Prefrontal state fluctuations control access to consciousness

In perceptual multistability, the content of consciousness alternates spontaneously between different interpretations of unchanged sensory input. The source of these internally driven transitions in conscious perception is unknown. Here we show that transient, low frequency (1-9 Hz) perisynaptic bursts in the macaque lateral prefrontal cortex precede spontaneous perceptual transitions in a no-report binocular motion rivalry task. These low-frequency transients suppress 20-40 Hz oscillatory bursts that selectively synchronise the discharge activity of neuronal ensembles signalling conscious content. Similar ongoing state changes, with dynamics resembling the temporal structure of spontaneous perceptual alternations during rivalry, dominate the prefrontal cortex during resting-state, thus pointing to their default, endogenous nature. Our results suggest that prefrontal state fluctuations control access to consciousness through a reorganisation in the activity of feature-specific neuronal ensembles.