Single-Neuron Correlates of Awareness during Attentional Blinks

Zhongzheng Fu; Ueli Rutishauser

doi:10.1016/j.tics.2017.10.005

Single-Neuron Correlates of Awareness during Attentional Blinks

Trends Cogn Sci. 2018 Jan;22(1):5-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2017.10.005.

Authors

Zhongzheng Fu¹, Ueli Rutishauser²

Affiliations

¹ Control and Dynamical Systems Program, Department of Computing + Mathematical Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
² Department of Neurosurgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Center for Neural Science and Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Electronic address: ueli.rutishauser@cshs.org.

Abstract

A recent single-neuron study revealed an anatomical anterior-to-posterior gradient of awareness-related responses by 'concept neurons' in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL). Delayed and weaker responses were indicative of the failure of a stimulus to reach awareness, suggesting that reliable fast responses are a critical aspect of the neural mechanisms of consciousness.

Keywords: amygdala; hippocampus; medial temporal lobe.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Attentional Blink*
Awareness
Consciousness*
Humans
Neurons
Temporal Lobe

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding