VARIABLE CEREBRAL RESPONSES TO EQUALLY DISTINCT DEVIANCE IN 4 AUDITORY DIMENSIONS - A MISMATCH NEGATIVITY STUDY

In this study we compared the amplitude, latency, and spatial distribu tion of the mismatch negativity (MMN), elicited by tones deviating in either frequency, intensity, stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) or locati on, and assessed inter- and intra-subject variability. Cross-dimension al comparisons were facilitated by adjusting the magnitude of deviance individually, so that the detection rates were similar, both across d imensions (within subject) and across subjects (within dimension). Des pite similar detection rates, the MMN elicited by frequency deviance w as larger, and the MMN elicited by SOA deviance was earlier than the o ther types of MMN. The reliability of frequency-related MMN was better than that of the other types of MMN. The results highlight the proble ms of comparing MMN across dimensions, especially in clinical populati ons.