Are There Non-Mammalian Models of Mismatch Negativity? A Translational Tribute to Risto Näätänen

Mismatch negativity (MMN), first described by Risto Näätänen in the late 1970s, is now known as a key phenomenon in the brain, reflecting its ability to detect differences in the presented sensory stimuli. Although MMN has been widely studied in both humans and other mammals, the phenomenon has also been increasingly examined in non-mammalian species in recent years. Here, we discuss the role of MMN as an evolutionarily conserved phenotype across taxa, and its general translational significance in neuroscience. Despite challenges of studying MMN in non-mammalian species (especially due to methodological limitations and differences in sensory processing), these model organisms offer important insights into brain sensory and cognitive processing that can have further clinical implications in diagnosing and treating brain disorders. This paper is a scientific tribute to Professor R. Näätänen (1939–2023), a brilliant neuroscientist, colleague, and friend.