2012/08/08 by Gibran Manasseh, Chloe de Balthasar, Manasseh, Gibran +13
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Neuroscience · Physics and Astronomy · #EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces #FOS: Biological sciences #FOS: Physical sciences #Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies #Neural dynamics and brain function #Neurons and Cognition (q-bio.NC) #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #q-bio.NC #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1208.1652
arxiv created 2012/08/08 · openalex publication_date 2012/08/08 · arxiv updated 2012/08/09 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The retina is one of the best known quantum detectors with rods able to respond to a single photon. However, estimates on the number of photons eliciting conscious perception, based on signal detection theory, are systematically above these values. One possibility is that post-retinal processing significantly contributes to the decrease in the quantum efficiency determined by signal detection. We carried out experiments in humans using controlled sources of light while recording EEG and reaction times. Half of the participants behaved as noisy detectors reporting perception in trials where no light was sent. DN subjects were significantly faster to take decisions. Reaction times significantly increased with the decrease in the number of photons. This trend was reflected in the latency and onset of the EEG responses over frontal and parietal contacts where the first significant differences in latency comparable to differences in reaction time appeared. Delays in latency of neural responses across intensities were observed later over visual areas suggesting that they are due to the time required to reach the decision threshold in decision areas rather than to longer integration times at sensory areas. Our results suggest that post-retinal processing significantly contribute to increase detection noise and thresholds, decreasing the efficiency of the retina brain detector system.