Mesoscale cortical mechanisms of perceptual conflict resolution in binocular rivalry

Mesoscale cortical mechanisms of perceptual conflict resolution in binocular rivalry | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Mesoscale cortical mechanisms of perceptual conflict resolution in binocular rivalry Peng Zhang, Chencan Qian, Zhiqiang Chen, Gilles Hollander, Tomas Knapen, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4490689/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Human Behaviour → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract How does our brain resolve conflicts in sensory input to generate conscious perception? Using high-resolution 7T fMRI, we addressed this question by investigating column- and layer-specific activity in cortical and subcortical regions in humans during binocular rivalry. Results showed that eye-specific rivalry modulation arises from lateral inhibition between adjacent ocular dominance columns in the superficial layers of the primary visual cortex (V1), but not in the ocular layers of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus. Furthermore, our data support an active role of feedback signals from the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in biasing and synchronizing local competitions in V1 into perceptually coherent representations, even in the absence of awareness of eye-of-origin information. These findings revealed the mesoscale neural circuitry of perceptual conflict resolution in humans: local conflict in sensory input is resolved by inhibitory microcircuits in the early sensory cortex, while feedback signals from parietal attention network bias and integrate local competitions into a unified conscious perception. Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Consciousness Biological sciences/Neuroscience/Cognitive neuroscience/Perception Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementaryinformation.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 13 Nov, 2025 Read the published version in Nature Human Behaviour → Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4490689","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":315371992,"identity":"f26228c1-b533-4b56-b15f-72e62632a3ed","order_by":0,"name":"Peng 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