When sensory input meets spontaneous brain activity.

Spontaneous brain activity before a stimulus influences whether it is consciously perceived. The prefrontal cortex and default mode network play active roles in shaping perception, not just in higher-level cognition. The findings suggest that prestimulus neural states in multiple brain networks modulate sensory processing and conscious awareness.

Study at a glance

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.