title: Induced gamma activity is associated with conscious awareness of pattern masked nouns.
abstract: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between electroencephalographic (EEG) activity in the gamma frequency range and conscious awareness of a visual stimulus. EEG was recorded from subjects while they were shown backward-masked words only some of which they were able to discriminate correctly. The results showed that activity in the gamma frequency range increased with reported awareness of a word independently of whether it was correctly discriminated or not. It is concluded that gamma power is associated with awareness-dependent visual processing but not with processing that occurs in the absence of awareness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Hospital Clinic, c/Casanova 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain. summerfd@paradox.psych.columbia.edu
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Summerfield
authors.forename: Anthony Ian
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Jack
authors.forename: Adrian Philip
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Burgess
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D005720:Gamma Rays; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D009778:Occipital Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D010363:Pattern Recognition, Automated; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology