Modulation in cortical excitability disrupts information transfer in perceptual-level stimulus processing.

TitleModulation in cortical excitability disrupts information transfer in perceptual-level stimulus processing.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2021
AuthorsMoheimanian, L, Paraskevopoulou, SE, Adamek, M, Schalk, G, Brunner, P
JournalNeuroimage
Volume243
Pagination118498
Date Published11/2021
ISSN1095-9572
KeywordsAcoustic Stimulation, Adult, Aged, Alpha Rhythm, Auditory Cortex, Brain Mapping, Cortical Excitability, Electrocorticography, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged
Abstract

Despite significant interest in the neural underpinnings of behavioral variability, little light has been shed on the cortical mechanism underlying the failure to respond to perceptual-level stimuli. We hypothesized that cortical activity resulting from perceptual-level stimuli is sensitive to the moment-to-moment fluctuations in cortical excitability, and thus may not suffice to produce a behavioral response. We tested this hypothesis using electrocorticographic recordings to follow the propagation of cortical activity in six human subjects that responded to perceptual-level auditory stimuli. Here we show that for presentations that did not result in a behavioral response, the likelihood of cortical activity decreased from auditory cortex to motor cortex, and was related to reduced local cortical excitability. Cortical excitability was quantified using instantaneous voltage during a short window prior to cortical activity onset. Therefore, when humans are presented with an auditory stimulus close to perceptual-level threshold, moment-by-moment fluctuations in cortical excitability determine whether cortical responses to sensory stimulation successfully connect auditory input to a resultant behavioral response.

DOI10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118498
Alternate JournalNeuroimage
PubMed ID34428572
PubMed Central IDPMC8903036
Grant ListU24 NS109103 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
U01 NS108916 / NS / NINDS NIH HHS / United States
R01 EB026439 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States
P50 MH109429 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States
P41 EB018783 / EB / NIBIB NIH HHS / United States

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