Tracking the Unconscious Generation of Free Decisions Using UItra-High Field fMRI

Abstract

Recently, we demonstrated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that the outcome of free decisions can be decoded from brain activity several seconds before reaching conscious awareness. Activity patterns in anterior frontopolar cortex (BA 10) were temporally the first to carry intention-related information and thus a candidate region for the unconscious generation of free decisions. In the present study, the original paradigm was replicated and multivariate pattern classification was applied to functional images of frontopolar cortex, acquired using ultra-high field fMRI at 7 Tesla. Here, we show that predictive activity patterns recorded before a decision was made became increasingly stable with increasing temporal proximity to the time point of the conscious decision. Furthermore, detailed questionnaires exploring subjects' thoughts before and during the decision confirmed that decisions were made spontaneously and subjects were unaware of the evolution of their decision outcomes. These results give further evidence that FPC stands at the top of the prefrontal executive hierarchy in the unconscious generation of free decisions.

The Complex Quantum-State of Consciousness

“…Their calculations suggest that the + ions and the carboxyl atoms of the binding pockets are two quantum-entangled sub-systems, and they equate this to a quantum computational mapping. In a later paper, presented at the Quantum Mind conference, Bernroider, 2007, proposed that different ion channels could be non-locally entangled, thus proposing a quantum process over an extended area of the axon. Given the importance of the ion channels in brain functioning, this model would give quantum coherence and non-locality in the axon membrane an integral role in the brain's signalling and information processing.…”

Responsabilidade moral depois da neurociência

“…Two of them are especially noteworthy. Researchers using fMRI were able to predict the subject's choice among two letters as long as 10 seconds before the subject reported their awareness of the choice (Soon et al, 2008;Bode et al, 2011). More recently, using invasive techniques to register the activity of single neurons in humans during surgery to manage epilepsy, it was possible to predict the motor decision with 90% accuracy 1500ms before the subjects' report when 1019 neurons from the supplementary motor area where being monitored.…”

Recent developments in multivariate pattern analysis for functional MRI

“…Applications of the MVPA have rapidly developed, covering studies of neuronal mechanisms in various domains, such as perception [12][13][14][15][16][17] , learning and memory [18][19][20][21] , language [22] , intention [23] , decision-making [5,[24][25][26] , emotion [27][28][29][30] , and mental disorders [31][32][33] . Instead of serving as a tutorial on applying multivariate classifiers to fMRI data (see Pereira et al [34] , an excellent reference for this purpose), this review attempts to give a general introduction to recent promising developments branching off from the original idea of treating fMRI data as multivariate patterns.…”

“…Exploiting its information-mapping nature, a number of studies have applied this approach to a vast range of research topics [15,16,22,25,26,30,[58][59][60][61][62][63][64] . On the other hand, searchlight MVPA can be considered as a featureselection method that reflects which voxels (features) are most informative in distinguishing stimuli (see 'Section 7 Summary of MVPA algorithms and parameters').…”