Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence
Abstract Periodic sensory inputs entrain oscillatory brain activity, reflecting a neural mechanism that might be fundamental to temporal prediction and perception. Most environmental rhythms and patterns in human behavior, such as walking, dancing, and speech do not, however, display strict isochron...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86895-y |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832571804804186112 |
|---|---|
| author | Sabine Leske Tor Endestad Vegard Volehaugen Maja D. Foldal Alejandro O. Blenkmann Anne-Kristin Solbakk Anne Danielsen |
| author_facet | Sabine Leske Tor Endestad Vegard Volehaugen Maja D. Foldal Alejandro O. Blenkmann Anne-Kristin Solbakk Anne Danielsen |
| author_sort | Sabine Leske |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Periodic sensory inputs entrain oscillatory brain activity, reflecting a neural mechanism that might be fundamental to temporal prediction and perception. Most environmental rhythms and patterns in human behavior, such as walking, dancing, and speech do not, however, display strict isochrony but are instead quasi-periodic. Research has shown that neural tracking of speech is driven by modulations of the amplitude envelope, especially via sharp acoustic edges, which serve as prominent temporal landmarks. In the same vein, research on rhythm processing in music supports the notion that perceptual timing precision varies systematically with the sharpness of acoustic onset edges, conceptualized in the beat bin hypothesis. Increased envelope sharpness induces increased precision in localizing a sound in time. Despite this tight relationship between envelope shape and temporal processing, it is currently unknown how the brain uses predictive information about envelope features to optimize temporal perception. With the current EEG study, we show that the predicted sharpness of the amplitude envelope is encoded by pre-target neural activity in the beta band (15–25 Hz), and has an impact on the temporal perception of target sounds. We used probabilistic sound cues in a timing judgment task to inform participants about the sharpness of the amplitude envelope of an upcoming target sound embedded in a beat sequence. The predictive information about the envelope shape modulated task performance and pre-target beta power. Interestingly, these conditional beta-power modulations correlated positively with behavioral performance in the timing judgment task and with perceptual temporal precision in a click-alignment task. This study provides new insight into the neural processes underlying prediction of the sharpness of the amplitude envelope during beat perception, which modulate the temporal perception of sounds. This finding could reflect a process that is involved in temporal prediction, exerting top-down control on neural entrainment via the prediction of acoustic edges in the auditory stream. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-95c949b2dbbe4eac980e58624b90796b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-95c949b2dbbe4eac980e58624b90796b2025-02-02T12:17:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111910.1038/s41598-025-86895-yBeta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequenceSabine Leske0Tor Endestad1Vegard Volehaugen2Maja D. Foldal3Alejandro O. Blenkmann4Anne-Kristin Solbakk5Anne Danielsen6RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloRITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of OsloAbstract Periodic sensory inputs entrain oscillatory brain activity, reflecting a neural mechanism that might be fundamental to temporal prediction and perception. Most environmental rhythms and patterns in human behavior, such as walking, dancing, and speech do not, however, display strict isochrony but are instead quasi-periodic. Research has shown that neural tracking of speech is driven by modulations of the amplitude envelope, especially via sharp acoustic edges, which serve as prominent temporal landmarks. In the same vein, research on rhythm processing in music supports the notion that perceptual timing precision varies systematically with the sharpness of acoustic onset edges, conceptualized in the beat bin hypothesis. Increased envelope sharpness induces increased precision in localizing a sound in time. Despite this tight relationship between envelope shape and temporal processing, it is currently unknown how the brain uses predictive information about envelope features to optimize temporal perception. With the current EEG study, we show that the predicted sharpness of the amplitude envelope is encoded by pre-target neural activity in the beta band (15–25 Hz), and has an impact on the temporal perception of target sounds. We used probabilistic sound cues in a timing judgment task to inform participants about the sharpness of the amplitude envelope of an upcoming target sound embedded in a beat sequence. The predictive information about the envelope shape modulated task performance and pre-target beta power. Interestingly, these conditional beta-power modulations correlated positively with behavioral performance in the timing judgment task and with perceptual temporal precision in a click-alignment task. This study provides new insight into the neural processes underlying prediction of the sharpness of the amplitude envelope during beat perception, which modulate the temporal perception of sounds. This finding could reflect a process that is involved in temporal prediction, exerting top-down control on neural entrainment via the prediction of acoustic edges in the auditory stream.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86895-y |
| spellingShingle | Sabine Leske Tor Endestad Vegard Volehaugen Maja D. Foldal Alejandro O. Blenkmann Anne-Kristin Solbakk Anne Danielsen Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence Scientific Reports |
| title | Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| title_full | Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| title_fullStr | Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| title_full_unstemmed | Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| title_short | Beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| title_sort | beta oscillations predict the envelope sharpness in a rhythmic beat sequence |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-86895-y |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sabineleske betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT torendestad betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT vegardvolehaugen betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT majadfoldal betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT alejandrooblenkmann betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT annekristinsolbakk betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence AT annedanielsen betaoscillationspredicttheenvelopesharpnessinarhythmicbeatsequence |