PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Freek Van Ede
AU  - Sammi R Chekroud
AU  - Mark G Stokes
AU  - Anna C Nobre
TI  - Decoding the Influence of Anticipatory States on Visual Perception in the Presence of Temporal Distractors
AID  - 10.1101/143123
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 143123
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/27/143123.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/27/143123.full
AB  - While it has long been recognised that anticipatory states amplify early EEG responses to visual targets in humans, it remains unclear how such modulations relate to the actual content of the neural representation, and help prioritise targets among temporally competing distractor stimuli. Using multivariate orientation decoding of high temporal resolution EEG recordings, we first demonstrate that anticipation also increases the amount of stimulus-identity information contained in these early brain responses. By characterising the influence of temporally adjacent distractors on target identity decoding, we additionally reveal that anticipation does not just attenuate distractor interference on target representations but, instead, delay it. Enhanced target decoding and distractor resistance are further predicted by the attenuation of posterior 8-14 Hz alpha oscillations. These findings offer several novel insights into how anticipatory states shape neural representations in service of resolving sensory competition in time, and they highlight the potential of non-invasive multivariate electrophysiology to track cognitive influences on perception in tasks with rapidly changing displays.HighlightsAnticipatory states help resolve visual competition in timeAnticipation enhances early target coding and delays distractor interferenceAttenuated alpha oscillations also enhance target coding and distractor resistanceEEG decoding is a powerful tool for tracking percepts in rapidly changing displaysSignificance statement While the neural mechanisms by which anticipatory states help prioritise inputs that compete in space have received ample scientific investigation, the mechanisms by which the human brain accomplishes such prioritisation for inputs that compete in time remain less well understood. We used high temporal resolution EEG decoding to individuate (and track in time) neural information linked to visual target and distractors stimuli that were presented in close temporal proximity. This revealed that anticipatory states help resolve temporally competing percepts by a combination of enhanced target (but not distractor) coding as well as delayed interference on this target coding caused by temporally adjacent distractors – thus allocating a “protective temporal window” for high-fidelity target processing.