The thalamocortical inhibitory network controls human conscious perception

Jeehye Seo, Dae Jin Kim, Sang Han Choi, Hyoungkyu Kim, Byoung Kyong Min

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    9 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Although conscious perception is a fundamental cognitive function, its neural correlates remain unclear. It remains debatable whether thalamocortical interactions play a decisive role in conscious perception. To clarify this, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) where flickering red and green visual cues could be perceived either as a non-fused colour or fused colour. Here we show significantly differentiated fMRI neurodynamics only in higher-order thalamocortical regions, compared with first-order thalamocortical regions. Anticorrelated neurodynamic behaviours were observed between the visual stream network and default-mode network. Its dynamic causal modelling consistently provided compelling evidence for the involvement of higher-order thalamocortical iterative integration during conscious perception of fused colour, while inhibitory control was revealed during the non-fusion condition. Taken together with our recent magnetoencephalography study, our fMRI findings corroborate a thalamocortical inhibitory model for consciousness, where both thalamic inhibitory regulation and integrative signal iterations across higher-order thalamocortical regions are essential for conscious perception.

    Original languageEnglish
    Article number119748
    JournalNeuroImage
    Volume264
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2022 Dec 1

    Bibliographical note

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2022

    Keywords

    • Conscious perception
    • Default-mode network
    • Illusory colour
    • Thalamic reticular nucleus
    • Thalamocortical inhibitory network

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Neurology
    • Cognitive Neuroscience

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