Correlations between the fMRI BOLD signal and visual perception.
Using fMRI and a psychophysical task involving letter identification, Kleinschmidt et al. (2002) (this issue of Neuron) delineate two patterns of neural activation, which manifest in different cortical regions: a transient activation, correlated with the change of a percept, and a longer-term hysteresis, correlated with the maintenance of the percept. These findings are provocative and suggest that neural hysteresis is mediated by visual structures that interact with higher-order regions to support longer-term maintenance of a percept.
Avidan
Galia
G
The Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation and Department of Neurobiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 1255, 91904, Israel.
Behrmann
Marlene
M
D001931:Brain Mapping; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*