Watanabe, T., Masuda, N., Megumi, F., Kanai, R., & Rees, G. (2014). Energy landscape and dynamics of brain activity during human bistable perception. Nature Communications, 5, 4765. doi:10.1038/ncomms5765
Bistable visual perception is a key paradigm for probing human and animal brainfunctions, and several studies have now shown an intriguing link between the dynamics of bistable perception and the grey matter volume in particular areas of cortex. However, the mechanisms that might link such anatomical features of the brain to subjective experience remained unclear. In this study, we established just such a link by characterising the energy landscapes of brain activity during bistable perception.
During bistable visual perception, we found that human brain activity patterns transited between three spatially distributed energy states. For each participant, this energy landscape predicted both the behavioural dynamics of their perceptual reports and the structural characteristics of focal cortical regions. These findings suggest that the dynamics of brain activity determined by the features of the energy landscape link individual differences in brain anatomy and subjective visual experience.
Very nice work! How did you get the 3D visualization of the energy landscape (2D state space and its associated energy surface) from the actual 7D state-space?
ReplyDeleteThanks. In fact, 3D visualisation is just a schema for presentation purpose. (As you may have already noticed) In this procedure, what we can get is only the disconnectivity graph and MCMC dynamics based on the graph. So, unfortunately, the 3D energy landscape is just a conceptual model.
ReplyDeleteFair enough! What tool did you use to render the schematic energy landscape? They look very nice.
ReplyDeleteJust used Illustrator (mesh tool and something...). Hope it helps.
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