Effects of consciousness on human brain waves following binocular rivalry

WHEN the two eyes of an observer are exposed to conflicting stimuli, they e nter into binocular rivalry and the two possible percepts will alternate in dominance. We investigated neural activity and its time course following b inocular rivalry by measuring human event-related brain potentials to trans itions from rivalrous to non-rivalrous stimulation. When these changes did not entail a change in conscious perception they elicited a markedly attenu ated N1 component and a delayed and attenuated P3 peak as compared to perce ptincompatible changes and non-rivalrous control conditions. These results suggest that in humans binocular rivalry is resolved at latest in extrastri ate visual areas. NeuroReport 10:713-716 (C) 1999 Lippincott Williams & Wil kins.