Single-neuron correlates of visual consciousness in human lateral occipital complex

Abstract

Abstract Conscious perception, a critical aspect of human cognition, is assumed to emerge from a complex network of interacting brain regions that transmit information via feedforward and recurrent pathways. This study presents single- and multiunit recordings from the human lateral occipital complex (LO), a key region for shape and object recognition, during three distinct perceptual paradigms: backward masking, flash suppression and binocular rivalry. Stimulus awareness increased decoding accuracy and decoders assigned higher probabilities to the consciously perceived stimulus during periods of dichoptic stimulus presentation. These findings highlight the intricate neural mechanisms underlying visual awareness and show that LO responses predominantly align with subjective phenomenology, offering new insights into the neural correlates of visual consciousness.