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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

Published on: April 16, 2014

Cortical depth profiles in primary visual cortex for illusory and imaginary experiences.

Johanna Bergmann^1,2,3, Lucy S Petro^4,5, Clement Abbatecola^4,5

¹Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE), Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK. Bergmann_johanna@yahoo.de.

Nature Communications

|February 2, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Visual illusions and mental imagery involve distinct brain activity in the primary visual cortex. Illusory experiences activate superficial layers, while mental imagery engages deep layers, suggesting different neural pathways for these internal perceptions.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Visual Perception

Background:

Visual illusions and mental imagery are internal experiences relying on cortical feedback in the primary visual cortex.
Understanding the neural basis of these subjective experiences is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether distinct layers of the primary visual cortex (V1) contain information about visual illusions and mental imagery.
To differentiate the neural microcircuits involved in processing illusory versus imagined visual content.

Main Methods:

Laminar functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed in two studies.
Activation patterns within different layers of V1 were analyzed to decode content of internal visual experiences.

Main Results:

Imagery content was primarily decodable from deep layers of V1.
Illusory content was mainly decodable from superficial layers of V1.
Illusory content shared information with perceptual content, unlike imagery content.

Conclusions:

Visual illusions and mental imagery involve partially distinct early visual microcircuits in V1.
The findings highlight differences in neural processing based on the subjective nature of conscious experiences.
Overlapping microcircuit recruitment may occur depending on the nuances of conscious experience.