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Frontal engagement in perceptual integration under low subjective visibility
Jisub Bae1, Koeun Jung2, Oliver James1
1Center for Cognition and Sociality, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon, South Korea.
Neuroimage
|December 22, 2024
Summary
Neural dynamics for conscious perception change with awareness. Posterior brain areas shift from dynamic to stable coding, while anterior areas show stable coding, especially with low visibility.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Perceptual integration involves combining sensory information to form a coherent percept.
- Understanding the neural dynamics of conscious access is crucial for explaining subjective experience.
- The role of different brain regions in processing visual stimuli with varying degrees of awareness is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how spatiotemporal neural dynamics of perceptual integration change with conscious access.
- To examine the transition from dynamic to stable neural coding in different brain areas.
- To determine the role of anterior brain regions in processing integrated shape information under low visibility.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to record neural activity.
- Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was applied to EEG data.
- Participants reported orientation and subjective visibility of illusory triangles generated by backward-masked stimuli.
Main Results:
- Posterior and central brain areas initially used dynamic neural code, switching to stable code over time.
- The dynamic-to-stable code transition in posterior areas occurred later and disappeared with reduced conscious access.
- Anterior areas predominantly used stable neural code, which persisted even with minimal stimulus awareness.
Conclusions:
- Spatiotemporal neural dynamics of perceptual integration differ based on the degree of conscious access.
- Anterior brain regions play a distinct role in processing integrated shape information, particularly under conditions of low subjective visibility.
- The findings highlight the dynamic interplay between neural coding strategies and conscious awareness in visual perception.
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