Abstract
This presentation shows how the global organization of brain networks relates with stability of perceptions alternating by Binocular Rivalry phenomenon (Shimono, Niki, 2013, Brain Connectivity). Binocular Rivalry has been always played the central role which is key to understanding neuronal processes of conscious and unconscious visual experiences for many decades (Blake, Logothetis, 2001; Tong, Meng, Blake, 2006). Recently, the Connectomic-approach is prominently contributing in developments of neuroscience especially in understanding function-structure relationships in human brains (Sporns, Tononi, Kotter, 2005; Van Essen, Ugurbil, 2012). Currently, how the global organization of brain networks relates with our various cognitive behaviors is becoming an important question to be asked. This study firstly connects between these two important streams to understanding interactions among brain regions dealing with the processing of visual information. First, we reconstructed global brain networks connecting between 84 segmented brain regions by tracking fibers of white matter recorded as Diffusion Tensor Images (DTIs). Second, we compared between the inter-individual difference of stability of perceptual alternations in Binocular Rivalry and inter-individual differences of variables calculated from DTIs, which is interpreted to relate with "information efficiency" of the reconstructed fiber tracts. As a prominent finding, the high "efficiency" of subcortico-subcortical networks widely related with the stabilization of the perceptions, and the high "efficiency" of cortico-cortical networks widely related with the un-stabilization of the perceptions. Many recent neuroscientific studies of Binocular Rivalry have deliniated important various brain regions. The finding in this study will additionally provide us an important basis to understand how global interactions as networks among the various brain regions are creating the optimal environment for visual information processes. Reference: Shimono, Masanori, and Kazuhisa Niki. "Global Mapping of the Whole-Brain Network Underlining Binocular Rivalry." Brain connectivity 3.2 (2013): 212-221. http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/brain.2012.0129
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2014