Timing of the brain events underlying access to consciousness during the attentional blink

doi:10.1038/NN1549

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Timing of the brain events underlying access to consciousness during the attentional blink

Journal Article•DOI•

Timing of the brain events underlying access to consciousness during the attentional blink

Claire Sergent¹, Sylvain Baillet², Stanislas Dehaene¹•Institutions (2)

French Institute of Health and Medical Research¹, Centre national de la recherche scientifique²

11 Sep 2005-Nature Neuroscience (Nature Publishing Group)-Vol. 8, Iss: 10, pp 1391-1400

TL;DR: It is suggested that the transition toward access to consciousness relates to the optional triggering of a late wave of activation that spreads through a distributed network of cortical association areas.

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Abstract: In the phenomenon of attentional blink, identical visual stimuli are sometimes fully perceived and sometimes not detected at all. This phenomenon thus provides an optimal situation to study the fate of stimuli not consciously perceived and the differences between conscious and nonconscious processing. We correlated behavioral visibility ratings and recordings of event-related potentials to study the temporal dynamics of access to consciousness. Intact early potentials (P1 and N1) were evoked by unseen words, suggesting that these brain events are not the primary correlates of conscious perception. However, we observed a rapid divergence around 270 ms, after which several brain events were evoked solely by seen words. Thus, we suggest that the transition toward access to consciousness relates to the optional triggering of a late wave of activation that spreads through a distributed network of cortical association areas.

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Journal Article•DOI•

Experimental and Theoretical Approaches to Conscious Processing

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Stanislas Dehaene, Jean-Pierre Changeux¹, Jean-Pierre Changeux²•Institutions (2)

Pasteur Institute¹, Collège de France²

28 Apr 2011-Neuron

TL;DR: Converging neuroimaging and neurophysiological data point to objective neural measures of conscious access: late amplification of relevant sensory activity, long-distance cortico-cortical synchronization at beta and gamma frequencies, and "ignition" of a large-scale prefronto-parietal network.

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1,736 citations

Cites background or result from "Timing of the brain events underlyi..."

...Thus, PRP and AB are closely related phenomena that point to a serial limit or ‘‘bottleneck’’ in conscous access (Jolicoeur, 1999; Marti et al., 2010; Wong, 2002) and can be used to contrast the neural fate of two identical stimuli, only one of which is consciously perceived (Sergent et al., 2005)....
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...The effect is not easily imputable to increased postperceptual processing or other task confounds, as many studies equated attention and response requirements on conscious and nonconscious trials (e.g., Del Cul et al., 2007; Gaillard et al., 2009; Lamy et al., 2009; Sergent et al., 2005)....
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...…2006; Del Cul et al., 2007; Fernandez-Duque et al., 2003; Koivisto et al., 2008; Lamy et al., 2009; Niedeggen et al., 2001; Pins and Ffytche, 2003; Sergent et al., 2005) (however, this effect may disappear when the subject already has a conscious working memory representation of the target:…...
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...More frequently, at around 200–300 ms, surrounding the P2 ERP component, more negative voltages are reported over posterior cortices on visible compared to invisible trials (Del Cul et al., 2007; Fahrenfort et al., 2007; Koivisto et al., 2008, 2009; Railo and Koivisto, 2009; Sergent et al., 2005)....
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...With electrophysiology, the P3b waveform again appears as a major correlate of conscious processing that is both delayed during the PRP (Dell’acqua et al., 2005; Sigman and Dehaene, 2008) and absent during AB (Kranczioch et al., 2007; Sergent et al., 2005)....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Conscious, preconscious, and subliminal processing: a testable taxonomy.

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Stanislas Dehaene¹, Jean-Pierre Changeux², Jean-Pierre Changeux³, Lionel Naccache¹, Jérôme Sackur¹, Claire Sergent¹ - Show less +2 more•Institutions (3)

French Institute of Health and Medical Research¹, Collège de France², Pasteur Institute³

01 May 2006-Trends in Cognitive Sciences

TL;DR: A taxonomy is proposed that distinguishes between vigilance and access to conscious report, as well as between subliminal, preconscious and conscious processing, and that conscious perception is systematically associated with surges of parieto-frontal activity causing top-down amplification.

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1,693 citations

Cites background or methods or result from "Timing of the brain events underlyi..."

...However, the visual activation evoked by invisible stimuli can also be very strong, for instance when invisibility is caused by neglect [21] or inattention [22, 23 ]....
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...During the attentional blink, a mildly masked stimulus, normally quite visible, becomes invisible when attention is diverted to another task [ 23 ,34]....
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...attention to or away from the stimuli (bottom right), the difference in activation is late and confined to higher association cortices, particular parietal and prefrontal regions (illustrations from the attentional blink paradigm reproduced with permission from [ 23 ] – left image, and [30] – right image); see also [21,22,31]....
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...To further explore these difficult issues in the future, it will be crucial to develop better methods for the formal collection and quantification of introspective reports [ 23 ,34], as well as for the study of the spontaneous flow of conscious processes [4,12]....
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...In a recent study of the attentional blink, we observed that up to about 180 ms after stimulus presentation, the occipito-temporal event-related potentials evoked by a invisible word were large and essentially indistinguishable from those evoked by a visible word [ 23 ]....
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Journal Article•DOI•

Attentional routes to conscious perception

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Ana B. Chica¹, Paolo Bartolomeo¹•Institutions (1)

French Institute of Health and Medical Research¹

18 Jan 2012-Frontiers in Psychology

TL;DR: Evidence is shown that distinct sorts of spatial attention can have different effects on visual conscious perception, and Fronto-parietal networks important for spatial attention constitute plausible neural substrates for the interactions between exogenous spatial attention and conscious perception.

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Abstract: The relationships between spatial attention and conscious perception are currently the object of intense debate. Recent evidence of double dissociations between attention and consciousness cast doubt on the time-honored concept of attention as a gateway to consciousness. Here we review evidence from behavioral, neurophysiologic, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging experiments, showing that distinct sorts of spatial attention can have different effects on visual conscious perception. While endogenous, or top-down attention, has weak influence on subsequent conscious perception of near-threshold stimuli, exogenous, or bottom-up forms of spatial attention appear instead to be a necessary, although not sufficient, step in the development of reportable visual experiences. Fronto-parietal networks important for spatial attention, with peculiar inter-hemispheric differences, constitute plausible neural substrates for the interactions between exogenous spatial attention and conscious perception.

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931 citations

Cites background or result from "Timing of the brain events underlyi..."

...However, when invisibility is caused by neglect or inattention, activity in early visual areas can be strong (Vuilleumier et al., 2001; Marois et al., 2004; Sergent et al., 2005)....
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...unseen stimuli (Vogel et al., 1998; Beck et al., 2001; Rees et al., 2002b; Gross et al., 2004; Marois et al., 2004; Pessoa and Ungerleider, 2004; Haynes et al., 2005; Sergent et al., 2005), which is consistent with models proposing that conscious perception emerges from the recurrent activity of fronto-parietal regions, and its long-distance reverberation with occipital areas (Dehaene and Naccache, 2001; Dehaene et al....
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...For example, activity in early visual areas can be observed even when participants deny seeing the stimuli (Dehaene et al., 2001; Vuilleumier et al., 2001; Moutoussis and Zeki, 2002; Marois et al., 2004; Sergent et al., 2005)....
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...…et al., 1998; Beck et al., 2001; Rees et al., 2002b; Gross et al., 2004; Marois et al., 2004; Pessoa and Ungerleider, 2004; Haynes et al., 2005; Sergent et al., 2005), which is consistent with models proposing that conscious perception emerges from the recurrent activity of fronto-parietal…...
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Journal Article•DOI•

Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems

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Christof Koch¹, Marcello Massimini², Mélanie Boly³, Giulio Tononi³•Institutions (3)

Allen Institute for Brain Science¹, University of Milan², University of Wisconsin-Madison³

01 May 2016-Nature Reviews Neuroscience

TL;DR: Recent findings showing that the anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, rather than to a fronto-parietal network involved in task monitoring and reporting are described.

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Abstract: Several brain regions and physiological processes have been proposed to constitute the neural correlates of consciousness. In this Review, Koch and colleagues discuss studies that distinguish the neural correlates of consciousness from other neural processes that precede, accompany or follow it, and suggest that the neural correlates of consciousness are localized to posterior cortical regions.

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894 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Neural bases of the non-conscious perception of emotional signals

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Marco Tamietto¹, Marco Tamietto², Marco Tamietto³, Beatrice de Gelder¹, Beatrice de Gelder⁴, Beatrice de Gelder² - Show less +2 more•Institutions (4)

Institute for Scientific Interchange¹, Tilburg University², University of Turin³, Harvard University⁴

01 Oct 2010-Nature Reviews Neuroscience

TL;DR: Understanding the neural bases of the non-conscious perception of emotional signals will clarify the phylogenetic continuity of emotion systems across species and the integration of cortical and subcortical activity in the human brain.

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Abstract: Many emotional stimuli are processed without being consciously perceived. Recent evidence indicates that subcortical structures have a substantial role in this processing. These structures are part of a phylogenetically ancient pathway that has specific functional properties and that interacts with cortical processes. There is now increasing evidence that non-consciously perceived emotional stimuli induce distinct neurophysiological changes and influence behaviour towards the consciously perceived world. Understanding the neural bases of the non-conscious perception of emotional signals will clarify the phylogenetic continuity of emotion systems across species and the integration of cortical and subcortical activity in the human brain.

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843 citations

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References

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Book•

A cognitive theory of consciousness

[...]

Bernard J. Baars

01 Jan 1988

TL;DR: In this article, the basic model of conscious representations are internally consistent and globally distributed, and the neural basis of conscious experience is explained, including the fundamental role of context, goal contexts, spontaneous problem solving and the stream of consciousness.

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Abstract: List of figures and tables Preface Part I Introduction: 1 What is to be explained? some preliminaries Part II The Basic Model: 2 Model 1: conscious representations are internally consistent and globally distributed 3 The neural basis of conscious experience Part III The Fundamental Role of Context: 4 Model 2: unconscious contexts shape conscious experience 5 Model 3: conscious experience is informative - it always demands some degree of adaptation Part IV Goals and Voluntary Control: 6 Model 4: Goal contexts, spontaneous problem solving, and the stream of consciousness 7 Model 5: volition as ideomotor control of thought and action Part V Attention, self, and conscious self-monitoring: 8 Model 6: attention as control of access to consciousness 9 Model 7 Self as the dominant context of experience and action Part VI Consciousness is Functional: 10 The functions of consciousness Part VII Conclusion: 11 A summary and some future directions Glossary and guide to theoretical claims References Name index, Subject index

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2,722 citations

"Timing of the brain events underlyi..." refers background in this paper

...and therefore suggest that the critical correlate of conscious access is a late, optional triggering of a 'second stage' of processing involving a distributed frontoparietal networ...
[...]

Journal Article•DOI•

Temporary suppression of visual processing in an RSVP task: an attentional blink? .

[...]

Jane E. Raymond¹, Kimron L. Shapiro, Karen M. Arnell•Institutions (1)

University of Calgary¹

01 Aug 1992-Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

TL;DR: The authors found that the presentation of stimuli after the target but before target-identification processes are complete produces interference at a letter recognition stage, which may cause the temporary suppression of visual attention mechanisms observed in the present study.

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Abstract: Through rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), we asked Ss to identify a partially specified letter (target) and then to detect the presence or absence of a fully specified letter (probe). Whereas targets are accurately identified, probes are poorly detected when they are presented during a 270-ms interval beginning 180 ms after the target. Probes presented immediately after the target or later in the RSVP stream are accurately detected. This temporary reduction in probe detection was not found in conditions in which a brief blank interval followed the target or Ss were not required to identify the target. The data suggest that the presentation of stimuli after the target but before target-identification processes are complete produces interference at a letter-recognition stage. This interference may cause the temporary suppression of visual attention mechanisms observed in the present study. Language: en

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2,458 citations

Journal Article•DOI•

Electromagnetic brain mapping

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Sylvain Baillet¹, John C. Mosher¹, Richard M. Leahy¹•Institutions (1)

Centre national de la recherche scientifique¹

01 Nov 2001-IEEE Signal Processing Magazine

TL;DR: The underlying models currently used in MEG/EEG source estimation are described and the various signal processing steps required to compute these sources are described.

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Abstract: There has been tremendous advances in our ability to produce images of human brain function. Applications of functional brain imaging extend from improving our understanding of the basic mechanisms of cognitive processes to better characterization of pathologies that impair normal function. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) (MEG/EEG) localize neural electrical activity using noninvasive measurements of external electromagnetic signals. Among the available functional imaging techniques, MEG and EEG uniquely have temporal resolutions below 100 ms. This temporal precision allows us to explore the timing of basic neural processes at the level of cell assemblies. MEG/EEG source localization draws on a wide range of signal processing techniques including digital filtering, three-dimensional image analysis, array signal processing, image modeling and reconstruction, and, blind source separation and phase synchrony estimation. We describe the underlying models currently used in MEG/EEG source estimation and describe the various signal processing steps required to compute these sources. In particular we describe methods for computing the forward fields for known source distributions and parametric and imaging-based approaches to the inverse problem.

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1,702 citations

"Timing of the brain events underlyi..." refers methods in this paper

...Cortical current maps were computed from the EEG time series using a linear inverse estimator (weighted minimum–norm current estimate (WMNE); see ref...
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Journal Article•DOI•

Reference-free identification of components of checkerboard-evoked multichannel potential fields

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Dietrich Lehmann, Wolfgang Skrandies

01 Jun 1980-Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology

TL;DR: A method is proposed to determine components of evoked scalp potentials, in terms of times of occurrence (latency) and location on the scalp (topography), suggesting a stable localization of the generating process in depth.

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1,435 citations

"Timing of the brain events underlyi..." refers methods in this paper

...The dissimilarity between two conditions was then computed as the root mean square of the differences between those two conditions at each electrode site (global map dissimilarit...
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Journal Article•DOI•

A two-stage model for multiple target detection in rapid serial visual presentation.

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Marvin M. Chun¹, Mary C. Potter•Institutions (1)

Vision-Sciences, Inc.¹

01 Feb 1995-Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance

TL;DR: Results of Experiments 3-5 confirmed that AB is triggered by local interference from immediate posttarget stimulation and showed thatAB is modulated by the discriminability between the 1st target and the immediately following distractor.

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Abstract: When 2 targets are presented among distractors in rapid serial visual presentation, correct identification of the 1st target results in a deficit for a 2nd target appearing within 200-500 ms. This attentional blink (AB; J. E. Raymond, K. L. Shapiro, & K. M. Arnell, 1992) was examined for categorically defined targets (letters among nonletters) in 7 experiments. AB was obtained for the 2nd letter target among digit distractors (Experiment 1) and also for a 3rd target (Experiment 2). Results of Experiments 3-5 confirmed that AB is triggered by local interference from immediate posttarget stimulation (Raymond et al., 1992) and showed that AB is modulated by the discriminability between the 1st target and the immediately following distractor. Experiments 5-7 further examined the effects of both local interference and global discriminability. A 2-stage model is proposed to account for the AB results. Researchers working on visual attention have focused on. capacity limitations that arise when multiple stimuli must be processed in a single spatial array. Different issues arise when stimuli are presented sequentially. In this study, we examined attentional limitations for processing a temporal sequence of visual stimuli. When participants search for targets among stimuli presented in a sequence at high rates, correct identification of one target produces a marked deficit for detecting a subsequent target appearing in a 200500 ms interval after the onset of the first one (Broadbent & Broadbent, 1987; Raymond, Shapiro, & Arnell, 1992). These tasks involve the use of rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), in which each item replaces the previous one at the same spatial location. The RSVP paradigm has been a useful tool for researchers exploring the temporal characteristics of information processing because it provides the experimenter with precise control not only over the time a given item is in view, but also over the preceding and subsequent processing demands on the participants. In RSVP each item not only eliminates the previous item from sensory storage (Kahneman, 1968), but also presents a new item to be processed, thus constraining the time available for higher level cognitive as well as perceptual processing (Potter, 1976).

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1,400 citations

"Timing of the brain events underlyi..." refers background in this paper

...Causes of the blink: ERPs evoked by the task on T1 Why is the same T2 sometimes perceived and sometimes not seen? Two-stage models of the attentional blink postulate that during the attentional blink, T2 processing is denied access to a second processing stage, with a limited capacity, that is used to process T1 (ref...
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