An advanced perception model combining brain noise and adaptation

Abstract

We develop an advanced model of bistable perception based on the interplay of noise and adaptation. The model describes the decision-making process in the brain consisting in involuntary switches between perceptual states. We study the effects of noise and the stimulus duty cycle on the dominance of a particular externally biased perceptual state. We discuss the biological relevance of our model and compare the obtained numerical results with neurophysiological experiments on brain dynamics. The model qualitatively describes the results of neurophysiological experiments on human perception using bistable images, such as gamma distribution of average dominance times and the effect of brain noise on sustained attention.