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Frontoparietal asymmetries leading to conscious perception
Paolo Bartolomeo1, Jianghao Liu2, Tal Seidel Malkinson3
1Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, F-75013 Paris, France.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|December 21, 2024
Summary
Conscious perception relies on frontoparietal circuits, with distinct roles for each brain hemisphere. The right hemisphere prioritizes attention, while the left aids in decision-making and model building.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Neurology
Background:
- Frontoparietal circuits are essential for higher cognitive functions.
- Hemispheric specializations are increasingly recognized in complex cognitive tasks.
- The superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) connects key brain regions involved in perception and attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hemisphere-specific roles of frontoparietal circuits in conscious perception.
- To elucidate the contribution of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) in perceptual processing.
- To correlate neurophysiological findings with clinical observations in neurological disorders.
Main Methods:
- Intracerebral recordings in human subjects.
- Analysis of neural activity during perceptual tasks.
- Examination of functional connectivity within frontoparietal networks.
- Comparison with clinical data from patients with neurological deficits.
Main Results:
- Hemisphere-asymmetric contributions of frontoparietal circuits to conscious perception were identified.
- Right-hemisphere networks demonstrated a critical role in attention-based information prioritization.
- Left-hemisphere regions were found to be crucial for perceptual decision-making and cognitive model building.
- Findings align with and refine clinical evidence from patients with neglect syndrome.
Conclusions:
- Conscious perception involves specialized, asymmetric functions of right and left frontoparietal networks.
- The superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) plays a key role in integrating these specialized functions.
- These findings provide a neurophysiological basis for understanding hemispheric dominance in cognition and neurological conditions.
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