On a Strategy of Advancement of TMS Based Methods for Studying NCC

Frontiers in Psychology

Talis Bachmann¹ 

关键词: TMS;    NCC;    ERP;    animal model;    perception;    masking;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02026

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Interpretation of TMS-evoked and modal event related potentials in human subjects can be informed by the results from research with animal models where surface potentials are measured and combined with invasive recording techniques allowing to interpret the underlying neuronal level mechanistic processes that give rise to the deflections of the surface recorded potential. Understandably, any TMS study of neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) which is based on animals has a trivial, different type of limitation in addition to the problems of combined stimulation and measurement–we can't have a report from a mouse or rat on what does it feel like to have a particular conscious experience. But the combination of (1) pertinent animal study allowing to put forward specific hypotheses about how the surface recorded bioelectric potential is brought about by mechanisms at the neuronal level with (2) human study with remotely evoked TEPs in a NCC experiment can bring us closer to real NCC. This is trivially evident because a human subject can report his/her phenomenal experience content and level of experience of this content which is a skill unachievable for an animal.

【 授权许可】

CC BY