MEG study of somatosensory MMN evoked by electrical stimulation

Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatelnosti Imeni I.P. Pavlova. 2022. Vol. 72. No. 5. P. 697–706.

O. E. Moiseenko, D. O. Bredikhin, M. Herrojo Ruiz, V. V. Moiseeva, A. N. Shestakova

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a promising tool for studying the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, sensory memory, and other aspects of sensory function in health and disease. Despite numerous studies in the auditory modality, somatosensory MMN and its mechanisms remain under-examined. We employed “oddball” paradigm in which participants were presented with two blocks of standard (80%) and deviant (20%) stimuli to the second and fifth fingers of the right hand during video viewing. Permutation tests revealed significant differences between responses to standard and deviant stimuli in the condition associated with the perception of a standard stimulus by the second finger of the hand and a deviant stimulus by the fifth finger in the time window of 90–170 ms. We observed a fronto-central distribution of the MMN component, similar in spatiotemporal pattern to the somatosensory MMN known from the literature. Based on the results of our study, we consider it necessary to conduct additional studies to identify conditions in which the detection of MMN is reliable, as well as most comfortable for participants.

Keywords: магнитоэнцефалография, magnetoencephalography, oddball paradigm, somatosensory mismatch negativity, соматосенсорная негативность