Perceptual awareness negativity: a physiological correlate of sensory consciousness.
Cole Dembski, Christof Koch, Michael Pitts
Trends in Cognitive Sciences June 22, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.05.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
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| Key findings | The P3b is not a neural correlate of consciousness, while awareness negativities (VAN, AAN, and a tactile counterpart) are consistently linked to conscious perception and point to a generalized perceptual awareness negativity (PAN). |
Abstract
Much research on the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) has focused on two evoked potentials, the P3b and the visual or auditory awareness negativity (VAN, AAN). Surveying a broad range of recent experimental evidence, we find that repeated failures to observe the P3b during conscious perception eliminate it as a putative NCC. Neither the VAN nor the AAN have been dissociated from consciousness; furthermore, a similar neural signal correlates with tactile consciousness. These awareness negativities can be maximal contralateral to the evoking stimulus, are likely generated in underlying sensory cortices, and point to the existence of a generalized perceptual awareness negativity (PAN) reflecting the onset of sensory consciousness.