Gigante, G., Mattia, M., Braun, J., & Del Giudice, P.. (2009). Bistable perception modeled as competing stochastic integrations at two levels. PLoS Computational Biology
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000430
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“We propose a novel explanation for bistable perception, namely, the collective dynamics of multiple neural populations that are individually meta-stable. distributed representations of sensory input and of perceptual state build gradually through noise-driven transitions in these populations, until the competition between alternative representations is resolved by a threshold mechanism. the perpetual repetition of this collective race to threshold renders perception bistable. this collective dynamics – which is largely uncoupled from the time-scales that govern individual populations or neurons – explains many hitherto puzzling observations about bistable perception: the wide range of mean alternation rates exhibited by bistable phenomena, the consistent variability of successive dominance periods, and the stabilizing effect of past perceptual states. it also predicts a number of previously unsuspected relationships between observable quantities characterizing bistable perception. we conclude that bistable perception reflects the collective nature of neural decision making rather than properties of individual populations or neurons.”
Megumi, F., Bahrami, B., Kanai, R., & Rees, G.. (2015). Brain activity dynamics in human parietal regions during spontaneous switches in bistable perception. NeuroImage
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.12.018
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“The neural mechanisms underlying conscious visual perception have been extensively investigated using bistable perception paradigms. previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (tms) studies suggest that the right anterior superior parietal (r-aspl) and the right posterior superior parietal lobule (r-pspl) have opposite roles in triggering perceptual reversals. it has been proposed that these two areas are part of a hierarchical network whose dynamics determine perceptual switches. however, how these two parietal regions interact with each other and with the rest of the brain during bistable perception is not known. here, we investigated such a model by recording brain activity using fmri while participants viewed a bistable structure-from-motion stimulus. using dynamic causal modeling (dcm), we found that resolving such perceptual ambiguity was specifically associated with reciprocal interactions between these parietal regions and v5/mt. strikingly, the strength of bottom-up coupling between v5/mt to r-pspl and from r-pspl to r-aspl predicted individual mean dominance duration. our findings are consistent with a hierarchical predictive coding model of parietal involvement in bistable perception and suggest that visual information processing underlying spontaneous perceptual switches can be described as changes in connectivity strength between parietal and visual cortical regions.”
Baker, D. H., Karapanagiotidis, T., Coggan, D. D., Wailes-Newson, K., & Smallwood, J.. (2015). Brain networks underlying bistable perception. NeuroImage
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.06.053
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“Bistable stimuli, such as the necker cube, demonstrate that experience can change in the absence of changes in the environment. such phenomena can be used to assess stimulus-independent aspects of conscious experience. the current study used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fmri) to index stimulus-independent changes in neural activity to understand the neural architecture that determines dominance durations during bistable perception (using binocular rivalry and necker cube stimuli). anterior regions of the superior parietal lobule (spl) exhibited robust connectivity with regions of primary sensorimotor cortex. the strength of this region’s connectivity with the striatum predicted shorter dominance durations during binocular rivalry, whereas its connectivity to pre-motor cortex predicted longer dominance durations for the necker cube. posterior regions of the spl, on the other hand, were coupled to associative cortex in the temporal and frontal lobes. the posterior spl’s connectivity to the temporal lobe predicted longer dominance during binocular rivalry. in conjunction with prior work, these data suggest that the anterior spl contributes to perceptual rivalry through the inhibition of incongruent bottom up information, whereas the posterior spl influences rivalry by supporting the current interpretation of a bistable stimulus. our data suggests that the functional connectivity of the spl with regions of sensory, motor, and associative cortex allows it to regulate the interpretation of the environment that forms the focus of conscious attention at a specific moment in time.”
Knapen, T., Brascamp, J., Pearson, J., van Ee, R., & Blake, R.. (2011). The Role of Frontal and Parietal Brain Areas in Bistable Perception. Journal of Neuroscience
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1727-11.2011
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“When sensory input allows for multiple, competing perceptual interpretations, observers’ perception can fluctuate over time, which is called bistable perception. imaging studies in humans have revealed transient responses in a right-lateralized network in the frontal-parietal cortex (rfpc) around the time of perceptual transitions between interpretations, potentially reflecting the neural initiation of transitions. we investigated the role of this activity in male human observers, with specific interest in its relation to the temporal structure of transitions, which can be either instantaneous or prolonged by periods during which observers experience a mix of both perceptual interpretations. using both bistable apparent motion and binocular rivalry, we show that transition-related rfpc activity is larger for transitions that last longer, suggesting that rfpc remains active as long as a transition lasts. we also replicate earlier findings that rfpc activity during binocular rivalry transitions exceeds activity during yoked transitions that are simulated using video replay. however, we show that this established finding holds only when perceptual transitions are replayed as instantaneous events. when replay, instead, depicts transitions with the actual durations reported during rivalry, yoked transitions and genuine rivalry transitions elicit equal activity. together, our results are consistent with the view that at least a component of rfpc activation during bistable perception reflects a response to perceptual transitions, both real and yoked, rather than their cause. this component of activity could reflect the change in sensory experience and task demand that occurs during transitions, which fits well with the known role of these areas in attention and decision making.”
Strüber, D., Rach, S., Trautmann-Lengsfeld, S. A., Engel, A. K., & Herrmann, C. S.. (2014). Antiphasic 40 Hz oscillatory current stimulation affects bistable motion perception. Brain Topography
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1007/s10548-013-0294-x
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“When viewing ambiguous stimuli, conscious perception alternates spontaneously between competing interpretations of physically unchanged stimulus information. as one possible neural mechanism underlying the perceptual switches, it has been suggested that neurons dynamically change their pattern of synchronized oscillatory activity in the gamma band (30-80 hz). in support of this hypothesis, there is correlative evidence from human electroencephalographic (eeg) studies for gamma band modulations during ambiguous perception. to establish a causal role of gamma band oscillations in the current study, we applied transcranial alternating current stimulation (tacs) at 40 hz over occipital-parietal areas of both hemispheres during the presentation of bistable apparent motion stimuli that can be perceived as moving either horizontally or vertically. in this paradigm, the switch between horizontal and vertical apparent motion is likely to involve a change in interhemispheric functional coupling. we examined gamma tacs effects on the durations of perceived horizontal and vertical motion as well as on interhemispheric eeg coherence and found a decreased proportion of perceived horizontal motion together with an increase of interhemispheric gamma band coherence. in a control experiment using 6 hz tacs, we did not observe any stimulation effects on behavior or coherence. furthermore, external stimulation at 40 hz was only effective when applied with 180° phase difference between hemispheres (anti-phase), as compared to in-phase stimulation with 0° phase difference. these findings suggest that externally desynchronizing gamma oscillations between hemispheres impairs interhemispheric motion integration and in turn biases conscious experience of bistable apparent motion.”
Weilnhammer, V. A., Ludwig, K., Hesselmann, G., & Sterzer, P.. (2013). Frontoparietal Cortex Mediates Perceptual Transitions in Bistable Perception. Journal of Neuroscience
Plain numerical DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1418-13.2013
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“During bistable vision, perception oscillates between two mutually exclusive percepts despite constant sensory input. greater bold responses in frontoparietal cortex have been shown to be associated with endogenous perceptual transitions compared with ‘replay’ transitions designed to closely match bistability in both perceptual quality and timing. it has remained controversial, however, whether this enhanced activity reflects causal influences of these regions on processing at the sensory level or, alternatively, an effect of stimulus differences that result in, for example, longer durations of perceptual transitions in bistable perception compared with replay conditions. using a rotating lissajous figure in an fmri experiment on 15 human participants, we controlled for potential confounds of differences in transition duration and confirmed previous findings of greater activity in frontoparietal areas for transitions during bistable perception. in addition, we applied dynamic causal modeling to identify the neural model that best explains the observed bold signals in terms of effective connectivity. we found that enhanced activity for perceptual transitions is associated with a modulation of top-down connectivity from frontal to visual cortex, thus arguing for a crucial role of frontoparietal cortex in perceptual transitions during bistable perception.”
