Welcome to the Busch-Lab Talk Series!
We host a (virtual) talk series!
Upcoming talks and topics see table.
| DATE | TOPIC AND SPEAKER | ABSTRACT |
|---|---|---|
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!!! POSTPONED new date to be announced soon |
"Neural oscillatory dynamics of auditory perception and attention" Malte Wöstmann, University of Lübeck |
Human environments often contain a multitude of sounds. Only some of these are relevant for behavior. Which brain mechanisms organize auditory perception and the allocation of selective attention? Here, I will focus on the power of 8–12 Hz alpha oscillations in human Magneto-/Electroencephalography (M/EEG). First, I will show that prestimulus alpha power relates to listeners’ confidence in auditory pitch discrimination. Together with recent work in the visual and somatosensory modalities, these results speak to the view that prestimulus alpha power reflects neural baseline excitability. Next, I will turn to the domain of spatial attention, which is known to elicit hemispheric lateralization of alpha power. I will show that lateralized alpha power implements important properties of a spatio-temporal filter: Lateralized alpha power is modulated in sync with auditory stimulation and tuned by listeners’ temporal foreknowledge about the onset of relevant target sounds. Importantly, unilateral transcranial stimulation of alpha oscillations during spatial attention relatively increases the recall of speech items on the ipsilateral side, which emphasizes the functional role of alpha oscillations for behavior. Finally, I will present recent work that suggests the co-existence of two independent lateralized alpha responses related to the enhancement of lateralized targets versus suppression of distractors, respectively. I will discuss that precise association of alpha responses with different aspects of perception and attention is necessary to understand the role of neural oscillatory dynamics for behavior. |