Visuomotor mismatch EEG responses over occipital cortex of freely moving human subjects

An intriguing study has revealed visuomotor mismatch responses in human cortex when subjected to virtual reality experiences. Researchers combined wireless EEG recording with a VR headset to observe these responses in freely moving human subjects.

The study suggests that self-motion is the strongest predictor of visual feedback, a concept previously demonstrated in mice. When visual feedback is coupled with movement, brief disruptions of this coupling in mice result in strong visuomotor mismatch responses in visual cortex. These responses likely reflect prediction errors in the brain's predictive coding mechanism.

Interestingly, oddball paradigms have been the primary means of studying predictive coding in humans. These paradigms rely on anomalies in stimulus probability based on recent sensory history. However, the researchers were uncertain whether humans exhibit visuomotor mismatch responses similar to those observed in mice.

This uncertainty was significant for two reasons. First, identifying visuomotor mismatch responses in humans would allow for the translation of mechanistic understanding of the circuit from mouse to human cortex. Second, a paradigm capable of triggering strong prediction error responses would simplify experiments in a clinical setting by requiring shorter recording times.

In this study, the researchers addressed this uncertainty. They found robust visuomotor mismatch responses in human cortex, which were characterized by a reversed polarity relative to visual-evoked responses. Furthermore, these responses exhibited greater signal power than both visual responses and oddball mismatch responses. These findings provide evidence for the presence of visuomotor mismatch responses in humans, paving the way for further research and potential clinical applications.