CNS Poster: Cardiac Cycle Differentially Modulates the Perception of Self-generated and Externally Generated Sounds
Poster, The 16th Annual Meeting of Chinese Neuroscience Society & The 2nd CJK International Meeting, Zhuhai, China
Comming soon!
Abstract: Objective The continuous interaction between the brain and internal bodily states, such as cardiac activities, plays a crucial role in shaping our perception and actions in the external world. Recent studies have shown that the cardiac cycle modulates perception and spontaneous behaviors, with boosting effects on perception during the late (diastole) phase and facilitation of spontaneous behaviors during the early (systole) phase. However, contrary results have also been reported. This study aims to investigate whether the perceptual outcomes of spontaneous behaviors, i.e., self-triggered sensory events, are processed differentially along the cardiac cycle. Methods: In Experiment 1, auditory thresholds to 1kHz pure tones were measured. The pure tones at the threshold level were used as targets in the subsequent auditory detection task (Experiment 2). Both experiments were conducted under two conditions: active and passive. In the active condition, subjects self-generated the tones by pressing a key to trigger auditory stimuli, while in the passive condition, the experimenter triggered the tones. Simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings were conducted throughout the experiments. Results: (1) The timing of stimuli along the cardiac cycle affected auditory perception only in subjects who exhibited sensory attenuation of self-generated sounds (i.e., higher threshold measured in the active condition of Experiment 1). Stimuli were detected more frequently during diastole. (2) The temporal consistency of cardiac activities, indexed by heart rate variability (HRV), mediated the modulation effect of the cardiac cycle. During the early phase of the cardiac cycle, subjects with lower HRV tended to exhibit more hits under the active condition and more misses under the passive condition. Conclusion: The cardiac cycle significantly influences the processing of self-generated sensory events, indicating the importance of considering internal bodily states in understanding perception and behavior.