Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation to the left anterior medial prefrontal cortex influences metacognitive efficiency.

Temporarily disrupting the left anterior medial prefrontal cortex with continuous theta burst stimulation improved people's ability to accurately judge their own perceptual experiences, a measure of metacognitive efficiency, compared to a sham control. This improvement came with lower awareness ratings for incorrect responses, while basic identification performance remained unchanged. Intermittent theta burst stimulation did not produce the same effect. The findings indicate the prefrontal cortex plays a role in the brain network supporting metacognition, raising questions about whether such transcranial magnetic stimulation results demonstrate prefrontal involvement in conscious awareness itself.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The contribution of the prefrontal areas to visual awareness is critical for the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory and higher-order theories of consciousness. The goal of the present study was to test the potential engagement of the anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) in visual awareness judgements. We aimed to temporarily influence the neuronal dynamics of the left aMPFC via neuroplasticity-like mechanisms. We used different Theta Burst Stimulation (TBS) protocols in combination with a visual identification task and visual awareness ratings. Either continuous TBS (cTBS), intermittent TBS (iTBS), or sham TBS was applied prior to the experimental paradigm in a within-participant design. Compared with sham TBS, we observed an increase in participants' ability to judge their perception adequately (metacognitive efficiency) following cTBS but not iTBS. The effect was accompanied by lower visual awareness ratings in incorrect responses. No significant differences in the identification task performance were observed. We interpret these results as evidence of the involvement of PFC in the brain network that underlies metacognition. Further, we discuss whether the results of TMS studies on perceptual metacognition can be taken as evidence for PFC involvement in awareness itself.