Dresden study uses optical illusions to better understand perception in mental illness

Human perception is not as straightforward as it seems. Sometimes, the brain can perceive the same image in different ways, such as when two images are alternately recognized in an optical illusion. In science, this phenomenon is called “perceptual multistability.” Researchers in Dresden have now harnessed this phenomenon, using computer-assisted and, above all, noninvasive methods to better understand the thinking and perception of people with psychiatric disorders and neurodiversity. The results have just been published in the renowned journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences (Cell Press).

There are plenty of examples of perceptual multistability: Almost everyone is familiar with the image that could represent either a vase or two faces looking at each other. Or the Necker cube, a two-dimensional representation in which sometimes the top corner of the cube appears to be closer and sometimes the bottom one. The research was conducted by a team of scientists led by Prof. Shervin Safavi, Junior Professor of Computational Neuroscience at the German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), affiliated with the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Unit for “Cognitive Neurophysiology” at Dresden University Medicine. It shows how the brain processes ambiguous sensory impressions and how perception, brain function, and mental health are interconnected.

“Visual tasks can serve as a methodological bridge between human behavior, animal models, and the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Multistability is a particularly insightful approach to mental health because it reveals multiple levels simultaneously. The study demonstrates that people with schizophrenia, autism, or depression often perceive ambiguous images or stimuli differently. They sometimes form their perception at different speeds, and the transition between possible interpretations can also vary significantly,” explains Shervin Safavi, first author of the study.

Using computer-based approaches such as Bayesian inference and reinforcement learning, the researchers were able to demonstrate that differences in perceptual dynamics stem from variations in the integration of prior knowledge and sensory stimuli. Ultimately, these differences help to examine mental illnesses not only based on diagnoses, but also based on shared or differing cognitive and perceptual mechanisms.

“Overall, this makes perceptual multistability a promising, noninvasive tool for better understanding and individually assessing mental health,” Safavi summarizes.

The study’s findings were published in the prestigious journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences (Cell Press), one of the leading international publications in the field of cognition and neuroscience. The researchers’ work builds on findings regarding multistable perception from 2022, in which Junior Professor Shervin Safavi was also involved. 

The study:
Perceptual multistability: a multifaceted window into brain dysfunctions. (S. Safavi, R. Jardri): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S136466132600032X

Background:
Safavi, S, Dayan, P (2022) Multistability, Perceptual Value and Internal Foraging Neuron: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2022.07.024

Kapoor, V., Dwarakanath, A., Safavi, S., Werner, J., Besserve, M., Panagiotaropoulos, T. I., Logothetis, N.: Decoding internally generated transitions of conscious contents in the prefrontal cortex without subjective reports. Nat Commun 13, 1535 (2022): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28897-2

Contact:
Junior Profesor Dr. Shervin Safavi
Computational Neuroscience
Email: /
Tel.: +49 351 45817367

Anne-Stephanie Vetter
Public Relations Office Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
of TUD Dresden University of Technology
Tel.: +49 351 458 17903
Email:
www.tu-dresden.de/med