Predicting the stream of consciousness from activity in human visual cortex
Predicting the stream of consciousness from activity in human visual cortex
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cub.2005.06.026
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发表时间：
2005-07-26
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Rees, G
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Haynes, JD;Rees, G
意识体验的快速流动能否仅从大脑活动中预测出来？最近，视觉皮层中的空间活动模式已成功地用于预测可见[1，2]和不可见[2]刺激的特征特异性刺激表征。然而，由于这些研究仅检查了在长时间刺激期间静态和不变的感知状态的预测，因此尚不清楚早期视觉皮层的活动是否也可以预测快速和自发变化的意识流[3]。在这里，我们使用双眼竞争[4]来诱导意识体验中频繁的自发和随机变化，而感觉刺激没有任何相应的变化，同时用功能磁共振成像测量大脑活动。利用存在于对刺激特征的多变量反应模式中的信息，我们可以准确地预测，从而跟踪参与者在经历许多自发变化时仅从fMRI信号的意识体验。初级视觉皮层的预测主要反映了基于眼睛的信号，而高级区域的预测则反映了视觉感受的颜色。此外，准确的预测，在双目竞争可以建立稳定的单眼观看期间记录的信号，显示预测概括整个观看条件，并不需要或依赖于运动反应。因此，仅用大脑活动就可以预测主观经验的动态变化的时间过程。
Can the rapid stream of conscious experience be predicted from brain activity alone? Recently, spatial patterns of activity in visual cortex have been successfully used to predict feature-specific stimulus representations for both visible [1, 2] and invisible [2] stimuli. However, because these studies examined only the prediction of static and unchanging perceptual states during extended periods of stimulation, it remains unclear whether activity in early visual cortex can also predict the rapidly and spontaneously changing stream of consciousness [3]. Here, we used binocular rivalry [4] to induce frequent spontaneous and stochastic changes in conscious experience without any corresponding changes in sensory stimulation, while measuring brain activity with fMRI. Using information that was present in the multivariate pattern of responses to stimulus features, we could accurately predict, and therefore track, participants' conscious experience from the fMRI signal alone while it underwent many spontaneous changes. Prediction in primary visual cortex primarily reflected eye-based signals, whereas prediction in higher areas reflected the color of the percept. Furthermore, accurate prediction during binocular rivalry could be established with signals recorded during stable monocular viewing, showing that prediction generalized across viewing conditions and did not require or rely on motor responses. It is therefore possible to predict the dynamically changing time course of subjective experience with only brain activity.