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Cited by 23Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Spontaneous activity competes with externally evoked responses in sensory cortex

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Karvat, Golan, Alyahyay, Mansour, Diester, Ilka·2021·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.2023286118PMC PMC8237647

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Abstract

Significance: Humans and animals recognize light tactile stimulations on some occasions while at others miss even stronger stimuli. The explanation of this apparent paradox lies in the competition between spontaneously and externally evoked responses in the brain. Brief bursts of beta-oscillations have been implicated in reduced detection rates, yet the underlying mechanism remained unknown. Here, we report that neural networks exhibit synchronization during beta-bursts, followed by reduced firing rates, thus explaining the diminished detection rate on the single trial level. Through monitoring the brain’s electrical activity before and during tactile stimulation, we found that the masking influence of burst occupancy on perception can be counterbalanced in real time by adjusting the stimulus intensity, thereby overcoming this active inhibition of sensory cortex.

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  • People with lower SES tend to have a shorter life expectancy and worse health-related outcomes compared with more affluent people.

    “There is a wide range of robust empirical evidence from many settings which indicates that people with lower SES tend to have a shorter life expectancy and worse health-related outcomes in comparison to more affluent people.1–4”

    From Health professionals implicit bias of patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) and its effects on clinical decision-making: a scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Results passages concern sensory-cortex activity and stimulus detection, while Materials and Methods > Animals describes a study in rats; no page numbers are available in our copy. Searches for socioeconomic status, life expectancy, income, mortality, and related health outcomes found no passage addressing the claimed comparison between people of lower and higher SES. (LLM, conf=0.78)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Controlling for SES, people who are of Afro-Caribbean heritage are three times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than their counterparts of European heritage.

    “For example, there is evidence which shows that controlling for SES, people who are of Afro-Caribbean heritage are three times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than their counterparts of European heritage, while people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or identify as queer are more likely to have multiple risks for cardiovascular disease than their heterosexual peers.4”

    From Health professionals implicit bias of patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) and its effects on clinical decision-making: a scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Materials and Methods (Animals; page not provided) describe a study of rats, while the Results (Rats Detect Forepaw Vibration; page not provided) concern responses to sensory stimulation. Searches for Afro-Caribbean heritage, diabetes, socioeconomic status, and European heritage found no passage addressing the claimed comparison. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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  • People who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or identify as queer are more likely to have multiple risks for cardiovascular disease than their heterosexual peers.

    “For example, there is evidence which shows that controlling for SES, people who are of Afro-Caribbean heritage are three times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than their counterparts of European heritage, while people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or identify as queer are more likely to have multiple risks for cardiovascular disease than their heterosexual peers.4”

    From Health professionals implicit bias of patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) and its effects on clinical decision-making: a scoping review (2024) · cites this paper as [4]

    The Materials and Methods (Animals; page unavailable) describes a study of five female rats, and the Discussion (page unavailable) addresses neural beta-bursts and stimulus detection. Searches for LGBTQ identity, heterosexual peers, and cardiovascular risk factors found no passage addressing the claimed comparison. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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References 83 · Cited by 23

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Authors
Karvat, G., Alyahyay, M., & Diester, I.
Affiliations
University of Freiburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Diester, Ilka
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2021-06-21
Volume
118
Issue
25
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.2023286118
PMC
PMC8237647
OpenAlex
W3173740426
Cited by
23
References
83
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1
FWCI
2.09
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DI 1908/6-1, DI 1908/5-1, EXC‐1086, 1908/6-1)
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01GQ1301)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
spontaneous neuronal activity, beta oscillations, sensory evoked potentials, sensory masking, somatosensory cortex, vibrotactile perception, local field potentials, cortical synchronization
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Animals, Beta Rhythm, Cues, Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory, Female, Physical Stimulation, Somatosensory Cortex, Vibration, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Rats

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