Placing meta-stable states of consciousness within the predictive coding hierarchy: The deceleration of the accelerated prediction error

Abstract

While many studies have linked prediction errors and event related potentials at a single processing level, few consider how these responses interact across levels. In response, we present a factorial analysis of a multi-level oddball task - the local-global task - and we explore it when participants are sedated versus recovered. We found that the local and global levels in fact interact. This is of considerable current interest, since it has recently been argued that the MEEG response evoked by the global effect corresponds to a distinct processing mode that moves beyond predictive coding. This interaction suggests that the two processing modes are not distinct. Additionally, we observed that sedation modulates this interaction, suggesting that conscious awareness may not be completely restricted to a single (global) processing level.

Sedation Modulates Frontotemporal Predictive Coding Circuits and the Double Surprise Acceleration Effect

“…Our previous work with the local-global task (focusing on responses in sensor space) suggested that the transition from local to global processing is not temporally or functionally as sharp as one might have thought ( Shirazibeheshti et al. 2018 ).…”

“…Indeed, our findings could be interpreted as evidence for a transitional phase between the local and global responses. This evidence rests on an interaction between the local and global conditions ( Shirazibeheshti et al. 2018 ).…”

“…This interaction appears to be driven by changes in responsiveness during the positive rebound to the N1 and mismatch negativity (MMN), that is, during the P3a window (~200 to ~ 400 ms poststimulus onset). The key aspect of this change in responsiveness is a coincidence of surprise; that is, a combination of local and global deviants induces an acceleration of the P3, an effect we have called the double-surprise acceleration effect ( Shirazibeheshti et al. 2018 ) (The term accelerate is primarily used metaphorically, although, the advanced P3 component that we identified in [ Shirazibeheshti et al.…”

“…The key aspect of this change in responsiveness is a coincidence of surprise; that is, a combination of local and global deviants induces an acceleration of the P3, an effect we have called the double-surprise acceleration effect ( Shirazibeheshti et al. 2018 ) (The term accelerate is primarily used metaphorically, although, the advanced P3 component that we identified in [ Shirazibeheshti et al. 2018 ] [see Figure 5 L x G panels in that paper] does in fact exhibit an acceleration in the mathematical sense.…”

The Predictive Global Neuronal Workspace: A Formal Active Inference Model of Visual Consciousness

“…In this case, second-level representations would quickly become maximally imprecise (barring infinitely precise second-level priors) and carry no information, plausibly corresponding to general unconsciousness (i.e., no conscious content of any kind). Importantly, the agent would also become insensitive to longer timescale regularities in sensory input, explaining the abolishment of the P3 response to violations of longer time scale auditory regularities during sedation and sleep (Shirazibeheshti et al, 2018;Strauss et al, 2015).…”