Waves of consciousness: ongoing cortical patterns during binocular rivalry.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Perception

Background:

• Binocular rivalry is a phenomenon where perception alternates between two competing stimuli presented to each eye.
• Understanding the neural correlates of conscious perception during such dynamic states is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the patterns of distributed brain synchronous activity during binocular rivalry.
• To identify the specific brain regions and their dynamic modulation related to the flow of perceptual dominance.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure brain activity.
• Analysis focused on the modulation of evoked responses to a frequency-tagged stimulus.
• Cortical source estimation and phase synchrony analysis were employed to map brain networks.

Main Results:

• Specific modulation of MEG responses was observed throughout rivalry.
• A distributed cortical network, including visual (striate and extrastriate), parietal, temporal pole, and frontal regions, was identified.
• Activity in visual cortex, medial parietal, and left frontal regions modulated with perceptual alternations.
• Coactivation of occipital and frontal regions, including anterior cingulate and medial frontal areas, occurred during stimulus dominance.

Conclusions:

• Distributed brain networks dynamically modulate with perceptual dominance during binocular rivalry.
• Phase synchrony in the frequency tag band reflects this dynamic network modulation.
• While a general anteroposterior pattern exists, individual variations in network extent are observed.