PredAMEG · Identifying Oscillatory Signatures of Predictive Coding in Hierarchical Auditory Networks with MEG

Considerable evidence supports the notion that the brain actively predicts incoming sensory events which are compared with internal models. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The goal of this project is to identify the role of neural oscillations during predictive processing in a hierarchical auditory network using Magnetoencephalography (MEG). I will examine oscillatory activity during the encoding of predictable auditory events and the subsequent detection of unpredictable deviations in a modification of the roving standard paradigm containing nested levels of acoustic regularities. Specifically, I aim to identify the specific frequency channels underlying the signalling of sensory predictions and prediction-errors across the auditory hierarchy. In addition to studying predictive processing during normal brain functioning, the proposed project will examine aberrant auditory predictive processing in schizophrenia, a disorder characterized by profound abnormalities in auditory perception. Accordingly, the outcomes of this project will not only impact on our understanding of the principles of normal brain functioning but may also have implications for future clinical and translational research.