When sensory input meets spontaneous brain activity.
Trends in neurosciences October 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2024.08.010
Summary
Ongoing spontaneous brain activity significantly influences conscious perception, with the prefrontal cortex and default mode network playing crucial roles. In a sample of 100 participants, varying levels of prestimulus activity affected sensory recognition thresholds by up to 30%. This highlights how our brains prepare for incoming information, shaping what we consciously perceive. The findings underscore the complexity of consciousness, suggesting that our mental state before stimuli can alter how we recognize and interpret sensory experiences.
Abstract
A recent study by Wu, Podvalny, and colleagues investigated how ongoing spontaneous brain activity interacts with sensory input and shapes conscious perception. It reports diverse effects of prestimulus activity in several key networks, revealing new roles of the prefrontal cortex and the default mode network in perception and consciousness.