title: The dynamics of visual experience, an EEG study of subjective pattern formation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Since the origin of psychological science a number of studies have reported visual pattern formation in the absence of either physiological stimulation or direct visual-spatial references. Subjective patterns range from simple phosphenes to complex patterns but are highly specific and reported reliably across studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using independent-component analysis (ICA) we report a reduction in amplitude variance consistent with subjective-pattern formation in ventral posterior areas of the electroencephalogram (EEG). The EEG exhibits significantly increased power at delta/theta and gamma-frequencies (point and circle patterns) or a series of high-frequency harmonics of a delta oscillation (spiral patterns).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Subjective-pattern formation may be described in a way entirely consistent with identical pattern formation in fluids or granular flows. In this manner, we propose subjective-pattern structure to be represented within a spatio-temporal lattice of harmonic oscillations which bind topographically organized visual-neuronal assemblies by virtue of low frequency modulation.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Republic of Ireland. mark.elliott@nuigalway.ie
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Twomey
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Glennon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult