ERP and MEG correlates of visual consciousness: The second decade.
Jona Förster, Mika Koivisto, Antti Revonsuo
Consciousness and cognition April 1, 2020 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2020.102917 via PubMed
Summary
The update confirms that the early visual awareness negativity (VAN) is the earliest and most reliable correlate of visual phenomenal consciousness, while the late positivity (LP) is less likely to be a correlate of phenomenal consciousness than previously thought. This conclusion is based on a review of ERP and MEG studies comparing aware and unaware conditions since 2010, which supports the prominence of VAN in understanding visual consciousness.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | VAN is corroborated as the earliest and most consistent signature of visual phenomenal consciousness, while LP is questioned as an ERP correlate of phenomenal consciousness. |
Abstract
The first decade of event-related potential (ERP) research had established that the most consistent correlates of the onset of visual consciousness are the early visual awareness negativity (VAN), a posterior negative component in the N2 time range, and the late positivity (LP), an anterior positive component in the P3 time range. Two earlier extensive reviews ten years ago had concluded that VAN is the earliest and most reliable correlate of visual phenomenal consciousness, whereas LP probably reflects later processes associated with reflective/access consciousness. This article provides an update to those earlier reviews. ERP and MEG studies that have appeared since 2010 and directly compared ERPs between aware and unaware conditions are reviewed, and important new developments in the field are discussed. The result corroborates VAN as the earliest and most consistent signature of visual phenomenal consciousness, and casts further doubt on LP as an ERP correlate of phenomenal consciousness.