unchanging stimuli that give rise to two mutually exclusive conscious percepts (Necker, 1832; Rubin, 1958; Bool et al, 1981; Lemmo, 2006)
The goals of this study were to create a bistable auditory stimulus suitable for use with the intermittent event-related potential (ERP) paradigm, test the perceptual dynamics of this stimulus, and identify potential auditory analogs of the reversal negativity” (RN) and LPC components commonly found www.frontiersin.org employed here are similar to those found for most visual bistable stimuli (Leopold and Logothetis, 1999; Leopold et al, 2002; Long and Toppino, 2004; Pressnitzer and Hupé, 2006; Sterzer et al, 2009)
While the current study was aimed at measuring perceptual dynamics and ERPs elicited by a novel bistable auditory stimulus, future investigations will benefit from designs and analysis approaches which allow further testing in the pre-stimulus interval. This investigation sought to expand the body of research on visual bistability into the auditory domain by pioneering a novel bistable auditory stimulus for use with the intermittent ERP paradigm
Summary
Bistable stimuli refer to a class of physically unchanging stimuli that give rise to two mutually exclusive conscious percepts (Necker, 1832; Rubin, 1958; Bool et al, 1981; Lemmo, 2006). In order to time-lock electrophysiological recordings to stimulus onset, a number of studies have employed intermittent (as opposed to constant) stimulus presentation methods (Leopold et al, 2002; Kornmeier and Bach, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012; Kornmeier et al, 2007, 2009, 2014; Pitts et al, 2007, 2008; Britz et al, 2009; Intaiteet al., 2010, 2013, 2014; Ehm et al, 2011; Pitts and Britz, 2011). Brain activity elicited by each stimulus-onset can be sorted according to whether perception reversed or remained stable relative to the previous trial
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
