Michael Pereira | Computational mechanisms for perceptual consciousness and monitoring

The neural correlates of how we experience the world perceptually remain largely unknown. I will present single neuron and computational modeling evidence suggesting that stimulus detection and related confidence involve evidence accumulation processes similar to those involved in perceptual decision-making. I will also present preliminary data supporting the involvement of subcortical regions in detection. Finally, I will argue that conscious percepts might fade in and out of consciousness according to the dynamics of evidence accumulation. I will discuss the implications and limitations of this proposal and illustrate how it may put us in a better position to reach a mechanistic understanding of phenomenal aspects of perceptual experience like its intensity and duration, beyond mere detection.