Motor origin of temporal predictions in auditory attention

Abstract

<p id="d12969764e153">How the motor system participates in auditory perception is unknown. In a magnetoencephalography experiment involving auditory temporal attention, we show that the left sensorimotor cortex encodes temporal predictions, which drive the precise temporal anticipation of forthcoming sensory inputs. This encoding is associated with bursts of beta (18–24 Hz) neural oscillations that are directed toward auditory regions. Our data also show that the production of overt movements improves the quality of temporal predictions and augments auditory task performance. These behavioral changes are associated with increased signaling of temporal predictions in right-lateralized frontoparietal associative regions. This study points at a covert form of auditory active sensing, and emphasizes the fundamental role of motor brain areas and actual motor behavior in sensory processing. </p><p class="first" id="d12969764e156">In behavior, action and perception are inherently interdependent. However, the actual mechanistic contributions of the motor system to sensory processing are unknown. We present neurophysiological evidence that the motor system is involved in predictive timing, a brain function that aligns temporal fluctuations of attention with the timing of events in a task-relevant stream, thus facilitating sensory selection and optimizing behavior. In a magnetoencephalography experiment involving auditory temporal attention, participants had to disentangle two streams of sound on the unique basis of endogenous temporal cues. We show that temporal predictions are encoded by interdependent delta and beta neural oscillations originating from the left sensorimotor cortex, and directed toward auditory regions. We also found that overt rhythmic movements improved the quality of temporal predictions and sharpened the temporal selection of relevant auditory information. This latter behavioral and functional benefit was associated with increased signaling of temporal predictions in right-lateralized frontoparietal associative regions. In sum, this study points at a covert form of auditory active sensing. Our results emphasize the key role of motor brain areas in providing contextual temporal information to sensory regions, driving perceptual and behavioral selection. </p>