The role of neural oscillations in cross-modal perception

• Applicant: Dr. Anna-Katharina Matke-Bauer
• Subject Area: Biological Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience ; Human Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 426797465

• Final Report Year: 2023

Final Report Abstract

At any given moment our sensory systems receive multiple inputs from our environment such as sight and sound. Think of a glass falling down and breaking on the floor or footsteps of a person walking into a room. Incoming sensory signals often provide complementary evidence about our environment and signals in one sensory modality, such as audition, can influence neural activity and behavioural performance in another sensory modality, such as vision. The funded research project, which was conducted at the University of Oxford (host: Prof. Anna Christina Nobre), investigated the role of neural oscillations in cross-modal perception. We first discussed the synchronisation of neural oscillations and the possible mechanisms of how information is transferred within and across sensory modalities in a contemporary literature review. We explored both sensory-driven and top-down mechanism of cross-modal influences, discussed outstanding questions and provided an outlook for future research avenues. In an empirical study, we investigated how auditory rhythmic stimulation can modulate visual cortical activity and visual perception using electroencephalography (EEG). On the behavioural level we found that visual perception fluctuated in line with the presented sound. On the neural level, we were able to show that auditory rhythmic stimulation modulated visual cortical activity, resulting in an increase in neural synchronisation over visual areas. Moreover, we observed that the degree of neural synchronisation over visual areas was related to the degree that visual performance fluctuated. Together, we could demonstrate a cross-modal influence of auditory rhythmic stimulation on visual neural activity that is functionally relevant for behavioural performance. In another project that was prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic, we further explored the role of neural synchronisation in interpersonal synchrony and social bonding through music-making. In a commentary we discussed that interpersonal synchrony is a powerful tool that creates a sense of belonging and participation. We concluded that the reason that music is found in every known culture is that interpersonal synchrony - achieved through making music together - links our minds and bodies, which in turn facilitates social cohesion and social bonding.

Publications

• Synchronisation of Neural Oscillations and Cross-modal Influences. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(6), 481-495.
  Bauer, Anna-Katharina R.; Debener, Stefan & Nobre, Anna C.
  
• Is neural entrainment to rhythms the basis of social bonding through music?. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 44.
  Grahn, Jessica A.; Bauer, Anna-Katharina R. & Zamm, Anna
  
• Music-making brings us together during the coronavirus pandemic. The Conversation
  Grahn, J. A.; Bauer, A.-K. R. & Zamm, A.
  
• Rhythmic Modulation of Visual Perception by Continuous Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation. The Journal of Neuroscience, 41(33), 7065-7075.
  Bauer, Anna-Katharina R.; van Ede, Freek; Quinn, Andrew J. & Nobre, Anna C.