Temporal and spatial localization of prediction-error signals in the visual brain

TY - JOUR

T1 - Temporal and spatial localization of prediction-error signals in the visual brain

AU - Johnston, Patrick

AU - Robinson, Jonathan

AU - Kokkinakos, Athanasios

AU - Ridgeway, Samuel

AU - Simpson, Michael

AU - Johnson, Sam Richard

AU - Kaufman, Jordy

AU - Young, Andrew William

N1 - © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.

PY - 2017/12/1

Y1 - 2017/12/1

N2 - It has been suggested that the brain pre-empts changes in the environment through generating predictions, although real-time electrophysiological evidence of prediction violations in the domain of visual perception remain elusive. In a series of experiments we showed participants sequences of images that followed a predictable implied sequence or whose final image violated the implied sequence. Through careful design we were able to use the same final image transitions across predictable and unpredictable conditions, ensuring that any differences in neural responses were due only to preceding context and not to the images themselves. EEG and MEG recordings showed that early (N170) and mid-latency (N300) visual evoked potentials were robustly modulated by images that violated the implied sequence across a range of types of image change (expression deformations, rigid-rotations and visual field location). This modulation occurred irrespective of stimulus object category. Although the stimuli were static images, MEG source reconstruction of the early latency signal (N/M170) localized expectancy violation signals to brain areas associated with motion perception. Our findings suggest that the N/M170 can index mismatches between predicted and actual visual inputs in a system that predicts trajectories based on ongoing context. More generally we suggest that the N/M170 may reflect a “family” of brain signals generated across widespread regions of the visual brain indexing the resolution of top-down influences and incoming sensory data. This has important implications for understanding the N/M170 and investigating how the brain represents context to generate perceptual predictions.

AB - It has been suggested that the brain pre-empts changes in the environment through generating predictions, although real-time electrophysiological evidence of prediction violations in the domain of visual perception remain elusive. In a series of experiments we showed participants sequences of images that followed a predictable implied sequence or whose final image violated the implied sequence. Through careful design we were able to use the same final image transitions across predictable and unpredictable conditions, ensuring that any differences in neural responses were due only to preceding context and not to the images themselves. EEG and MEG recordings showed that early (N170) and mid-latency (N300) visual evoked potentials were robustly modulated by images that violated the implied sequence across a range of types of image change (expression deformations, rigid-rotations and visual field location). This modulation occurred irrespective of stimulus object category. Although the stimuli were static images, MEG source reconstruction of the early latency signal (N/M170) localized expectancy violation signals to brain areas associated with motion perception. Our findings suggest that the N/M170 can index mismatches between predicted and actual visual inputs in a system that predicts trajectories based on ongoing context. More generally we suggest that the N/M170 may reflect a “family” of brain signals generated across widespread regions of the visual brain indexing the resolution of top-down influences and incoming sensory data. This has important implications for understanding the N/M170 and investigating how the brain represents context to generate perceptual predictions.

KW - EEG

KW - M170

KW - MEG

KW - N170

KW - Perceptual prediction

KW - Predictive coding

KW - Visual perception

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85014822929&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.02.004

DO - 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.02.004

M3 - Article

SN - 0301-0511

VL - 125

SP - 45

EP - 57

JO - Biological psychology

JF - Biological psychology

ER -