Neural bases of sensory modulation by temporal expectations

• Grant number: 16/01454-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: September 10, 2016
• End date: June 09, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Cognitive Psychology
• Principal Investigator: André Mascioli Cravo
• Grantee: André Mascioli Cravo
• Host Investigator: Anna Christina Nobre
• Host Institution: Centro de Matemática, Computação e Cognição (CMCC). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Oxford, England

Abstract

The effects of temporal expectation on perception are increasingly recognized. Recent theories suggest that temporal expectation works in conjunction with other attentional processes pre-activating task relevant neural networks at specific times. However, the underlying \linebreak mechanism and the dynamics of these processes remain largely unknown. In this study, we aim to investigate if temporal expectations can dynamically modulate brain states facilitating sensory processing. Human participants will perform a psychophysical task with concurrent magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings. In the task, the temporal probability of stimulus presentation will be manipulated. The combination of behavioral responses and MEG recordings will allow us to analyses the temporal dynamics of the processes underlying perceptual modulation by temporal expectations. (AU)