Prestimulus feedback connectivity biases the content of visual experiences

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Visual Perception

Background:

• Neural excitability and network activity before stimuli influence perception.
• Variability in stimulus detection is linked to prestimulus neural fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how prestimulus neural fluctuations impact the content of perception.
• Determine if brain states before stimulus onset bias specific interpretations of ambiguous stimuli.

Main Methods:

• Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded neural activity during perception of the Rubin face/vase illusion.
• Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) decoded perceptual reports from neural data.
• Source localization identified brain regions involved, including V1 and FFA.

Main Results:

• Robust decoding of perceptual reports (face vs. vase) was achieved post-stimulus.
• Early visual cortex (V1) and fusiform face area (FFA) showed differential recruitment.
• Prestimulus, stronger feedback connectivity from FFA to V1 predicted upcoming percept category and intensity.

Conclusions:

• Prestimulus network states, particularly low-frequency oscillations between V1 and FFA, bias visual perception.
• Early network connectivity shapes processing in category-sensitive regions, influencing conscious experience.
• This provides insight into how the brain prepares for and influences future perception.