Layer- and column-resolved 7T fMRI reveals neural correlates of consciousness in human visual cortex and thalamus

Binocular rivalry is a unique window to study the neural correlates of consciousness. Where and how does binocular rivalry arise in the human brain remains an open question. Using laminar fMRI at 7T, we found that eye-specific modulation of BOLD signal peaked in the middle layer of primary visual cortex (V1) during simulated replay, but stronger in the superficial layer during rivalry. Furthermore, eye-specific modulation of lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) activity was robust in the replay but minimal in the rivalry condition. These findings support that binocular rivalry mainly arises from interocular interaction in the superficial layer of V1