Micek, C. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2024

The Neural Basis of Attentional Blink as a Selective Control Mechanism in Conscious Perception

Conscious perception of visual stimuli involves large-scale brain networks with multiple activation-deactivation dynamics. Previous works have shown that early detection networks may be switched off about 200ms to 300ms after presentation of a visual stimulus. We hypothesize that these deactivations represent a selective control mechanism of the brain to conserve resources for post-perceptual processing. To this end, we used attentional blink as a behavioral measure for this mechanism. We showed that attentional blink is more likely to occur when a previous visual stimulus was consciously perceived. Using high-resolution eye-tracking, we found prolonged decrease in pupil diameter and transient decrease in blink probability associated with attentional blink. Using scalp EEG data, we further showed that attentional blink is associated with more pronounced event-related potentials related to visual processing and report. One sentence summaryattentional blink may represent a selective control mechanism of neural processing resources underlying conscious perception.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

The neural activity of auditory conscious perception

Although recent work has made significant headway in understanding the temporal and spatial dynamics of the neural mechanisms of conscious perception, much of that work has focused on visual paradigms. To determine whether there are shared mechanisms for perceptual consciousness across sensory modalities, here we developed a task to test within the auditory domain. Participants (n=31) completed an auditory perceptual threshold task while undergoing intracranial electroencephalography (icEEG) for intractable epilepsy. Intracranial recordings from over 2,800 grey matter electrodes representing widespread cortical coverage were analyzed for power in the high gamma range (40-115 Hz)--a frequency range that reflects local neural activity. For trials that were perceived, we find activity in early auditory regions which is accompanied by activity in the right caudal middle frontal gyrus, and shortly thereafter by activity in non-auditory thalamus. This is followed by a wave of activity that sweeps through the higher auditory association regions and into parietal and frontal cortices, similar to the wave observed in our visual conscious perception paradigm. However, for not perceived trials, we find that significant activity is restricted to early auditory regions (and areas immediately adjacent to the Sylvian fissure). These findings show that the broad anatomical regions of cortical and subcortical networks involved in auditory perception are similar to the networks observed with vision, suggesting shared general mechanisms for conscious perception.

neuroscience↗