The neuronal basis of visual consciousness: how brain rhythms control the doors of perception

Not all incoming visual information gives rise to conscious awareness. In fact, massive amounts of information reaching the brain fail to trigger any conscious sensation. What neuronal mechanisms determine whether an input will be perceived or not? Utilizing novel visual illusions to control conscious perception, we will directly record neuronal activity from the brain surface in humans and monkeys with electrocorticography. We hypothesise that the intrinsic oscillatory rhythms in the visual cortex act to control the doors to perception. We test the causal role of oscillations in conscious visibility by rhythmic brain stimulation. Our experiments will reveal fundamental limiting factor in how we see the world.