Widespread, perception-related information in the human brain scales with levels of consciousness
Imaging Neuroscience July 29, 2024 Andrew D. Vigotsky, Rami Jabakhanji, Paulo Branco et al.
The human brain generates coherent, subjective perceptions by distributing stimulus-specific information throughout the whole brain, not just in dedicated regions. Using fMRI, researchers found that information about a stimulus, such as a banana, is spread across the neocortex, subcortex, and cerebellum, even in voxels typically considered noise. These signals are influenced by sedation levels, linking them to perception rather than mere sensory encoding. The findings challenge the traditional view that perception arises from processing in isolated brain regions and suggest that widespread, stimulus-specific, and consciousness-dependent signals may underlie coherent subjective experiences.