Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Science 19 June 1998:
Vol. 280. no. 5371, pp. 1930 - 1934
DOI: 10.1126/science.280.5371.1930
Prev | Table of Contents | Next

Reports

Neural Correlates of Perceptual Rivalry in the Human Brain

Erik D. Lumer, * Karl J. Friston, Geraint Rees

When dissimilar images are presented to the two eyes, perception alternates spontaneously between each monocular view, a phenomenon called binocular rivalry. Functional brain imaging in humans was used to study the neural basis of these subjective perceptual changes. Cortical regions whose activity reflected perceptual transitions included extrastriate areas of the ventral visual pathway, and parietal and frontal regions that have been implicated in spatial attention; whereas the extrastriate areas were also engaged by nonrivalrous perceptual changes, activity in the frontoparietal cortex was specifically associated with perceptual alternation only during rivalry. These results suggest that frontoparietal areas play a central role in conscious perception, biasing the content of visual awareness toward abstract internal representations of visual scenes, rather than simply toward space.

Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: elumer{at}fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk

Read the Full Text


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Structural Connectivity for Visuospatial Attention: Significance of Ventral Pathways.
R. M. Umarova, D. Saur, S. Schnell, C. P. Kaller, M.-S. Vry, V. Glauche, M. Rijntjes, J. Hennig, V. Kiselev, and C. Weiller (2010)
Cereb Cortex 20, 121-129
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Causal role of prefrontal cortex in the threshold for access to consciousness.
A. Del Cul, S. Dehaene, P. Reyes, E. Bravo, and A. Slachevsky (2009)
Brain 132, 2531-2540
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Adaptive Estimation of Three-Dimensional Structure in the Human Brain.
T. J. Preston, Z. Kourtzi, and A. E. Welchman (2009)
J. Neurosci. 29, 1688-1698
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Activity in Face-Responsive Brain Regions is Modulated by Invisible, Attended Faces: Evidence from Masked Priming.
S. Kouider, E. Eger, R. Dolan, and R. N. Henson (2009)
Cereb Cortex 19, 13-23
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Right Parietal Brain Activity Precedes Perceptual Alternation of Bistable Stimuli.
J. Britz, T. Landis, and C. M. Michel (2009)
Cereb Cortex 19, 55-65
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Early visual brain areas reflect the percept of an ambiguous scene.
L. Parkkonen, J. Andersson, M. Hamalainen, and R. Hari (2008)
PNAS 105, 20500-20504
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Opposite Neural Signatures of Motion-Induced Blindness in Human Dorsal and Ventral Visual Cortex.
T. H. Donner, D. Sagi, Y. S. Bonneh, and D. J. Heeger (2008)
J. Neurosci. 28, 10298-10310
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Enhancement of bistable perception associated with visual stimulus rivalry.
M.-S. KANG and R. BLAKE (2008)
Psychon Bull Rev 15, 586-591
   Abstract »    PDF »
Stimulus frequency influences spontaneous perceptual reversals in ambiguous apparent motion.
R. ILG, S. BURAZANIS, A. M. WOHLSCHLAGER, A. WOLLER, S. WAGENPFEIL, and M. MUHLAU (2008)
Atten Percept Psychophys 70, 437-442
   Abstract »    PDF »
Role of the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex in Executive Behavioral Control.
J. Tanji and E. Hoshi (2008)
Physiol Rev 88, 37-57
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Neural correlates of the contents of visual awareness in humans.
G. Rees (2007)
Phil Trans R Soc B 362, 877-886
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Similar Frontal and Distinct Posterior Cortical Regions Mediate Visual and Auditory Perceptual Awareness.
J. Eriksson, A. Larsson, K. R. Ahlstrom, and L. Nyberg (2007)
Cereb Cortex 17, 760-765
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Neural Mechanisms Underlying the Muller-Lyer Illusion And Its Interaction with Visuospatial Judgments.
R. Weidner and G. R. Fink (2007)
Cereb Cortex 17, 878-884
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
A neural basis for inference in perceptual ambiguity.
P. Sterzer and A. Kleinschmidt (2007)
PNAS 104, 323-328
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Local field potential reflects perceptual suppression in monkey visual cortex.
M. Wilke, N. K. Logothetis, and D. A. Leopold (2006)
PNAS 103, 17507-17512
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Right Parietal Cortex Plays a Critical Role in Change Blindness.
D. M. Beck, N. Muggleton, V. Walsh, and N. Lavie (2006)
Cereb Cortex 16, 712-717
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Seeing the content of the mind: Enhanced awareness through working memory in patients with visual extinction.
D. Soto and G. W. Humphreys (2006)
PNAS 103, 4789-4792
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Strength of early visual adaptation depends on visual awareness.
R. Blake, D. Tadin, K. V. Sobel, T. A. Raissian, and S. C. Chong (2006)
PNAS 103, 4783-4788
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The Continuous Wagon Wheel Illusion Is Associated with Changes in Electroencephalogram Power at ~13 Hz.
R. VanRullen, L. Reddy, and C. Koch (2006)
J. Neurosci. 26, 502-507
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Multistage Model for Binocular Rivalry.
A. W. Freeman (2005)
J Neurophysiol 94, 4412-4420
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Activation in Visual Cortex Correlates with the Awareness of Stereoscopic Depth.
G. J. Brouwer, R. van Ee, and J. Schwarzbach (2005)
J. Neurosci. 25, 10403-10413
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The dynamics of visual adaptation to faces.
D. A Leopold, G. Rhodes, K.-M. Muller, and L. Jeffery (2005)
Proc R Soc B 272, 897-904
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The chronoarchitecture of the cerebral cortex.
A. Bartels and S. Zeki (2005)
Phil Trans R Soc B 360, 733-750
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Beyond localization: from hodology to function.
D. H ffytche and M. Catani (2005)
Phil Trans R Soc B 360, 767-779
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The importance of being agranular: a comparative account of visual and motor cortex.
S. Shipp (2005)
Phil Trans R Soc B 360, 797-814
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The unpleasantness of tonic pain is encoded by the insular cortex.
M. Schreckenberger, T. Siessmeier, A. Viertmann, C. Landvogt, H. -G. Buchholz, R. Rolke, R. -D. Treede, P. Bartenstein, and F. Birklein (2005)
Neurology 64, 1175-1183
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Positive and Negative Network Correlations in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
H. Blumenfeld, K. A. McNally, S. D. Vanderhill, A. L. Paige, R. Chung, K. Davis, A. D. Norden, R. Stokking, C. Studholme, E. J. Novotny Jr, et al. (2004)
Cereb Cortex 14, 892-902
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Perception-related Modulations of Local Field Potential Power and Coherence in Primary Visual Cortex of Awake Monkey during Binocular Rivalry.
A. Gail, H. J. Brinksmeyer, and R. Eckhorn (2004)
Cereb Cortex 14, 300-313
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Why do Seizures Cause Loss of Consciousness?.
H. Blumenfeld and J. Taylor (2003)
Neuroscientist 9, 301-310
   Abstract »    PDF »
The Neural Correlates of Conscious Vision.
D. Pins and D. ffytche (2003)
Cereb Cortex 13, 461-474
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The process of awakening: a PET study of regional brain activity patterns mediating the re-establishment of alertness and consciousness.
T. J. Balkin, A. R. Braun, N. J. Wesensten, K. Jeffries, M. Varga, P. Baldwin, G. Belenky, and P. Herscovitch (2002)
Brain 125, 2308-2319
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Sensory Information Processing in Neuroleptic-Naive First-Episode Schizophrenic Patients: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.
D. F. Braus, W. Weber-Fahr, H. Tost, M. Ruf, and F. A. Henn (2002)
Arch Gen Psychiatry 59, 696-701
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
The relationship between cortical activation and perception investigated with invisible stimuli.
K. Moutoussis and S. Zeki (2002)
PNAS 99, 9527-9532
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Single-neuron correlates of subjective vision in the human medial temporal lobe.
G. Kreiman, I. Fried, and C. Koch (2002)
PNAS 99, 8378-8383
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Insights into seeing and grasping: distinguishing the neural correlates of perception and action..
M. A. Lebedev and S. P. Wise (2002)
Behav Cogn Neurosci Rev 1, 108-129
   Abstract »    PDF »
Consciousness.
A. Zeman (2001)
Brain 124, 1263-1289
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Scientific Approaches to Animal Consciousness.
D. R. Griffin (2000)
Integr. Comp. Biol. 40, 889-892
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Binocular Cross-Orientation Suppression in the Primary Visual Cortex (V1) of Infant Rhesus Monkeys.
M. Endo, J. H. Kaas, N. Jain, E. L. Smith III, and Y. Chino (2000)
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 41, 4022-4031
   Abstract »    Full Text »
A systematic study of visual extinction: Between- and within-field deficits of attention in hemispatial neglect.
P. O. Vuilleumier and R. D. Rafal (2000)
Brain 123, 1263-1279
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Development of Rivalry and Dichoptic Masking in Human Infants.
R. J. Brown, T. R. Candy, and A. M. Norcia (1999)
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 40, 3324-3333
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Human Gamma Band Activity and Perception of a Gestalt.
A. Keil, M. M. Muller, W. J. Ray, T. Gruber, and T. Elbert (1999)
J. Neurosci. 19, 7152-7161
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Increased Synchronization of Neuromagnetic Responses during Conscious Perception.
R. Srinivasan, D. P. Russell, G. M. Edelman, and G. Tononi (1999)
J. Neurosci. 19, 5435-5448
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Covariation of activity in visual and prefrontal cortex associated with subjective visual perception.
E. D. Lumer and G. Rees (1999)
PNAS 96, 1669-1673
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Somatosensory cortical activations are suppressed in patients with tactile extinction: A PET study.
P. Remy, M. Zilbovicius, J.-D. Degos, A.-C. Bachoud-Levi, G. Rancurel, P. Cesaro, and Y. Samson (1999)
Neurology 52, 571
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


To Advertise     Find Products

Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)