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Torralba Cuello M, Drew A, Sabaté San José A, Morís Fernández L, Soto-Faraco S. Alpha fluctuations regulate the accrual of visual information to awareness. Cortex 2021; 147:58-71. [PMID: 35021126 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Endogenous brain processes play a paramount role in shaping up perceptual phenomenology. This is illustrated by the alternations experienced by humans (and other animals) when watching perceptually ambiguous, static images. We hypothesised that endogenous alpha fluctuations in the visual cortex pace the accumulation of sensory information leading to perceptual outcomes. Here, we addressed this hypothesis using binocular rivalry combined with visual entrainment and electroencephalography in humans (64 female, 53 male). The results revealed a correlation between the individual frequency of alpha oscillations in the occipital cortex and perceptual alternation rates experienced during binocular rivalry. In subsequent experiments we show that regulating endogenous brain activity via rhythmic entrainment produced corresponding changes in perceptual alternation rate. These changes were observed only in the alpha range but not at lower entrainment frequencies, and were much reduced when using arrhythmic stimulation. Additionally, entraining at frequencies above the alpha range did not result in speeding up perceptual alternation rates. Overall, these findings support the notion that visual information is accumulated via alpha cycles to promote the emergence of conscious perceptual representations. We suggest that models of binocular rivalry incorporating posterior alpha as a pacemaker can provide an important advance in the comprehension of the dynamics of visual awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Torralba Cuello
- Multisensory Research Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alice Drew
- Multisensory Research Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Luis Morís Fernández
- Multisensory Research Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Salvador Soto-Faraco
- Multisensory Research Group, Center for Brain and Cognition, University of Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain; Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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2
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Hardstone R, Zhu M, Flinker A, Melloni L, Devore S, Friedman D, Dugan P, Doyle WK, Devinsky O, He BJ. Long-term priors influence visual perception through recruitment of long-range feedback. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6288. [PMID: 34725348 PMCID: PMC8560909 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26544-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception results from the interplay of sensory input and prior knowledge. Despite behavioral evidence that long-term priors powerfully shape perception, the neural mechanisms underlying these interactions remain poorly understood. We obtained direct cortical recordings in neurosurgical patients as they viewed ambiguous images that elicit constant perceptual switching. We observe top-down influences from the temporal to occipital cortex, during the preferred percept that is congruent with the long-term prior. By contrast, stronger feedforward drive is observed during the non-preferred percept, consistent with a prediction error signal. A computational model based on hierarchical predictive coding and attractor networks reproduces all key experimental findings. These results suggest a pattern of large-scale information flow change underlying long-term priors' influence on perception and provide constraints on theories about long-term priors' influence on perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Hardstone
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Michael Zhu
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Adeen Flinker
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Lucia Melloni
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Sasha Devore
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Daniel Friedman
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Patricia Dugan
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Werner K Doyle
- Department of Neurosurgery, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Biyu J He
- Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Radiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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3
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Cottereau BR, Trotter Y, Durand JB. An egocentric straight-ahead bias in primate's vision. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2897-2909. [PMID: 34120262 PMCID: PMC8541962 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02314-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
As we plan to reach or manipulate objects, we generally orient our body so as to face them. Other objects occupying the same portion of space will likely represent potential obstacles for the intended action. Thus, either as targets or as obstacles, the objects located straight in front of us are often endowed with a special behavioral status. Here, we review a set of recent electrophysiological, imaging and behavioral studies bringing converging evidence that the objects which lie straight-ahead are subject to privileged visual processing. More precisely, these works collectively demonstrate that when gaze steers central vision away from the straight-ahead direction, the latter is still prioritized in peripheral vision. Straight-ahead objects evoke (1) stronger neuronal responses in macaque peripheral V1 neurons, (2) stronger EEG and fMRI activations across the human visual cortex and (3) faster reactive hand and eye movements. Here, we discuss the functional implications and underlying mechanisms behind this phenomenon. Notably, we propose that it can be considered as a new type of visuospatial attentional mechanism, distinct from the previously documented classes of endogenous and exogenous attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoit R Cottereau
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau Et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, 31052, Toulouse, France. .,Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 31055, Toulouse, France.
| | - Yves Trotter
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau Et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, 31052, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 31055, Toulouse, France
| | - Jean-Baptiste Durand
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau Et Cognition, Université de Toulouse, 31052, Toulouse, France.,Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 31055, Toulouse, France
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4
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Intracranial Recordings Reveal Unique Shape and Timing of Responses in Human Visual Cortex during Illusory Visual Events. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3089-3100.e4. [PMID: 32619489 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
During binocular rivalry, perception spontaneously changes without any alteration to the visual stimulus. What neural events bring about this illusion that a constant stimulus is changing? We recorded from intracranial electrodes placed on the occipital and posterior temporal cortex of two patients with epilepsy while they experienced illusory changes of a face-house binocular-rivalry stimulus or observed a control stimulus that physically changed. We performed within-patient comparisons of broadband high-frequency responses, focusing on single epochs recorded along the ventral processing stream. We found transient face- and house-selective responses localized to the same electrodes for illusory and physical changes, but the temporal characteristics of these responses markedly differed. In comparison with physical changes, responses to illusory changes were longer lasting, in particular exhibiting a characteristic slow rise. Furthermore, the temporal order of responses across the visual hierarchy was reversed for illusory as compared to physical changes: for illusory changes, higher order fusiform and parahippocampal regions responded before lower order occipital regions. Our tentative interpretation of these findings is that two stages underlie the initiation of illusory changes: a destabilization stage in which activity associated with the impending change gradually accumulates across the visual hierarchy, ultimately graduating in a top-down cascade of activity that may stabilize the new perceptual interpretation of the stimulus.
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5
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Canales-Johnson A, Billig AJ, Olivares F, Gonzalez A, Garcia MDC, Silva W, Vaucheret E, Ciraolo C, Mikulan E, Ibanez A, Huepe D, Noreika V, Chennu S, Bekinschtein TA. Dissociable Neural Information Dynamics of Perceptual Integration and Differentiation during Bistable Perception. Cereb Cortex 2020; 30:4563-4580. [PMID: 32219312 PMCID: PMC7325715 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
At any given moment, we experience a perceptual scene as a single whole and yet we may distinguish a variety of objects within it. This phenomenon instantiates two properties of conscious perception: integration and differentiation. Integration is the property of experiencing a collection of objects as a unitary percept and differentiation is the property of experiencing these objects as distinct from each other. Here, we evaluated the neural information dynamics underlying integration and differentiation of perceptual contents during bistable perception. Participants listened to a sequence of tones (auditory bistable stimuli) experienced either as a single stream (perceptual integration) or as two parallel streams (perceptual differentiation) of sounds. We computed neurophysiological indices of information integration and information differentiation with electroencephalographic and intracranial recordings. When perceptual alternations were endogenously driven, the integrated percept was associated with an increase in neural information integration and a decrease in neural differentiation across frontoparietal regions, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for the differentiated percept. However, when perception was exogenously driven by a change in the sound stream (no bistability), neural oscillatory power distinguished between percepts but information measures did not. We demonstrate that perceptual integration and differentiation can be mapped to theoretically motivated neural information signatures, suggesting a direct relationship between phenomenology and neurophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrés Canales-Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB Cambridge, UK
- Vicerectoria de Investigacion y Posgrado, Universidad Catolica del Maule, Talca 3480112, Chile
| | - Alexander J Billig
- Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, N6A 3K7, Canada
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Francisco Olivares
- Facultad de Psicologia, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370076, Chile
| | - Andrés Gonzalez
- Facultad de Psicologia, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago 8370076, Chile
| | - María del Carmen Garcia
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1199ABB, Argentina
| | - Walter Silva
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1199ABB, Argentina
| | - Esteban Vaucheret
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1199ABB, Argentina
| | - Carlos Ciraolo
- Programa de Cirugía de Epilepsia, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires C1199ABB, Argentina
| | - Ezequiel Mikulan
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires 1126, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibanez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCyT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires 1126, Argentina
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 2485, Chile
| | - David Huepe
- School of Psychology, Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago 2485, Chile
| | - Valdas Noreika
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB Cambridge, UK
| | - Srivas Chennu
- School of Computing, University of Kent, ME4 4AG Chatham, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, CB2 3EB Cambridge, UK
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6
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Gayet S, Guggenmos M, Christophel TB, Haynes JD, Paffen CLE, Sterzer P, Van der Stigchel S. No evidence for mnemonic modulation of interocularly suppressed visual input. Neuroimage 2020; 215:116801. [PMID: 32276069 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual working memory (VWM) allows for keeping visual information available for upcoming goal-directed behavior, while new visual input is processed concurrently. Interactions between the mnemonic and perceptual systems cause VWM to affect the processing of visual input in a content-specific manner: visual input that is initially suppressed from consciousness is detected faster when it matches rather than mismatches the content of VWM. It is currently under debate whether such mnemonic influences on perception occur prior to or after conscious access. To address this issue, we investigated whether VWM content modulates the neural response to visual input that remains suppressed from consciousness. We measured fMRI responses to interocularly suppressed stimuli in 20 human participants performing a delayed match-to-sample task: Participants were retro-cued to memorize one of two geometrical shapes for subsequent recognition. During retention, an interocularly suppressed peripheral stimulus (the probe) was briefly presented, which was either of the cued (memorized) or uncued (not memorized) shape category. We found no evidence that VWM content modulated the neural response to the probe. Substantial evidence for the absence of this modulation was found despite leveraging a highly liberal analysis approach: (1) selecting regions of interest that were particularly prone to detecting said modulation, and (2) using directional Bayesian tests favoring the presence of the hypothesized modulation. We did observe faster detection of memory-matching compared to memory-mismatching probes in a behavioral control experiment, thus validating the stimulus set. We conclude that VWM impacts the processing of visual input only once suppression is mostly alleviated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surya Gayet
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
| | - Matthias Guggenmos
- Visual Perception Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas B Christophel
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - John-Dylan Haynes
- Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chris L E Paffen
- Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Visual Perception Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt Universität, Berlin, Germany
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7
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Bogdanova OV, Bogdanov VB, Durand JB, Trotter Y, Cottereau BR. Dynamics of the straight-ahead preference in human visual cortex. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:173-186. [PMID: 31792695 PMCID: PMC6957552 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-019-01988-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The objects located straight-ahead of the body are preferentially processed by the visual system. They are more rapidly detected and evoke stronger BOLD responses in early visual areas than elements that are retinotopically identical but located at eccentric spatial positions. To characterize the dynamics of the underlying neural mechanisms, we recorded in 29 subjects the EEG responses to peripheral targets differing solely by their locations with respect to the body. Straight-ahead stimuli led to stronger responses than eccentric stimuli for several components whose latencies ranged between 70 and 350 ms after stimulus onset. The earliest effects were found at 70 ms for a component that originates from occipital areas, the contralateral P1. To determine whether the straight-ahead direction affects primary visual cortex responses, we performed an additional experiment (n = 29) specifically designed to generate two robust components, the C1 and C2, whose cortical origins are constrained within areas V1, V2 and V3. Our analyses confirmed all the results of the first experiment and also revealed that the C2 amplitude between 130 and 160 ms after stimulus onset was significantly stronger for straight-ahead stimuli. A frequency analysis of the pre-stimulus baseline revealed that gaze-driven alterations in the visual hemi-field containing the straight-ahead direction were associated with a decrease in alpha power in the contralateral hemisphere, suggesting the implication of specific neural modulations before stimulus onset. Altogether, our EEG data demonstrate that preferential responses to the straight-ahead direction can be detected in the visual cortex as early as about 70 ms after stimulus onset.
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8
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Pastukhov A, Kastrup P, Abs IF, Carbon CC. Switch rates for orthogonally oriented kinetic-depth displays are correlated across observers. J Vis 2019; 19:1. [PMID: 31157826 DOI: 10.1167/19.6.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
When continuously viewing multistable displays, which are compatible with several comparably likely interpretations, perception perpetually switches between available alternatives. Prior studies typically report the lack of consistent individual switch rates across different displays. However, this comparison is based on an assumption that neural representations of physically identical displays are consistent across observers. Yet, given how different individuals are already at the level of the retina, it is likely that the difference in other relevant factors might mask the correlation. To address this issue, we compared switch rates in two kinetic-depth displays (KDE) that rotated around orthogonal axes (45° counterclockwise vs. 45° clockwise relative to the vertical). This ensured that dynamics of multistable perception was based on highly similar, but different and independent neural representations. We also included a Necker cube (NC) display as a control. We report that switch rates were correlated between two kinetic-depth effect displays, but not between either of the KDE and NC displays. This demonstrates that the usual lack of correlation may not be evidence for the lack of a shared pacesetter mechanism of multistable perception, but reflect other factors, such as differently modulated inputs to competing representations. In addition, we asked participants to speed-up or slow-down perceptual alternations and found that only the former ability was correlated across different displays. This indicates that these two types of volitional control may differ in their use of attentional resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Pastukhov
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Forschungsgruppe EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Philipp Kastrup
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Isabel Friederike Abs
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Forschungsgruppe EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
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9
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The Role of the Occipital Cortex in Resolving Perceptual Ambiguity. J Neurosci 2018; 36:10508-10509. [PMID: 27733603 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2402-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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10
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Continuous Flash Suppression: Stimulus Fractionation rather than Integration. Trends Cogn Sci 2017; 21:719-721. [PMID: 28690078 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 06/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Recent studies using continuous flash suppression suggest that invisible stimuli are processed as integrated, semantic entities. We challenge the viability of this account, given recent findings on the neural basis of interocular suppression and replication failures of high-profile CFS studies. We conclude that CFS reveals stimulus fractionation in visual cortex.
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