Acoustical Science and Technology
Online ISSN : 1347-5177
Print ISSN : 1346-3969
ISSN-L : 0369-4232
INVITED REVIEWS
How the brain discovers structure in sound sequences
Maria Chait
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2020 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 48-53

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Abstract

Sensitivity to patterns is fundamental to sensory processing, in particular in the auditory system, and a major component of the influential `predictive coding' theory of brain function. Supported by growing experimental evidence, the `predictive coding' framework suggests that perception is driven by a mechanism of inference, based on an internal model of the signal source. However, a key element of this theory –- the process through which the brain acquires this model, and its neural underpinnings –- remains poorly understood. Here I review recent brain imaging and behavioural work which focuses on this missing link. Together these emerging results paint a picture of the brain as a regularity seeker, rapidly extracting and maintaining representations of acoustic structure on multiple time scales and even when these are not relevant to behaviour.

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© 2020 by The Acoustical Society of Japan
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