TY - JOUR
T1 - Contributions of the Ventral Striatum to Conscious Perception: An Intracranial EEG Study of the Attentional Blink
T2 - An intracranial EEG study of the attentional blink
AU - Slagter, H.A.
AU - Mazaheri, A.
AU - Reteig, L.C.
AU - Smolders, R.
AU - Figee, M.
AU - Mantione, M.
AU - Schuurman, P.R.
AU - Denys, D.
PY - 2017/2/1
Y1 - 2017/2/1
N2 - The brain is limited in its capacity to consciously process information, necessitating gating of information. While conscious perception is robustly associated with sustained, recurrent interactions between widespread cortical regions, subcortical regions, including the striatum, influence cortical activity. Here, we examined whether the ventral striatum, given its ability to modulate cortical information flow, contributes to conscious perception. Using intracranial EEG, we recorded ventral striatum activity while 7 patients performed an attentional blink task in which they had to detect two targets (T1 and T2) in a stream of distractors. Typically, when T2 follows T1 within 100-500 ms, it is often not perceived (i.e., the attentional blink). We found that conscious T2 perception was influenced and signaled by ventral striatal activity. Specifically, the failure to perceive T2 was foreshadowed by a T1-induced increase in α and low β oscillatory activity as early as 80 ms after T1, indicating that the attentional blink to T2 may be due to very early T1-driven attentional capture. Moreover, only consciously perceived targets were associated with an increase in θ activity between 200 and 400 ms. These unique findings shed new light on the mechanisms that give rise to the attentional blink by revealing that conscious target perception may be determined by T1 processing at a much earlier processing stage than traditionally believed. More generally, they indicate that ventral striatum activity may contribute to conscious perception, presumably by gating cortical information flow.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: What determines whether we become aware of a piece of information or not? Conscious access has been robustly associated with activity within a distributed network of cortical regions. Using intracranial electrophysiological recordings during an attentional blink task, we tested the idea that the ventral striatum, because of its ability to modulate cortical information flow, may contribute to conscious perception. We find that conscious perception is influenced and signaled by ventral striatal activity. Short-latency (80-140 ms) striatal responses to a first target determined conscious perception of a second target. Moreover, conscious perception of the second target was signaled by longer-latency (200-400 ms) striatal activity. These results suggest that the ventral striatum may be part of a subcortical network that influences conscious experience.
AB - The brain is limited in its capacity to consciously process information, necessitating gating of information. While conscious perception is robustly associated with sustained, recurrent interactions between widespread cortical regions, subcortical regions, including the striatum, influence cortical activity. Here, we examined whether the ventral striatum, given its ability to modulate cortical information flow, contributes to conscious perception. Using intracranial EEG, we recorded ventral striatum activity while 7 patients performed an attentional blink task in which they had to detect two targets (T1 and T2) in a stream of distractors. Typically, when T2 follows T1 within 100-500 ms, it is often not perceived (i.e., the attentional blink). We found that conscious T2 perception was influenced and signaled by ventral striatal activity. Specifically, the failure to perceive T2 was foreshadowed by a T1-induced increase in α and low β oscillatory activity as early as 80 ms after T1, indicating that the attentional blink to T2 may be due to very early T1-driven attentional capture. Moreover, only consciously perceived targets were associated with an increase in θ activity between 200 and 400 ms. These unique findings shed new light on the mechanisms that give rise to the attentional blink by revealing that conscious target perception may be determined by T1 processing at a much earlier processing stage than traditionally believed. More generally, they indicate that ventral striatum activity may contribute to conscious perception, presumably by gating cortical information flow.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: What determines whether we become aware of a piece of information or not? Conscious access has been robustly associated with activity within a distributed network of cortical regions. Using intracranial electrophysiological recordings during an attentional blink task, we tested the idea that the ventral striatum, because of its ability to modulate cortical information flow, may contribute to conscious perception. We find that conscious perception is influenced and signaled by ventral striatal activity. Short-latency (80-140 ms) striatal responses to a first target determined conscious perception of a second target. Moreover, conscious perception of the second target was signaled by longer-latency (200-400 ms) striatal activity. These results suggest that the ventral striatum may be part of a subcortical network that influences conscious experience.
KW - Adult
KW - Attentional Blink
KW - Basal Ganglia
KW - Consciousness
KW - Deep Brain Stimulation
KW - Electroencephalography
KW - Female
KW - Functional Laterality
KW - Humans
KW - Intracranial EEG
KW - Journal Article
KW - Male
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Neural Pathways
KW - Oscillations
KW - Perception
KW - Photic Stimulation
KW - Striatum
KW - Ventral Striatum
KW - Young Adult
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011339670&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85011339670&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2282-16.2016
DO - https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2282-16.2016
M3 - Article
C2 - 27986925
SN - 0270-6474
VL - 37
SP - 1081
EP - 1089
JO - The Journal of Neuroscience
JF - The Journal of Neuroscience
IS - 5
ER -