Contextual Verbal Information Modulates Low Frequency Neuronal Population Activity During Face Processing
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Perception of faces is shaped by prior expectations1,2. To address how expectations modulate face processing, we recorded intracranial EEG3,4 across 2836 recording sites in 20 participants as they heard a valenced description about a person, saw that person's face, and rated their impression. Using a two-step approach, we decomposed high- (HFA; 70–170 Hz) and low-frequency (LFA; 1–8 Hz) domains into spatiotemporal motifs using consensus NMF5. Next, we constructed encoding models for each motif, on a trial-by-trial basis to identify traces of expectations during face processing using pretrained language model semantic embeddings. HFA motifs were modality-specific and tracked semantic content predominantly during the audio epoch. In contrast, the effect of valence was seen in LFA motifs, and trial-by-trial neural signals during face epoch were predicted by semantic content across distributed sites. This suggests that semantic information carried by a preceding short narrative is reflected in low-frequency neural activity during subsequent face processing. Our findings offer insights into frequency-specific contributions to how the human brain integrates prior expectations with incoming sensory input.
Source: Research Square
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225321368