Alpha Oscillation And Behavioral Performance Drive By Aperiodic Temporal Prediction In Visual Modality

As a predictive organ,the brain can predict upcoming events to guide perception and action in the process of adaptive behavior.The classic entrainment model infer that individuals can use the periodicity of the stimulus stream to synchronize neural activity with external stimulus sequences(phase-lock)in bottom-up,predict upcoming events and facilitate behavioral performance.The model explains the relationship between facilitating effects and neural activity that occur after periodic stimulation but cannot explain aperiodic facilitating effects.The periodic stimulus stream always contains lowfrequency neural oscillations,which does not mean that neural oscillations play a functional role in temporal prediction.Individuals also proactive predict the upcoming events based on periodic information.Moreover,the previous studies about aperiodic predictable stimulus stream focused on the auditory modality,and either the sensitivity/detection rate/threshold or reaction times were examined,which could not reflect the behavior performance comprehensively.Therefore,the present study combines the paradigm of auditory and visual modality,presents a near-threshold target after the aperiodic predictable stimulus stream,and examines alpha oscillation and behavioral performance drive by aperiodic temporal prediction in visual modality,try to reveal the top-down effect of aperiodic temporal prediction and provide evidence for the top-down rest model.Study 1 combined with previous research paradigms in the auditory and visual modality,presented three type of stimuli stream(PP,periodically predictable;AP,aperiodic predictable,and AU aperiodic un-predictable),asked participants to detect a near-threshold targets after these stimuli stream,measure perceptual sensitivity(d’)and reaction latency,to investigate the effect of aperiodic predictable stimuli on behavior in the visual modality.Results showed that PP and AP conditions can increase individual perceptual sensitivity and reduce response latency,and the difference between PP and AP was not observed.The result challenge the classical model of entrainment,that is aperiodic temporal prediction can facilitate the behavior in top-bottom,which provide a behavioral evidence for the top-down rest model in the visual modality.Based on the study 1,study 2 combined with the spatial cue-target paradigm,three stimuli stream(PP vs.AP vs.AU)were presented in the cued location,participants were asked to distinguish a near-threshold target after stimuli stream,and examine the phase of alpha oscillation and behavioral promotion effect of the aperiodic predictable stimuli stream in the visual modality.The behavioral results are same as study 1.The EEG results show that PP and AP conditions can synchronize the phase of alpha oscillations compare to AU condition,and there was no difference between the PP and AP,which challenge the bottom-up rest in the classical model of entrainment.It further supports the effect top-down rest of aperiodic temporal prediction on behavior and neural activity.Therefore,the present study infers that the aperiodic temporal prediction can synchronized phase of the alpha oscillation in top-down way,and the and increasing the perceptual sensitivity and reduce the response latency.