Waving goodbye to contrast: Self-generated hand movements attenuate visual sensitivity

Vasser, Madis; Vuillaume, Laurène; Cleeremans, Axel; Aru, Jaan

doi:10.1101/474783

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…The above findings and their interpretation can in principle be accommodated within a hierarchical predictive coding formulation of active inference as a form of Bayes-optimal motor control, in which proprioceptive as well as visual prediction errors can update higher-level beliefs about the state of the body and thus influence action [32][33][34] . Hierarchical predictive coding rests on a probabilistic mapping from unobservable causes (hidden states) to observable consequences (sensory states), as described by a hierarchical generative model, where each level of the model encodes conditional expectations ('beliefs') about states of the world that best explains states of affairs encoded at lower levels (i.e., sensory input).…”

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confidence: 98%

“…This also implicitly minimises exteroceptive prediction error; e.g. the predicted visual action consequences 34,[40][41][42] . Crucially, all ascending prediction errors are precision-weighted based on model predictions (where precision corresponds to the inverse variance), so that a prediction error that is expected to be more precise has a stronger impact on belief updating.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Active inference under visuo-proprioceptive conflict: Simulation and empirical results

Limanowski

Friston

2020

Sci Rep

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It has been suggested that the brain controls hand movements via internal models that rely on visual and proprioceptive cues about the state of the hand. In active inference formulations of such models, the relative influence of each modality on action and perception is determined by how precise (reliable) it is expected to be. The 'top-down' affordance of expected precision to a particular sensory modality is associated with attention. Here, we asked whether increasing attention to (i.e., the precision of) vision or proprioception would enhance performance in a hand-target phase matching task, in which visual and proprioceptive cues about hand posture were incongruent. We show that in a simple simulated agent-based on predictive coding formulations of active inference-increasing the expected precision of vision or proprioception improved task performance (target matching with the seen or felt hand, respectively) under visuo-proprioceptive conflict. Moreover, we show that this formulation captured the behaviour and self-reported attentional allocation of human participants performing the same task in a virtual reality environment. Together, our results show that selective attention can balance the impact of (conflicting) visual and proprioceptive cues on action-rendering attention a key mechanism for a flexible body representation for action.Controlling the body's actions in a constantly changing environment is one of the most important tasks of the human brain. The brain solves the complex computational problems inherent in this task by using internal probabilistic (Bayes-optimal) models 1-6 . These models allow the brain to flexibly estimate the state of the body and the consequences of its movement, despite noise and conduction delays in the sensorimotor apparatus, via iterative updating by sensory prediction errors from multiple sources. The state of the hand, in particular, can be informed by vision and proprioception. Here, the brain makes use of an optimal integration of visual and proprioceptive signals, where the relative influence of each modality-on the final 'multisensory' estimate-is determined by its relative reliability or precision, depending on the current context 6-15 .These processes can be investigated under an experimentally induced conflict between visual and proprioceptive information. The underlying rationale here is that incongruent visuo-proprioceptive cues about hand position or posture have to be integrated (provided the incongruence stays within reasonable limits), because the brain's body model entails a strong prior belief that information from both modalities is generated by one and the same external cause; namely, one's hand. Thus, a partial recalibration of one's unseen hand position towards the position of a (fake or mirror-displaced) hand seen in an incongruent position has been interpreted as suggesting an (attempted) resolution of visuo-proprioceptive conflict to maintain a prior body representation 16-23 .Importantly, spatial or temporal perturbations can be introduced to vi...

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Active inference under visuo-proprioceptive conflict: Simulation and empirical results

Limanowski

Friston

2020

Sci Rep

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“…In control conditions, the targets were shown in the area reflected from the fixation point ("Ref "). C) General design for a single trial in the experiments where visual sensitivity was tested (Vasser et al, 2019). Participants were instructed to perform a trained hand movement when the fixation cross changed color.…”

Section: Suppressing Self-generated Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RTs in the experimental condition ("Behind hand") were slower than in the control condition ("Reflected"). E) Results of Experiment 1 of Vasser et al (2019). X axis is the value of the test contrast, Y axis denotes the percentage of trials that were reported as higher in contrast.…”

Section: Suppressing Self-generated Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, the key question remained: does this withdrawal of attention indeed also have perceptual consequences? In the follow up study (Vasser et al, 2019) we wanted to assess whether self-generated hand movement indeed changes perception. We based our study on the experimental approach used by Carrasco and colleagues who had elegantly demonstrated that attention affects perceptual experience (Carrasco, Ling & Read, 2004).…”

Section: Suppressing Self-generated Transitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From aliens to invisible limbs: The transitions that never make it into conscious experience

Aru¹

2018

Preprint

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Here it is suggested that one interesting but not well-studied property of consciousness is its continuity – the fact that my experience is stable in time despite the myriads of changes in the underlying neural activity. It is proposed that there are specific mechanisms that maintain the continuity of consciousness by preventing certain transitions in the environment from entering conscious experience. These mechanisms are the key reason why we do not perceive the involuntary eye-blinks or why our own moving limbs do not capture our attention. I will describe some studies we have conducted with virtual reality to demonstrate that one mechanism supporting the continuity of consciousness seems to be the withdrawal of attention from the specific predictable sensory activity. It is described how the active inference theory can explain this set of findings. It seems that (for now) the active inference theory is the only theory that can account for the continuity of consciousness. Next, we explore the neural mechanisms of how the motor cortex conveys specific predictions to the sensory cortices and inhibit the predicted sensory consequences of own movement. Although not much is learned from this piece about the mechanisms of continuity, it is concluded that the topic is worth to be explored more thoroughly.

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Action-based predictions affect visual perception, neural processing, and pupil size, regardless of temporal predictability

Lubinus

Einhaeuser

Schiller

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Sensory consequences of one's own action are often perceived as less intense, and lead to reduced neural responses, compared to externally generated stimuli. Presumably, such sensory attenuation is due to predictive mechanisms based on the motor command (efference copy). However, sensory attenuation has also been observed outside the context of voluntary action, namely when stimuli are temporally predictable. Here, we aimed at disentangling the effects of motor and temporal predictability-based mechanisms on the attenuation of sensory action consequences. During fMRI data acquisition, participants (N = 25) judged which of two visual stimuli was brighter. In predictable blocks, the stimuli appeared temporally aligned with their button press (active) or aligned with an automatically generated cue (passive). In unpredictable blocks, stimuli were presented with a variable delay after button press/cue, respectively. Eye tracking was performed to investigate pupil-size changes and to ensure proper fixation. Self-generated stimuli were perceived as darker and led to less neural activation in visual areas than their passive counterparts, indicating sensory attenuation for self-generated stimuli independent of temporal predictability. Pupil size was larger during self-generated stimuli, which correlated negatively with blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response: the larger the pupil, the smaller the BOLD amplitude in visual areas. Our results suggest that sensory attenuation in visual cortex is driven by action-based predictive mechanisms rather than by temporal predictability. This effect may be related to changes in pupil diameter. Altogether, these results emphasize the role of the efference copy in the processing of sensory action consequences.

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Waving goodbye to contrast: Self-generated hand movements attenuate visual sensitivity

Cited by 7 publications

References 37 publications

Active inference under visuo-proprioceptive conflict: Simulation and empirical results

Active inference under visuo-proprioceptive conflict: Simulation and empirical results

From aliens to invisible limbs: The transitions that never make it into conscious experience

Action-based predictions affect visual perception, neural processing, and pupil size, regardless of temporal predictability

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