Hakwan Lau, Ph.D.
September 26(Mon) - September 26(Mon), 2022
11AM
N Centre 86120 & ZOOM (ID: 728-142-6028)
CNIR Seminar
Date: 11am, Thursday, Sep 26th
과학 뇌이(가) 예약된 Zoom 회의에 귀하를 초대합니다.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7281426028
회의 ID: 728 142 6028 (password: cnir)
Speaker: Hakwan Lau, Ph.D. (RIKEN, Japan)
Title: The role of the prefrontal cortex in perception
Abstract: The lateral prefrontal cortex in primates is traditionally thought to be important for functions such as working memory and cognitive control. However, anatomically it also receives perceptual information from different sensory modalities. In the case of vision, it has been characterized as one of the final points at the top of a hierarchy, receiving converging inputs from both the dorsal and ventral streams of processing. Here I will present evidence from human neuroimaging that areas in the lateral prefrontal cortex are involved in the self-monitoring of perceptual success, a process that has been termed perceptual metacognition. This process has been theoretically linked to the mechanisms for consciousness, that is, the generation of subjective experiences. Although there have been claims that lesions to these areas do not abolish consciousness, I will explain why the empirical evidence does not in fact challenge the theory. I will present further evidence that activations of sensory representations alone, even at high levels, may not lead to conscious experience. Together, these findings suggest that understanding the role of the prefrontal cortex in perception may be a fruitful venue for linking different areas of research, including vision science, attention, decision making, learning, pain processing and intervention, etc.