Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Subliminal Perception

Subliminal Perception

Subliminal perception refers to the processing of sensory information that occurs below the level of conscious awareness. Researchers study subliminal perception by presenting a stimulus, such as a word or image, very quickly, typically around 50 milliseconds. This rapid presentation is often followed by another stimulus, such as a pattern of dots or lines, which blocks further mental processing of the initial stimulus. As a result, if participants cannot identify the initial stimulus better...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.

Vision

Vision

Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness Memory

Eyewitness memory refers to the recollection of events by someone who has directly witnessed them, often serving as critical evidence in legal settings. This type of memory is commonly used in criminal cases where a witness describes details like a suspect's appearance, clothing, or behavior during a crime. However, despite its perceived reliability, eyewitness memory is prone to significant errors.
One such error is memory distortion, which occurs because human memory does not function like a...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Functional Ca<sup>2+</sup>-permeable AMPA receptors in hippocampal astrocytes mediate calcium signaling in vitro.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

The interoceptive origins of mental imagery: an evolutionary account.

Frontiers in psychology·2026

Same author

Interoception predicts mental imagery vividness: exploring a key relationship.

Scientific reports·2026

Same author

An integration model of mental imagery and aphantasia: Conceptual framework, neuromechanistic pathways, and clinical implications.

Neuropsychologia·2026

Same author

Enhancing fMRI Decoded Neurofeedback with Co-adaptive Training: Simulation and Proof-of-principle Evidence.

Neuroinformatics·2026

Same author

Should aphantasia be rehabilitated? The case for subtype-specific interventions.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

Causal evidence for subliminal percept-to-memory interference in early visual cortex.

Juha Silvanto¹, David Soto

¹Brain Research Unit and AMI Centre, Low Temperature Laboratory, Aalto University School of Science and Technology, Finland. silvanto@neuro.hut.fi

|August 16, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Subliminal visual distracters interfere with visual short-term memory (VSTM) by impacting early visual cortex processing. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) modulated this interference, suggesting competitive interactions at sensory representation levels.

More Related Videos

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 30, 2026

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Stimulus-specific Cortical Visual Evoked Potential Morphological Patterns

Published on: May 12, 2019

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Cross-Modal Multivariate Pattern Analysis

Published on: November 9, 2011

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Neuroscience
Visual Perception

Background:

Studies on visual short-term memory (VSTM) interference often involve conscious distracters, engaging attentional control.
Investigating interference at sensory representation levels requires minimizing attentional involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate VSTM interference by subliminal distracters at the sensory representation level.
To determine the causal role of the early visual cortex in VSTM interference by subliminal distracters.

Main Methods:

Developed a paradigm with subliminal visual distracters during VSTM delay period.
Utilized transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to probe the early visual cortex.
Analyzed behavioral data and employed signal detection analyses.

Main Results:

Incongruent subliminal distracters impaired VSTM fidelity.
Occipital TMS impaired VSTM fidelity without a mask but facilitated it with an incongruent mask.
TMS did not modulate the perceptual sensitivity of the masked distracter.

Conclusions:

Competitive interactions between memory and perception occur at early cortical stages of visual processing.
TMS causally influences VSTM precision, with effects dependent on subliminal distracter presence and congruency.