The neural activity of auditory conscious perception

Abstract

Although recent work has made headway in understanding the neural temporospatial dynamics of conscious perception, much of that work has focused on visual paradigms. To determine whether there are shared mechanisms for perceptual consciousness across sensory modalities, here we test within the auditory domain. Participants completed an auditory threshold task while undergoing intracranial electroencephalography. Recordings from >2,800 grey matter electrodes were analyzed for broadband gamma power (a range which reflects local neural activity). For perceived trials, we find nearly simultaneous activity in early auditory regions, the right caudal middle frontal gyrus, and the non-auditory thalamus; followed by a wave of activity that sweeps through auditory association regions into parietal and frontal cortices. For not perceived trials, significant activity is restricted to early auditory regions. These findings show the cortical and subcortical networks involved in auditory perception are similar to those observed with vision, suggesting shared mechanisms for conscious perception.