Abstract
The ability to perceive the world is not merely a passive process but depends on sensorimotor loops and interactions that guide and actively bias our sensory systems. Understanding which and how cognitive processes participate in this active sensing is still an open question. In this context, the auditory system presents itself as an attractive model for this purpose as it features an efferent control network that projects from the cortex to subcortical nuclei and even to the sensory epithelium itself. This efferent system can regulate the cochlear amplifier sensitivity through medial olivocochlear (MOC) neurons located in the brainstem. The ability to suppress irrelevant sounds during selective attention to visual stimuli is one of the functions that have been attributed to this system. MOC neurons are also directly activated by sounds through a brainstem reflex circuit, a response linked to the ability to suppress auditory stimuli during visual attention. Human studies have suggested that MOC neurons are also recruited by other cognitive functions, such as working memory and predictability. The aim of this research was to explore whether cognitive processes related to delayed responses in a visual discrimination task were associated with MOC function. In this behavioral condition, chinchillas held their responses for more than 2.5 s after visual stimulus offset, with and without auditory distractors, and the accuracy of these responses was correlated with the magnitude of the MOC reflex. We found that the animals’ performance decreased in presence of auditory distractors and that the results observed in MOC reflex could predict this performance. The individual MOC strength correlated with behavioral performance during delayed responses with auditory distractors, but not without them. These results in chinchillas, suggest that MOC neurons are also recruited by other cognitive functions, such as working memory.
Highlights
Sensory perception is not just a passive phenomenon but involves the active participation of organism (Yang et al, 2016)
We evaluated the link between the medial olivocochlear (MOC) function and delayed responses in a visual discrimination task
We show that the functioning of MOC reflex, measured by the magnitude of distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) suppression produced by contralateral noise in awake chinchillas, is associated with behavioral performance in a visual discrimination task with auditory distractors during periods in which working memory is relevant to accomplish the task
Summary
Sensory perception is not just a passive phenomenon but involves the active participation of organism (Yang et al, 2016). In natural or ecological situations, the changes in the sensory organs are highly influenced by the internal process of the nervous system. This ranges from changes in our spatial relation with the environment to shifts in our focus or sensory priority. In this sense, our actions, cognition, and perception are interrelated, coupled in a sensorimotor cycle (Buhrmann et al, 2013; Di Paolo et al, 2017). To understand the phenomenon of perception, it is necessary to know how our internal states and cognitive processes are associated with our sensory pathways. This is how top-down control pathways present themselves as compelling research targets for developing a better understanding of the cognitive control of perception
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