Cited by 156Neural dynamics and brain functionVisual perception and processing mechanismsPhilosophy and Theoretical Science

Cortical activity is more stable when sensory stimuli are consciously perceived

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Schurger, Aaron, Sarigiannidis, Ioannis, Naccache, Lionel, Sitt, Jacobo D., Dehaene, Stanislas·2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Significance: Recently, a reduction in the variability of neural activity across trials has been proposed as a general property of sensory perception. However, in order for this increased reliability in the neuronal response to be relevant for perception it must be present at the single-trial level. Here we show that the within-trial stability of the activity evoked by a threshold-level visual stimulus is a reliable and specific indicator of whether or not the stimulus was reported as “seen.” This within-trial difference in stability coincides in time with a difference in variability across trials. We also show that the same neural stability can be used to discriminate the conscious state of brain-injured patients. These findings validate the relevance of transient neural stability for conscious perception.

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [11]Kinsbourne M. In: What qualifies a representation for a role in consciousness? Scientific Approaches to Consciousness. Carnegie Mellon Symposia on Cognition. Cohen JD, Schooler JW, editors. Lawrence Erlbaum; Hillsdale, NJ: 1997. pp. 335–355. [Google Scholar]
  2. [81]Holmes P, Shea-Brown E. Stability. Scholarpedia. 2006;1(10):1838. [Google Scholar]

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Authors
Schurger, A., Sarigiannidis, I., Naccache, L., Sitt, J. D., & Dehaene, S.
Affiliations
  • Inserm (FR)
  • Université Paris-Sud (FR)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2015-04-06
Volume
112
Issue
16
Pages
E2083-92
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
OpenAlex
W1991396817
Cited by
155
References
88
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 14 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
FWCI
10.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Chapman University Digital Commons (Chapman University) (submittedVersion)
  • Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
  • Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Funders
EC | European Research Council (Marie Curie Fellowship FP7-PEOPLE-2009-IIF 252665, Erasmus Fellowship)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Keywords
conscious perception, trial-to-trial variability, pattern similarity, visual perception, disorders of consciousness, level of consciousness, MEG, EEG, decision-making
MeSH terms
Adult, Cerebral Cortex, Consciousness, Consciousness Disorders, Evoked Potentials, Female, Humans, Male, Perception, Physical Stimulation, Sensation, Task Performance and Analysis, Time Factors, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult

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