Probing human-awareness with novel high-resolution multi-locus brain-stimulation technique

In our everyday life, we perform several tasks without the full awareness. For instance, you might walk on a busy street with your mind wandering. Suddenly, you hear a loud siren sound and make an aware decision to stop and give space to the passing police car. Unaware, your brain was monitoring your surroundings. What is the fundamental difference in our brain activity between these unaware and aware states? This project attempts to answer this question. A common view is that the aware experience arises from global communication between different brain areas, whereas unaware cognitive processes are controlled by specialized confined brain networks. To test this theory, we will use a novel brain stimulation technique to map the connectivity changes in our brain during the emergence of a specific type of awareness, the awareness of a taught motor skill. This project will help us to understand fundamental mechanisms of our conscious experiences.