Mapping repetition suppression of the N100 evoked response to the human cerebral cortex.

BACKGROUND: Repetition suppression (RS) phenomena, such as those observed using paired-identical-stimulus (S1-S2) paradigms, likely reflect adaptive functions such as habituation and, more specifically, sensory gating.
METHODS: To better characterize the neural networks underlying RS, we analyzed auditory S1-S2 data from electrodes placed on the cortices of 64 epilepsy patients who were being evaluated for surgical therapy. We identified regions with maximal amplitude responses to S1 (i.e., stimulus registration regions), regions with maximal suppression of responses to S2 relative to S1 (i.e., RS), and regions with no or minimal RS.
RESULTS: Auditory perceptual regions, such as the superior temporal gyri, were shown to have significant initial registration activity (i.e., strong response to S1). Several prefrontal, cingulate, and parietal lobe regions were found to exhibit stronger RS than those recorded from the auditory perceptual areas.
CONCLUSIONS: The data strongly suggest that the neural network underlying repetition suppression may include regions not previously thought to be involved, such as the parietal and cingulate cortexes. In addition, the data also support the notion that the initial response to stimuli and the ability to suppress the stimuli if repeated are two separate, but likely related, functions.