The Path of Conscious Perception: Decoding Phosphene Perception after Intracortical Microstimulation
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2023-03-03
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en
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Abstract
Cortical visual prosthetics are a promising solution to restoring a form of vision for some blind individuals.
However, the relation between stimulation, neural response and phenomenological experience is not
entirely clear: identical stimulation patterns can sometimes elicit phosphenes, while at other times no percept
is induced. In this report, a first step is made towards unravelling the neural dynamics that occur in response
to cortical microstimulation and their connection to the perception of phosphenes. Using machine learning
techniques, the data available from extensive experiments with a blind volunteer, collected at the University
Miguel Hernández, are used to predict the perception of phosphenes. Results show that all three investigated
neural data signals (MUA, LFP and EEG) contain markers of the perceptual outcome, as our models were able
to classify this outcome at above-chance level. Further insight was obtained regarding the spatial, temporal
and frequency characteristics of these signals. In particular, our results align with previous findings that signal
loss occurs at different stages along the propagation of the signal from the occipital pole to the frontal areas,
as well as the existence of a feedback signal.
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Faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen