Altered operating regimes of multi-stable perception J Braun1, A Pastukhov1, G Deco2 |
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1Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany |
| We reported recently [Pastukhov et al., 2013, Front. Comput. Neurosci., 7(17)] that multi-stable perception operates in a consistent and functionally optimal dynamical regime, balancing the conflicting goals of stability and sensitivity. In that work, we deduced the operative balance of stabilizing and destabilizing factors – competition, adaptation, and noise – from the reversal statistics of individual observers (mean and variance of dominance time, correlation and time-constant of history-dependence) with the help of a simple computational model. To further validate this approach, we investigated two conditions where reduced adaptation (wobbling vs. stationary axes of rotation in a kinetic depth display) or enhanced competition (titled vs. vertical axes) is expected. Both manipulations altered reversal statistics significantly. The computational analysis revealed reduced adaptation in the case of wobbling vs. stationary axes, and enhanced competition in the case of tilted vs. vertical axes, exactly as predicted. Our results confirm that multi-stable dynamics is well described by a balance of competition, neural adaptation and neural noise. They further show that the reversal statistics of individual observers faithfully reflects both normal and altered operating regimes of multi-stable perception. In conclusion, we demonstrate a sensitive diagnostic for perceptual dynamics with potential applications for developmental and patient populations. |
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