Are neural correlates of visual consciousness retinotopic?
Some visual neurons code what we see, their defining characteristic being a response profile which mirrors conscious percepts rather than veridical sensory attributes. One issue yet to be resolved is whether, within a given cortical area, conscious visual perception relates to diffuse activity across the entire population of such cells or focal activity within the sub-population mapping the location of the perceived stimulus. Here we investigate the issue in the human brain with fMRI, using a threshold stimulation technique to dissociate perceptual from non-perceptual activity. Our results point to a retinotopic organisation of perceptual activity in early visual areas, with independent perceptual activations for different regions of visual space.
ffytche
Dominic H
DH
Institute of Psychiatry PO 70, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. d.ffytche@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Pins
Delphine
D
D001931:Brain Mapping; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*