Absence of face-specific cortical activity in the complete absence of awareness: converging evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related potentials.

Journal article

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.

Authors: Rodríguez, V; Thompson, R; Stokes, M; Brett, M; Alvarez, I

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Journal of cognitive neuroscience
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 396-415
• Publication date: 2012-02-01
• DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00137
• EISSN: 1530-8898
• ISSN: 0898-929X
• Language: English
• Keywords: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Humans; Male; Brain Mapping; Face; Middle Aged; Perceptual Masking; Visual Perception; Cerebral Cortex; Adult; Female; Electroencephalography; Awareness; Attention