Neural gain control measured through cortical gamma oscillations is associated with sensory sensitivity

Orekhova, E. V., Stroganova, T. A., Schneiderman, J. F., Lundström, S., Riaz, B., Sarovic, D., Sysoeva, O. V., Brant, G., Gillberg, C. and Hadjikhani, N. (2019) Neural gain control measured through cortical gamma oscillations is associated with sensory sensitivity. Human Brain Mapping, 40(5), pp. 1583-1593. (doi: 10.1002/hbm.24469) (PMID:30549144)

Abstract

Gamma oscillations facilitate information processing by shaping the excitatory input/output of neuronal populations. Recent studies in humans and nonhuman primates have shown that strong excitatory drive to the visual cortex leads to suppression of induced gamma oscillations, which may reflect inhibitory‐based gain control of network excitation. The efficiency of the gain control measured through gamma oscillations may in turn affect sensory sensitivity in everyday life. To test this prediction, we assessed the link between self‐reported sensitivity and changes in magneto‐encephalographic gamma oscillations as a function of motion velocity of high‐contrast visual gratings. The induced gamma oscillations increased in frequency and decreased in power with increasing stimulation intensity. As expected, weaker suppression of the gamma response correlated with sensory hypersensitivity. Robustness of this result was confirmed by its replication in the two samples: neurotypical subjects and people with autism, who had generally elevated sensory sensitivity. We conclude that intensity‐related suppression of gamma response is a promising biomarker of homeostatic control of the excitation–inhibition balance in the visual cortex.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was financed by the Torsten Soderberg Foundation (M240/13 to CG), the Russian Scientific Foundation (14-35-00060 to TS). Authors JFS and BR are supported by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (grant 2014.0102), the Swedish Research Council (grant 621-2012-3673), and the Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation (grant MT2014-0007). The author NH was supported by the LifeWatch Foundation. The author TS was supported by the Charity Foundation “Way Out”. The study was partly supported by the HSE Basic Research Program and the Russian Academic Excellence Project “5-100”.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gillberg, Professor Christopher
• Authors: Orekhova, E. V., Stroganova, T. A., Schneiderman, J. F., Lundström, S., Riaz, B., Sarovic, D., Sysoeva, O. V., Brant, G., Gillberg, C., and Hadjikhani, N.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing
• Journal Name: Human Brain Mapping
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 1065-9471
• ISSN (Online): 1097-0193
• Published Online: 13 December 2018