A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity

Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the difference waveform derived from passive auditory oddball stimulation. Since its inception in 1978, this has become one of the most popular event-related potential techniques, with over two-thousand published studies using this method. This is a testam...

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Main Authors: Jamie A. O’Reilly, Amonrat O’Reilly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-05-01
Series:NeuroSci
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4087/2/2/11
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author Jamie A. O’Reilly
Amonrat O’Reilly
author_facet Jamie A. O’Reilly
Amonrat O’Reilly
author_sort Jamie A. O’Reilly
collection DOAJ
description Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the difference waveform derived from passive auditory oddball stimulation. Since its inception in 1978, this has become one of the most popular event-related potential techniques, with over two-thousand published studies using this method. This is a testament to the ingenuity and commitment of generations of researchers engaging in basic, clinical and animal research. Despite this intensive effort, high-level descriptions of the mechanisms theorized to underpin mismatch negativity have scarcely changed over the past four decades. The prevailing deviance detection theory posits that MMN reflects inattentive detection of difference between repetitive standard and infrequent deviant stimuli due to a mismatch between the unexpected deviant and a memory representation of the standard. Evidence for these mechanisms is inconclusive, and a plausible alternative sensory processing theory considers fundamental principles of sensory neurophysiology to be the primary source of differences between standard and deviant responses evoked during passive oddball stimulation. By frequently being restated without appropriate methods to exclude alternatives, the potentially flawed deviance detection theory has remained largely dominant, which could lead some researchers and clinicians to assume its veracity implicitly. It is important to have a more comprehensive understanding of the source(s) of MMN generation before its widespread application as a clinical biomarker. This review evaluates issues of validity concerning the prevailing theoretical account of mismatch negativity and the passive auditory oddball paradigm, highlighting several limitations regarding its interpretation and clinical application.
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spelling doaj.art-57790bb0dce242f3b9cdf1c1100b69292023-11-21T19:04:22ZengMDPI AGNeuroSci2673-40872021-05-012215116510.3390/neurosci2020011A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch NegativityJamie A. O’Reilly0Amonrat O’Reilly1College of Biomedical Engineering, Rangsit University, Pathumthani 12000, ThailandThailand Institute for Science and Technological Research, Pathumthani 12120, ThailandMismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the difference waveform derived from passive auditory oddball stimulation. Since its inception in 1978, this has become one of the most popular event-related potential techniques, with over two-thousand published studies using this method. This is a testament to the ingenuity and commitment of generations of researchers engaging in basic, clinical and animal research. Despite this intensive effort, high-level descriptions of the mechanisms theorized to underpin mismatch negativity have scarcely changed over the past four decades. The prevailing deviance detection theory posits that MMN reflects inattentive detection of difference between repetitive standard and infrequent deviant stimuli due to a mismatch between the unexpected deviant and a memory representation of the standard. Evidence for these mechanisms is inconclusive, and a plausible alternative sensory processing theory considers fundamental principles of sensory neurophysiology to be the primary source of differences between standard and deviant responses evoked during passive oddball stimulation. By frequently being restated without appropriate methods to exclude alternatives, the potentially flawed deviance detection theory has remained largely dominant, which could lead some researchers and clinicians to assume its veracity implicitly. It is important to have a more comprehensive understanding of the source(s) of MMN generation before its widespread application as a clinical biomarker. This review evaluates issues of validity concerning the prevailing theoretical account of mismatch negativity and the passive auditory oddball paradigm, highlighting several limitations regarding its interpretation and clinical application.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4087/2/2/11mismatch negativitydeviance detectionpredictive codingstimulus-specific adaptationauditory neurophysiologyauditory habituation
spellingShingle Jamie A. O’Reilly
Amonrat O’Reilly
A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
NeuroSci
mismatch negativity
deviance detection
predictive coding
stimulus-specific adaptation
auditory neurophysiology
auditory habituation
title A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
title_full A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
title_fullStr A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
title_full_unstemmed A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
title_short A Critical Review of the Deviance Detection Theory of Mismatch Negativity
title_sort critical review of the deviance detection theory of mismatch negativity
topic mismatch negativity
deviance detection
predictive coding
stimulus-specific adaptation
auditory neurophysiology
auditory habituation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4087/2/2/11
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