Cited by 134Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeural dynamics and brain functionNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Noradrenaline Modulates Visual Perception and Late Visually Evoked Activity

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Gelbard-Sagiv, Hagar, Magidov, Efrat, Sharon, Haggai, Hendler, Talma, Nir, Yuval·2018·Current Biology

Abstract

An identical sensory stimulus may or may not be incorporated into perceptual experience, depending on the behavioral and cognitive state of the organism. What determines whether a sensory stimulus will be perceived? While different behavioral and cognitive states may share a similar profile of electrophysiology, metabolism, and early sensory responses, neuromodulation is often different and therefore may constitute a key mechanism enabling perceptual awareness. Specifically, noradrenaline improves sensory responses, correlates with orienting toward behaviorally relevant stimuli, and is markedly reduced during sleep, while experience is largely "disconnected" from external events. Despite correlative evidence hinting at a relationship between noradrenaline and perception, causal evidence remains absent. Here, we pharmacologically down- and upregulated noradrenaline signaling in healthy volunteers using clonidine and reboxetine in double-blind placebo-controlled experiments, testing the effects on perceptual abilities and visually evoked electroencephalography (EEG) and fMRI responses. We found that detection sensitivity, discrimination accuracy, and subjective visibility change in accordance with noradrenaline (NE) levels, whereas decision bias (criterion) is not affected. Similarly, noradrenaline increases the consistency of EEG visually evoked potentials, while lower noradrenaline levels delay response components around 200 ms. Furthermore, blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI activations in high-order visual cortex selectively vary along with noradrenaline signaling. Taken together, these results point to noradrenaline as a key factor causally linking visual awareness to external world events. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.051

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Authors
Gelbard-Sagiv, H., Magidov, E., Sharon, H., Hendler, T., & Nir, Y.
Affiliations
Tel Aviv University (IL)
Corresponding author
  • Gelbard-Sagiv, Hagar
  • Magidov, Efrat
  • Nir, Yuval
Venue
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-07
Volume
28
Issue
14
Pages
2239-2249.e6
ISSN
0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2877442110
Cited by
134
References
81
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 37 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 2
FWCI
6.99
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Israel Science Foundation (51/11, 1326/15)
  • H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (IF-EF-RI-659759)
  • Israeli Centers for Research Excellence
  • Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
norepinephrine, visual perception, visual awareness, visual evoked potentials, clonidine, reboxetine, detection sensitivity, visual discrimination, decision bias, BOLD fMRI, neuromodulation, sleep
MeSH terms
Reboxetine, Adult, Clonidine, Double-Blind Method, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Visual, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Norepinephrine, Sympatholytics, Sympathomimetics, Visual Perception, Down-Regulation, Up-Regulation, Cross-Over Studies, Young Adult

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