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Auditory Magnetoencephalographic Frequency-Tagged Responses Mirror the Ongoing Segmentation Processes Underlying Statistical Learning

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Abstract

Humans are highly sensitive to statistical regularities in their environment. This phenomenon, usually referred as statistical learning, is most often assessed using post-learning behavioural measures that are limited by a lack of sensibility and do not monitor the temporal dynamics of learning. In the present study, we used magnetoencephalographic frequency-tagged responses to investigate the neural sources and temporal development of the ongoing brain activity that supports the detection of regularities embedded in auditory streams. Participants passively listened to statistical streams in which tones were grouped as triplets, and to random streams in which tones were randomly presented. Results show that during exposure to statistical (vs. random) streams, tritone frequency-related responses reflecting the learning of regularities embedded in the stream increased in the left supplementary motor area and left posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), whereas tone frequency-related responses decreased in the right angular gyrus and right pSTS. Tritone frequency-related responses rapidly developed to reach significance after 3 min of exposure. These results suggest that the incidental extraction of novel regularities is subtended by a gradual shift from rhythmic activity reflecting individual tone succession toward rhythmic activity synchronised with triplet presentation, and that these rhythmic processes are subtended by distinct neural sources.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Rachel Leproult for helping in the data of the first pre-test MEG runs, Dr. Arnaud Destrebecqz for fruitful discussions about this study and Jeromy Hrabovecky for English language corrections. Juliane Farthouat and Alison Mary are Research Fellows, Ana Franco is Post-Doctoral Researcher, Xavier De Tiège is a Post-doctoral Clinical Master Specialist, and Vincent Wens is a Post-doctoral Research Logistician, supported by the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FRS-FNRS, Brussels, Belgium). Julie Delpouve was supported by the ULB Action de Recherches Concertées (ARC) project “Pathophysiology of Memory Consolidation.” P. Peigneux is Francqui Research Professor 2013–2016. This study was supported by FRS-FNRS research project T.109.13 “Learning and Memory in Sleep.”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. UR2NF - Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit at CRCN, Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP191, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt 50, 1050, Brussels, Belgium

    Juliane Farthouat, Alison Mary, Julie Delpouve & Philippe Peigneux

  2. UNESCOG - Unité de Recherche en Neurosciences Cognitives at CRCN, Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Ana Franco

  3. LCFC - Laboratoire de Cartographie Fonctionnelle du Cerveau, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Julie Delpouve, Vincent Wens, Marc Op de Beeck & Xavier De Tiège

  4. UNI - ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium

    Juliane Farthouat, Ana Franco, Alison Mary, Julie Delpouve, Vincent Wens, Marc Op de Beeck, Xavier De Tiège & Philippe Peigneux

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  1. Juliane Farthouat
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Correspondence to Juliane Farthouat or Philippe Peigneux.

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Farthouat, J., Franco, A., Mary, A. et al. Auditory Magnetoencephalographic Frequency-Tagged Responses Mirror the Ongoing Segmentation Processes Underlying Statistical Learning. Brain Topogr 30, 220–232 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-016-0518-y

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