Resting-state neural correlates of visual Gestalt experience

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Perception Research

Background:

• Subjective experience integrates sensory input, top-down processing, and brain states.
• Previous work linked prestimulus insula and intraparietal sulcus (IPS) activity to illusory Gestalt perception.
• The neural basis of stable individual differences in illusory perception tendencies remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if prestimulus functional connectivity of the insula and IPS predicts an individual's stable tendency for illusory Gestalt perception.
• To explore the relationship between task-free functional connectivity and the duration of perceptual interpretations.

Main Methods:

• Examined individual differences in resting-state functional connectivity of the insula and IPS.
• Correlated connectivity patterns with the duration of local and global interpretations of a bistable stimulus.
• Utilized fMRI to assess task-free functional connectivity.

Main Results:

• Stronger IPS connectivity with default mode and visual networks correlated with shorter local perceptual phases (faster switch to illusory percept).
• Insula connectivity with the early visual cortex showed an opposite association.
• These findings highlight the role of intrinsic network interactions in perceptual tendencies.

Conclusions:

• Interactions between the IPS, insula, and key intrinsic networks shape perceptual tendencies towards illusory Gestalt perception.
• Resting-state functional connectivity provides insights into stable individual differences in perception.
• The study advances understanding of the neural underpinnings of subjective perceptual biases.