A1 Journal article (refereed)
Human Brain Ages With Hierarchy-Selective Attenuation of Prediction Errors (2021)

Hsu, Y.-F., Waszak, F., Strömmer, J., & Hämäläinen, J. A. (2021). Human Brain Ages With Hierarchy-Selective Attenuation of Prediction Errors. Cerebral Cortex, 31(4), 2156-2168. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaa352

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Hsu, Yi-Fang; Waszak, Florian; Strömmer, Juho; Hämäläinen, Jarmo A.

Journal or series: Cerebral Cortex

ISSN: 1047-3211

eISSN: 1460-2199

Publication year: 2021

Volume: 31

Issue number: 4

Pages range: 2156-2168

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhaa352

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/73032

Abstract

From the perspective of predictive coding, our brain embodies a hierarchical generative model to realize perception, which proactively predicts the statistical structure of sensory inputs. How are these predictive processes modified as we age? Recent research suggested that aging leads to decreased weighting of sensory inputs and increased reliance on predictions. Here we investigated whether this age-related shift from sensorium to predictions occurs at all levels of hierarchical message passing. We recorded the electroencephalography responses with an auditory local–global paradigm in a cohort of 108 healthy participants from 3 groups: seniors, adults, and adolescents. The detection of local deviancy seems largely preserved in older individuals at earlier latency (including the mismatch negativity followed by the P3a but not the reorienting negativity). In contrast, the detection of global deviancy is clearly compromised in older individuals, as they showed worse task performance and attenuated P3b. Our findings demonstrate that older brains show little decline in sensory (i.e., first-order) prediction errors but significant diminution in contextual (i.e., second-order) prediction errors. Age-related deficient maintenance of auditory information in working memory might affect whether and how lower-level prediction errors propagate to the higher level.

Keywords: ageing; perceptual psychology; perceptions (mental objects); auditory perceptions; EEG

Free keywords: aging; auditory perception; electroencephalography (EEG); prediction errors; predictive coding

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2021

JUFO rating: 3