Nerve cells in the brain also have old acquaintances

when people see pictures of people they know, such as famous tennis player Roger Federer or actress Halle Berry, certain cells "glow" in the brain. Recently, researchers reported
the Journal of Medicine that even if a person sees a familiar face or object but doesn't notice it, the cells are active. In this case, the only difference is that the neuroactive activity is weaker and more delayed than when the observer consciously notices and recalls a particular image. These findings provide a new perspective on the nature of consciousness perception.
S. Florian Mormann, of the University medical center in Bonn, Germany, said: "We found that when the owner of a 'Roger Federer cell' did not notice that the Federer image flashed through a series of images, it became active. As a result, we find that there is highly abstract information in neural activity that is incontestable in the experience of consciousness. The
researchers made the discovery by recording the activity of 2,735 neurons in 21 neurosurgery patients for epilepsy monitoring. They took advantage of a phenomenon known as attention winking: people who look at two familiar images during a quick change often find it difficult to notice the second. As a result, the researchers were able to directly compare the neural responses of the same image when it was seen and not seen.
the results showed that when the observer did not notice the familiar image, the corresponding neurons also fired. However, there is a significant difference in the intensity and time of the nerve response from what is seen.
findings help to understand the nature of human consciousness. The researchers also plan to explore how this part of the brain's neuron activity interacts with activity in other brain regions and how these neurons are linked to consciousness. (Source: Science Network Tang One Dust)