Neuronal correlates of full and partial visual conscious perception
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Updated: Dec 31, 2025

Using Electroencephalography Measurements and High-quality Video Recording for Analyzing Visual Perception of Media Content
Published on: May 26, 2018
Hamed Haque1, Muriel Lobier2, J Matias Palva3
1Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Finland; BioMag Laboratory, HUS Medical Imaging Center, Finland.
Abstract:
Stimuli may induce only partial consciousness-an intermediate between null and full consciousness-where the presence but not identity of an object can be reported. The differences in the neuronal basis of full and partial consciousness are poorly understood. We investigated if evoked and oscillatory activity could dissociate full from partial conscious perception. We recorded human cortical activity with magnetoencephalography (MEG) during a visual perception task in which stimulus could be either partially or fully perceived. Partial consciousness was associated with an early increase in evoked activity and theta/low-alpha-band oscillations while full consciousness was also associated with late evoked activity and beta-band oscillations. Full from partial consciousness was dissociated by stronger evoked activity and late increase in theta oscillations that were localized to higher-order visual regions and posterior parietal and prefrontal cortices. Our results reveal both evoked activity and theta oscillations dissociate partial and full consciousness.
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