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Cortical evidence accumulation for visual perception occurs irrespective of reports

Author

Listed:
  • François Stockart

    (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC
    Yale University)

  • Ramla Msheik

    (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC)

  • Alexis Robin

    (CHU Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm)

  • Lenka Jurkovičová

    (St. Anne’s University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University
    Masaryk University)

  • Dorian Goueytes

    (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC
    Univ. Lille)

  • Martin Rouy
  • Radek Mareček

    (St. Anne’s University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University
    Masaryk University)

  • Dominique Hoffmann

    (CHU Grenoble Alpes)

  • Liad Mudrik

    (Tel Aviv University
    Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR))

  • Robert Roman

    (St. Anne’s University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University
    Masaryk University)

  • Milan Brázdil

    (St. Anne’s University Hospital and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University
    Masaryk University)

  • Lorella Minotti

    (CHU Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm)

  • Philippe Kahane

    (CHU Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm)

  • Michael Pereira

    (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC
    Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Inserm)

  • Nathan Faivre

    (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC)

Abstract

Perception is a multi-faceted, dynamical process that can be tackled empirically through measures of stimulus detectability and confidence. We recorded stereo-electroencephalographic data of 29 participants partaking in three pre-registered experiments to assess if evidence accumulation, a form of sequential sampling of sensory evidence, can explain perception. In an immediate-response experiment, high-gamma activity from individual channels and decoded multivariate latent variables in the visual, inferior frontal, and anterior insular cortices display a correlation between the slope of their increase and reaction times. In two further experiments, this signal in the ventral visual cortex differentiates between (1) stimuli reported as seen vs. unseen in delayed detection, (2) high and low intensity stimuli during passive viewing, and (3) levels of confidence when stimuli were detected. A computational model of leaky evidence accumulation can successfully reproduce both behavioral and neural data. Overall, we show that evidence accumulation explains subjective aspects of visual perception.

Suggested Citation

  • François Stockart & Ramla Msheik & Alexis Robin & Lenka Jurkovičová & Dorian Goueytes & Martin Rouy & Radek Mareček & Dominique Hoffmann & Liad Mudrik & Robert Roman & Milan Brázdil & Lorella Minotti , 2025. "Cortical evidence accumulation for visual perception occurs irrespective of reports," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-18, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-63255-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63255-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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