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Dual Perspectives

Should a Few Null Findings Falsify Prefrontal Theories of Conscious Perception?

Brian Odegaard, Robert T. Knight and Hakwan Lau
Journal of Neuroscience 4 October 2017, 37 (40) 9593-9602; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3217-16.2017
Brian Odegaard
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1563,
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Robert T. Knight
2Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720,
3Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley 94720,
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Hakwan Lau
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1563,
4Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, and
5Department of Psychology, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
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Abstract

Is activity in prefrontal cortex (PFC) critical for conscious perception? Major theories of consciousness make distinct predictions about the role of PFC, providing an opportunity to arbitrate between these views empirically. Here we address three common misconceptions: (1) PFC lesions do not affect subjective perception; (2) PFC activity does not reflect specific perceptual content; and (3) PFC involvement in studies of perceptual awareness is solely driven by the need to make reports required by the experimental tasks rather than subjective experience per se. These claims are incompatible with empirical findings, unless one focuses only on studies using methods with limited sensitivity. The literature highlights PFC's essential role in enabling the subjective experience in perception, contra the objective capacity to perform visual tasks; conflating the two can also be a source of confusion.

Dual Perspectives Companion Paper: Are the Neural Correlates of Consciousness in the Front or in the Back of the Cerebral Cortex? Clinical and Neuroimaging Evidence, by Melanie Boly, Marcello Massimini, Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Bradley R. Postle, Christof Koch, and Giulio Tononi

  • attention
  • awareness
  • consciousness
  • metacognition
  • prefrontal cortex

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The Journal of Neuroscience: 37 (40)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 37, Issue 40
4 Oct 2017
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Should a Few Null Findings Falsify Prefrontal Theories of Conscious Perception?
Brian Odegaard, Robert T. Knight, Hakwan Lau
Journal of Neuroscience 4 October 2017, 37 (40) 9593-9602; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3217-16.2017

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Should a Few Null Findings Falsify Prefrontal Theories of Conscious Perception?
Brian Odegaard, Robert T. Knight, Hakwan Lau
Journal of Neuroscience 4 October 2017, 37 (40) 9593-9602; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3217-16.2017
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • An opportunity to empirically resolve some enduring controversies
    • The clinical neuropsychology of consciousness: “classical” case studies
    • How do lesions to PFC specifically affect subjective perception?
    • Does PFC activity reflect specific perceptual content?
    • Is PFC activity only related to explicit perceptual reports?
    • Footnotes
    • References
    • Response from Dual Perspectives Companion Authors–Melanie Boly, Marcello Massimini, Naotsugu Tsuchiya, Bradley R. Postle, Christof Koch, and Giulio Tononi Some of the arguments raised by Odegaard et al. deserve a brief discussion. Clinical neuropsychology
    • Subjective perception
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Keywords

  • attention
  • awareness
  • consciousness
  • metacognition
  • prefrontal cortex

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