Bifurcation in brain dynamics reveals a signature of conscious processing independent of report

Claire Sergent (), Martina Corazzol, Ghislaine Labouret, François Stockart, Mark Wexler, Jean-Rémi King, Florent Meyniel and Daniel Pressnitzer
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Claire Sergent: Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002
Martina Corazzol: Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002
Ghislaine Labouret: Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002
François Stockart: Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002
Mark Wexler: Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002
Jean-Rémi King: PSL University, CNRS
Florent Meyniel: Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center
Daniel Pressnitzer: PSL University, CNRS

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: Abstract An outstanding challenge for consciousness research is to characterize the neural signature of conscious access independently of any decisional processes. Here we present a model-based approach that uses inter-trial variability to identify the brain dynamics associated with stimulus processing. We demonstrate that, even in the absence of any task or behavior, the electroencephalographic response to auditory stimuli shows bifurcation dynamics around 250–300 milliseconds post-stimulus. Namely, the same stimulus gives rise to late sustained activity on some trials, and not on others. This late neural activity is predictive of task-related reports, and also of reports of conscious contents that are randomly sampled during task-free listening. Source localization further suggests that task-free conscious access recruits the same neural networks as those associated with explicit report, except for frontal executive components. Studying brain dynamics through variability could thus play a key role for identifying the core signatures of conscious access, independent of report.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21393-z

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