Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials.
In this study, we explored the neural correlates of perceptual awareness during a masked face detection task. To assess awareness more precisely than in previous studies, participants employed a 4-point scale to rate subjective visibility. An event-related fMRI and a high-density ERP study were carr...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| _version_ | 1797103603193741312 |
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| author | Rodríguez, V Thompson, R Stokes, M Brett, M Alvarez, I Valdes-Sosa, M Duncan, J |
| author_facet | Rodríguez, V Thompson, R Stokes, M Brett, M Alvarez, I Valdes-Sosa, M Duncan, J |
| author_sort | Rodríguez, V |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | In this study, we explored the neural correlates of perceptual awareness during a masked face detection task. To assess awareness more precisely than in previous studies, participants employed a 4-point scale to rate subjective visibility. An event-related fMRI and a high-density ERP study were carried out. Imaging data showed that conscious face detection was linked to activation of fusiform and occipital face areas. Frontal and parietal regions, including the pre-SMA, inferior frontal sulcus, anterior insula/frontal operculum, and intraparietal sulcus, also responded strongly when faces were consciously perceived. In contrast, no brain area showed face-selective activity when participants reported no impression of a face. ERP results showed that conscious face detection was associated with enhanced N170 and also with the presence of a second negativity around 300 msec and a slow positivity around 415 msec. Again, face-related activity was absent when faces were not consciously perceived. We suggest that, under conditions of backward masking, ventral stream and fronto-parietal regions show similar, strong links of face-related activity to conscious perception and stress the importance of a detailed assessment of awareness to examine activity related to unseen stimulus events. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:22:24Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:f322ad88-0ae4-4f2d-967b-464d9521cd26 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:22:24Z |
| publishDate | 2012 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:f322ad88-0ae4-4f2d-967b-464d9521cd262022-03-27T12:09:38ZAbsence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials.Journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:f322ad88-0ae4-4f2d-967b-464d9521cd26EnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Rodríguez, VThompson, RStokes, MBrett, MAlvarez, IValdes-Sosa, MDuncan, JIn this study, we explored the neural correlates of perceptual awareness during a masked face detection task. To assess awareness more precisely than in previous studies, participants employed a 4-point scale to rate subjective visibility. An event-related fMRI and a high-density ERP study were carried out. Imaging data showed that conscious face detection was linked to activation of fusiform and occipital face areas. Frontal and parietal regions, including the pre-SMA, inferior frontal sulcus, anterior insula/frontal operculum, and intraparietal sulcus, also responded strongly when faces were consciously perceived. In contrast, no brain area showed face-selective activity when participants reported no impression of a face. ERP results showed that conscious face detection was associated with enhanced N170 and also with the presence of a second negativity around 300 msec and a slow positivity around 415 msec. Again, face-related activity was absent when faces were not consciously perceived. We suggest that, under conditions of backward masking, ventral stream and fronto-parietal regions show similar, strong links of face-related activity to conscious perception and stress the importance of a detailed assessment of awareness to examine activity related to unseen stimulus events. |
| spellingShingle | Rodríguez, V Thompson, R Stokes, M Brett, M Alvarez, I Valdes-Sosa, M Duncan, J Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title | Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title_full | Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title_fullStr | Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title_short | Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials. |
| title_sort | absence of face specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event related potentials |
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