Exploring the Neural Mechanisms of Visual Awareness Emergence Based on Intracranial Electrophysiology (SEEG) and Machine Learning

Speaker: A/Prof. Liang Shan
Chair: A/Prof. Bing Liu
Time: 10:00, Thursday, August 15th, 2024
Venue: No. 3 Meeting Room (3rd Floor), Intelligent Building, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Abstract

The biological basis of consciousness has long been one of the most challenging scientific questions. Sensory cortical consciousness can be divided into “awareness” and “ignition” stages. The neural processing underlying visual awareness before ignition remains unclear, as traditional neuroimaging methods (e.g., fMRI, EEG) cannot achieve sufficiently high spatiotemporal resolution.
To address this key issue, this study integrates continuous visual suppression paradigms, high-resolution human intracranial electrophysiology (SEEG) data, and machine learning-based data analysis. Using frequency, functional connectivity, critical node analysis, and multilevel graph-theoretical approaches, we explore the “data-driven” brain functional network reconfiguration during the transition from awareness to ignition.
The study aims to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying the emergence of visual awareness, providing empirical guidance for refining and advancing high-level theories of consciousness, and offering a theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment of disorders of consciousness.

Biography

Dr. Liang Shan earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under the supervision of Dr. Ma Yuanye, and her B.Sc. from Nanjing University. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and was appointed Associate Researcher in 2023.
Her work focuses on using non-human primate and human neural data (EEG/SEEG/Spike/MRI) combined with machine learning to investigate brain cognitive mechanisms and the pathophysiology of brain disorders. She has published as first or corresponding author in journals such as The Innovation (two papers), Neuroscience Bulletin, and Schizophrenia Research, and has participated in studies published in Cell and Neuron. She leads projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Guangdong Province, as well as Shenzhen key R&D projects.

Organizer: Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired Intelligence