Asymmetry of automatic change detection shown by the visual mismatch negativity: An additional feature is identified faster than missing features

In two experiments, we demonstrated that an asymmetric effect of the brain electric activity that is elicited by nonattended visual stimuli is similar to the one found in responses observed in the performance of visual search tasks. The automatic detection of violated sequential regularities was investigated by measuring the visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) component of event-related brain potentials (ERPs). In Experiment 1, within a sequence of stimulus displays with O characters, infrequently presented Q characters elicited an earlier vMMN than did infrequent O characters within a sequence of Q characters. In Experiment 2, similar asymmetric results emerged if only 16 % of the characters were different within an infrequent display. In both experiments, these stimuli were irrelevant; during the stimulus sequences, participants performed a demanding videogame. We suggest that the underlying match/mismatch and decision processes are similar in the vMMN and in the attention-related visual search paradigm, at least in the case of the stimuli in the present experiments

Mismatch negativity does not show evidence of memory reactivation in the visual modality

The possibility of reactivation of the memory representation underlying visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) was investigated in a modified passive roving-standard paradigm. Stimuli (arrays of Gábor patches) were presented in sequences with blank interval between the sequences. The first member of each sequence was identical to the standard of the previous sequence, while the second stimulus had different orientation therefore the second stimulus was considered as deviant. In a control condition the stimuli of the previous sequence had random orientations. Event-related potentials (ERPs) in response to the deviants were compared to ERPs in response to the (physically identical) second stimulus of the control sequences. The comparison showed emergence of a positive component at an early (98-132 ms) latency range elicited by deviants. This component is interpreted as an index of increased sensitivity to rare changes in sequences dominated by identical stimuli rather than a component specific to violation of sequential regularity. Consequently, contrary to the findings in the auditory modality, the first stimulus of the sequence did not reactivate the memory representation underlying the vMMN, since subsequent deviant elicited no vMMN

Visual mismatch negativity and stimulus-specific adaptation: the role of stimulus complexity

The present study investigated the function of the brain activity underlying the visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) event-related potential (ERP) component. Snowflake patterns (complex stimuli) were presented as deviants and oblique bar patterns (simple stimuli) as standards, and vice versa in a passive oddball paradigm. Control (equiprobable) sequences of either complex shape patterns or oblique bar patterns with various orientations were also presented. VMMN appeared as the difference between the ERP to the oddball deviant and the ERP to the control (deviant minus control ERP difference). Apart from the shorter latency of the vMMN to the oblique bar pattern as deviant, vMMN to both deviants was similar, i.e., there was no amplitude difference. We attributed the function of the brain processes underlying vMMN to the detection of the infrequent stimulus type (also represented in memory) instead of a call for further processing (a possibility for acquiring more precise representation) of the deviant. An unexpected larger adaptation (control minus standard ERP difference) to the snowflake pattern was also obtained. We suggest that this was due to the acquisition of a more elaborate memory representation of the more complex stimulus

Elemi szabályosságok reprezentációja a látásban: Pszichofiziológiai vizsgálatok = Representation of elementary rules in vision: Psychophysiological investigations

Fő célunk a vizuális automatikus emlékezeti rendszer sajátságainak vizsgálata volt a vizuális eltérési negativitás eseményhez (EN) kötött potenciál összetevő elemzésével. Mivel az eltérési negativitás annak jele, ha egy esemény megszegi az ingersorozat szabályszerűségeit, jelentkezése rámutat arra, ha az emlékezeti regisztrálta a szabályszerűséget. Eredményeink szerint az emlékezeti rendszer nem egyedi vizuális sajátságokat tárol, hanem eseményeket, azaz egy objektum több sajátságának egyidejű változása nem növeli az eltérő negativitást. Additív hatás mutatkozik viszont, ha egyidejűleg több esemény változik. Az aktuálsi viselkedés és az automatikus változás detekciója nem független: a feladat azonos típusú változások esetén az eltérési negativitás csökken. Eltérően a hallás hasonló rendszeréhet, a vizuális rendszer nem érzékeny hosszabb tartamú emlékezeti reaktivációs hatásaira. Valódi és látszólagos eltérések hasonló EN hatásokkal járnak. A rendszer képes perceptuális és érzelmi kategóriák (horizontális szimmetria) regisztrációjára, viszont nem jön létre EN, ha az események sorozatából nem jön létre szabályszerűség reprezentációja. Mivel az emlékezeti rendszer képes feltételes szabályszerűségek tárolására, így valószínűsíthető, hogy a vizuális észlelésben prediktív funkcióval rendelkezik. | As the main purpose of the project was the investigation of the characteristics of an implicit visual memory system. The method was the analysis of the visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) event-related potential component. VMMN emerges whenever an event violates the regularity of stimulus sequences, therefore vMMN appearance is an indicator of registered regularity. As our results show, beyond the registration of individual visual features, the system is capable of storing deviant events, i.e., vMMN to event with simultaneous deviant features does not elicit increased vMMN. However, simultaneous deviancy of two events elicits additive vMMN. VMMN is not independent of the task-related stimuli. Irrelevant stimuli shearing the characteristics of task-relevant ones elicit vMMN with decreased amplitude. Contrary to the homolog auditory memory, the system underlying vMMN is insensitive to long-term memory effects (reactivation). Real and apparent (illusory) deviancies elicit similar vMMN. The system is capable of registering perceptual (horizontal symmetry) and emotional categories. However, without the acquisition of category, no vMMN emerges. The system is sensitive to conditional regularities; therefore it is possible that it has a predictive function in visual perceptio

Emotion-Related Visual Mismatch Responses in Schizophrenia: Impairments and Correlations with Emotion Recognition.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Mismatch negativity (MMN) is an event-related potential (ERP) measure of preattentional sensory processing. While deficits in the auditory MMN are robust electrophysiological findings in schizophrenia, little is known about visual mismatch response and its association with social cognitive functions such as emotion recognition in schizophrenia. Our aim was to study the potential deficit in the visual mismatch response to unexpected facial emotions in schizophrenia and its association with emotion recognition impairments, and to localize the sources of the mismatch signals. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:The sample comprised 24 patients with schizophrenia and 24 healthy control subjects. Controls were matched individually to patients by gender, age, and education. ERPs were recorded using a high-density 128-channel BioSemi amplifier. Mismatch responses to happy and fearful faces were determined in 2 time windows over six regions of interest (ROIs). Emotion recognition performance and its association with the mismatch response were also investigated. PRINCIPAL OBSERVATIONS:Mismatch signals to both emotional conditions were significantly attenuated in patients compared to controls in central and temporal ROIs. Controls recognized emotions significantly better than patients. The association between overall emotion recognition performance and mismatch response to the happy condition was significant in the 250-360 ms time window in the central ROI. The estimated sources of the mismatch responses for both emotional conditions were localized in frontal regions, where patients showed significantly lower activity. CONCLUSIONS:Impaired generation of mismatch signals indicate insufficient automatic processing of emotions in patients with schizophrenia, which correlates strongly with decreased emotion recognition