New research sheds light on difficult ideas about consciousness. There is a difference between what the brain takes in and what we consciously perceive as taking in.
Scientists now believe they have pinpointed the brain region where that consciousness is managed.
A team of researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) in the United States found sustained brain activity in the occipitotemporal region. visual cortex deep inside the brain.
This activity declined to approximately 10–20 percent of its level approximately 300 ms after the original visual stimulus, but the pattern of activity remained while the stimulus was viewed.
it was in contrast other brain regionsthe information completely disappeared within 0.5 seconds (500 milliseconds).
“This stable representation suggests a neural basis for stable perception over time despite changes in activity levels.” To tell Psychologist Leon Duel of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said:
So this neural area is where we are not only aware of something, but also aware that we are aware of it. As the visual stimulus (a series of images) changed, so did the brain activity recorded by the researchers. Next, noise and spot patterns were removed by a machine learning algorithm.
10 researchers participated epileptic The study participants were already scheduled to have electrodes placed in their skulls. Using these electrodes allows for less guesswork and a more complete measurement of brain activity over time compared to other brain scanning methods that work externally.
“We are adding pieces to the puzzle of consciousness: how things can be perceived and acted upon.” To tell Robert Knight, a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley.
The researchers can’t say for sure how their findings relate to consciousness, but it’s possible that sustained activity in the visual cortex feeds back into the prefrontal cortex, which governs thought and behavior. suggests that there is
There’s still a lot of scientific debate about how this works or doesn’t work. For example, after a stroke damages one hemisphere, some people experience unilateral disregard: They only consciously perceive half of the picture or scene, but overall they respond emotionally.
Ultimately, further research and data collection leading to a deeper understanding of consciousness may help the brain recover when states such as unilateral neglect take hold.
“What does it take to have a subjective experience, not just feel it in your brain?” To tell Deoel.
“Understanding that will ultimately help us understand what is missing in the cognitive systems and brains of patients with this type of syndrome.”
This research cell report.
