Inferior frontal cortex plays a causal role in resolving perceptual ambiguities, thereby determining what is consciously experienced. Computational modeling and two fMRI experiments showed that this region detects conflicts caused by ambiguous sensory information. Disrupting inferior frontal cortex activity with transcranial magnetic stimulation slowed the updating of conscious experience in response to such conflicts. These findings indicate that prefrontal cortex is not merely involved in introspection or action but actively contributes to shaping the contents of consciousness.
A schizophrenia patient who reported 'seeing rain' along with bodily sensations that isolated him from his surroundings is examined to understand how visual and multimodal hallucinations contribute to self-disturbances (Ichstörungen). Self-disturbances, as described by the early Heidelberg School, involve the self experiencing its own automatic mental processes as alien (a split-off 'doubled-I') or, in 'I-paralysis,' attributing disruptions to external omnipotent agents. These disturbances reflect an impaired ability to predict moment-to-moment experiences in the perception-action cycle. The phenomenological analysis complements computational models of psychosis based on hierarchical predictive coding. Self-disturbances appear to play an adaptive, compensatory role following the uncoupling of perception and action.