Biology subjects

Menetrey, M. Q.

Publications and source records attributed to Menetrey, M. Q..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Not a single clock: multiple behavioral rhythms in perceptual averaging

Several theories propose that perception and attention are governed by rhythmic processes that give rise to periodic fluctuations in behavior. However, empirical support for behavioral rhythms has been derived largely from paradigms involving brief, static stimuli. Here, we introduce a temporal averaging task requiring integration of rapidly unfolding visual features. Across three experiments, we tested averaging of orientation, size, and color under different eccentricity conditions. We used a temporally weighted averaging model to assess whether the influence of individual stimulus samples on perceptual estimates exhibits periodic modulation over time. We found no common rhythmic signature across tasks. Instead, orientation and size judgments showed reliable low-frequency modulations (<2.5 Hz), whereas color judgments showed only weak trends. Higher-frequency components (~3.5-8 Hz), often linked to theta and alpha rhythms, were observed only in a subset of participants and were limited to parafoveal orientation processing. These findings challenge the notion of universal behavioral rhythms and instead suggest that temporal dynamics are task-dependent, with slow oscillatory processes emerging as the most consistent feature.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

The compositional nature of the human alpha rhythm

Resting-state brain activity is dominated by oscillations in the alpha band (8-13 Hz). The dominant frequency within this band, the individual alpha peak frequency (IAPF), has been widely used as a global marker of inter-individual variability in perceptual and cognitive functions, as well as clinical phenotypes. However, the traditional approach implicitly assumes a single oscillatory rhythm varying along a parametric continuum. Here, we analyzed resting-state EEG data from more than 2000 participants across multiple independent datasets. We identify three distinct and highly stable alpha components, or archetypes, that jointly and compositionally determine the IAPF. These components exhibit dissociable age-related trajectories as well as distinct scalp topographies and cortical sources. Together, these findings indicate that individual differences in alpha activity do not reflect variation along a single frequency dimension, but rather differences in the relative contribution of discrete alpha generators. This calls for a reevaluation of many reported associations between alpha frequency, brain function, and clinical phenotypes.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Neural correlates of unconscious and conscious visual processing

In some forms of postdictive phenomena, later events influence the perception of earlier ones, suggesting that conscious perception may be preceded by extended periods of unconscious processing. An example is the Sequential Metacontrast (SQM) paradigm, in which vernier offsets are unconsciously integrated over several hundred milliseconds before conscious perception. Obviously, the integrated percept can only emerge after each individual element in the stream has been processed. Thus, the SQM provides a unique opportunity to dissociate unconscious from conscious stages of visual processing, as these stages are well separated in time. Using EEG during the SQM, we identified two distinct stages of neural activity: an early occipital EEG activity pattern ([~]200 ms after the initial vernier) associated with unconscious processing, and a later centro-parietal EEG pattern ([~]400-600 ms after SQM onset) associated with the integrated percept and the behavioral report. We propose that the transition between these neural patterns marks the shift from unconscious encoding of individual visual stimuli to their integrated percept.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Emotion Recognition in a Multi-Componential Framework: The Role of Physiology

Emotions are rich and complex experiences involving various behavioral and physiological responses. While many empirical studies have focused on discrete and dimensional representations of emotions, these representations do not fully reconcile with recent neuroscience studies that increasingly suggest a multi-process mechanism underlying emotional experience. Moreover, the latter view accords with psychological theories that consider emotions as multicomponent phenomena, such as appraisal theories. Although there is no complete consensus on the specific components of emotions and fundamental principles defining their organization, the Component Process Model (CPM) is well established framework describing an emotion as a dynamic process with five major highly interrelated components: cognitive appraisal, expression, motivation, physiology and feeling. Yet, few studies have systematically investigated a range of discrete emotions through this full multi-componential view. In the present study, we therefore elicited various emotions during movie watching and measured their manifestation across these components. Our primary goal was to investigate the relationship between physiological measures and the theoretically defined components of emotions. In addition, we also investigated whether discrete emotions could be predicted from information provided by the multicomponent response patterns, as well as the specific contributions of each component in such predictions. Results suggest that physiological features are interrelated to all other components of emotion, but the least significant predictors for emotion classification. Overall, emotion prediction was significantly higher when classifiers were trained with all five components. The findings therefore support a description of emotion as a dynamic multicomponent process, in which the emergence of a conscious feeling state requires the integration of all the components.

physiology↗