Brain Dynamics Underlying the Nonlinear Threshold for Access to Consciousness

• Published in: PLoS biology Vol. 5; no. 10; p. e260
• Main Authors: Del Cul, Antoine, Baillet, Sylvain, Dehaene, Stanislas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.10.2007; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Analysis; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Brain; Brain - physiology; Brain research; Consciousness; Consciousness - physiology; Female; Genetic aspects; Homo (Human); Humans; Life Sciences; Male; Methods; Neural networks; Neurology; Neuroscience; Neurosciences; Nonlinear Dynamics; Perceptual Masking; Perceptual Masking - physiology; Photic Stimulation; Reaction Time; Reaction Time - physiology; Sensory Thresholds; Sensory Thresholds - physiology; Service oriented architecture; Statistical methods; Visual Perception; Visual Perception - physiology; United States; Brain; Consciousness; Perceptual Masking; Sensory Thresholds; Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Reaction Time; Visual Perception; Nonlinear Dynamics; Photic Stimulation

When a flashed stimulus is followed by a backward mask, subjects fail to perceive it unless the target-mask interval exceeds a threshold duration of about 50 ms. Models of conscious access postulate that this threshold is associated with the time needed to establish sustained activity in recurrent c...