Binocular Rivalry: Evaluating the Role of Theta Power as a Neural Index of Conflict.

ABSTRACT: Binocular rivalry (BR) occurs when each eye is presented with mutually incompatible images, and the brain alternates between perceiving one image, the other or occasionally a mashup of both. Addressing a decades-old suggestion, it has been shown that the competition between alternative representations in BR induces a pattern of neural activation resembling that occurring in cognitive conflict, eventually leading to fluctuations between different perceptual outcomes in the case of steep competition. This is reflected by known signatures of conflict dynamics, namely, an increase in fronto-medial theta oscillatory power (5-7 Hz) in the EEG right before perceptual transitions and a decrease thereafter, as well as a decrease in parieto-occipital alpha oscillatory power (8-12 Hz) prior to percep

SUBMITTER: Drew A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12765625 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature