Biology subjects

Eckert, A.-L.

Publications and source records attributed to Eckert, A.-L..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Humans and mice fluctuate between external and internal modes of sensory processing

2Perception is known to cycle through periods of enhanced and reduced sensitivity to external information. Here, we asked whether such infra-slow fluctuations arise as a noise-related epiphenomenon of limited processing capacity or, alternatively, represent a structured mech{-}anism of perceptual inference. Using two large-scale datasets, we found that humans and mice waver between alternating intervals of externally- and internally-oriented modes of sensory analysis. During external mode, perception aligned more closely with the external sensory information, whereas internal mode was characterized by enhanced biases toward perceptual history. Computational modeling indicated that dynamic changes in mode are enabled by two interlinked factors: (i), the integration of subsequent inputs over time and, (ii), infra-slow anti-phase oscillations in the perceptual impact of external sensory information versus internal predictions that are provided by perceptual history. Simulated data suggested that between-mode fluctuations may benefit perception by generating unambiguous error signals that enable robust learning and metacognition in volatile environments. 3 One sentence summaryHumans and mice fluctuate between external and internal modes of sensory processing.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Evidence for an Active Role of Inferior Frontal Cortex in Conscious Experience

2In the search for the neural correlates of consciousness, it has remained controversial whether prefrontal cortex determines what is consciously experienced or, alternatively, serves only complementary functions such as introspection or action. Here, we provide converging evidence from computational modeling and two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments for a key role of inferior frontal cortex in detecting perceptual conflicts that emerge from ambiguous sensory information. Crucially, the detection of perceptual conflicts by prefrontal cortex turned out to be critical in the process of transforming ambiguous sensory information into unambiguous conscious experiences: In a third experiment, disruption of neural activity in inferior frontal cortex through transcranial magnetic stimulation slowed down the updating of conscious experience that occurs in response to perceptual conflicts. These findings show that inferior frontal cortex actively contributes to the resolution of perceptual ambiguities. Prefrontal cortex is thus causally involved in determining the contents of conscious experience. 3 One-sentence SummaryInferior frontal cortex detects and resolves perceptual conflict during bistable perception.

neuroscience↗