期刊
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
卷 111, 期 4, 页码 E417-E425出版社
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1317267111
关键词
alpha oscillations; graph theory; WIN2CON
资金
- European Research Council [WIN2CON, ERC StG 283404]
- German Research Council [DFG LI 1904/1-1]
- DFG Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience
- German Federal Ministry of Education and Research funded Neurofocus project
Which aspects of our sensory environment enter conscious awareness does not only depend on physical features of the stimulus, but also critically on the so-called current brain state. Results from magnetoencephalography/EEG studies using near-threshold stimuli have consistently pointed to reduced levels of alpha- (8-12 Hz) power in relevant sensory areas to predict whether a stimulus will be consciously perceived or not. These findings have been mainly interpreted in strictly local terms of enhanced excitability of neuronal ensembles in respective cortical regions. The present study aims to introduce a framework that complements this rather local perspective, by stating that the functional connectivity architecture before stimulation will predetermine information flow. Thus, information computed at a local level will be distributed throughout a network, thereby becoming consciously accessible. Data from a previously published experiment on conscious somatosensory near-threshold perception was reanalyzed focusing on the prestimulus period. Analysis of spectral power showed reduced alpha-power mainly in the contralateral S2 and middle frontal gyrus to precede hits, thus overall supporting the current literature. Furthermore, differences between hits and misses were obtained on global network (graph theoretical) features in the same interval. Most importantly, in accordance with our framework, we could show that the somatosensory cortex is more efficiently integrated into a distributed network in the prestimulus period. This finding means that when a relevant sensory stimulus impinges upon the system, it will encounter preestablished pathways for information flow. In this sense, prestimulus functional connectivity patterns form windows to conscious perception.
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