Presentation Information
[O6-03]The timing of neural-cardio-respiratory network states predicts perception across the senses
*Andreas Wutz1 (1. University of Salzburg (Austria))
Keywords:
perception,oscillations,MEG,brain-body interactions
For the past decades, neuroscience research has repeatedly highlighted the pivotal role of observer-dependent, internal network states predisposing sensory experiences in the external world. Nevertheless, many open questions remain: How are these internally generated processes implemented in the perceiver? How are they controlled and timed relative to each other and to sensory inputs? And, do they generalize across different sensory systems? In this talk, I present novel magneto-encephalography (MEG), cardiac and respiratory data that conclusively demonstrate top-down brain networks influencing perception across different sensory modalities and their relationships to ongoing dynamics in the body. On each trial, different visual, auditory or tactile stimuli were shown at individual perceptual thresholds, such that about half of the stimuli were consciously detected, while the other half were missed. The main findings show neural activity bursts occurring shortly before stimulus onset across frontal and posterior cortex in the brain’s dominant alpha-frequency band rhythm (8-13 HZ). The precise timing of these neural activity bursts is predictive of subsequent perceptual outcomes generalized across all three senses. Moreover, the neural activity bursts happen at specific phases of the participants’ cardiac cycle, suggesting a crucial role of pre-stimulus neural-cardio network timing for conscious perception. Because cardiac activity is strongly coupled to respiration, neural-cardio network interactions may be top-down controlled and timed by the participants’ breathing behavior. In line with this hypothesis, the participants strategically regulate their respiratory activity during the task both relative to stimulus onset and to neural burst onset. The participants’ breath out earlier for successfully detected vs. missed stimuli with respect to the onset of the activity bursts in the brain. Overall, our results reveal an interactive, multi-stage temporal processing cascade bridging both neural and bodily systems and preparing the perceiving organism for the optimally timed integration of conscious experiences.