When we face ambiguous images, the brain cannot commit to a single percept; instead, it switches between mutually exclusive interpretations every few seconds, a phenomenon known as bistable perception. While neuromechanistic models, e.g., adapting neural populations with lateral inhibition, may account for the dynamics of bistability, a larger question remains unresolved: how this phenomenon informs us on generic perceptual processes in less artificial contexts. Here, we propose that bistable perception is due to our prior beliefs being reverberated in the cortical hierarchy and corrupting the sensory evidence, a phenomenon known as “circular inference”. Such circularity could occur in a hierarchical brain where sensory responses trigger activity in higher-level areas but are also modulated by feedback projections from these same areas. We show that in the face of ambiguous sensory stimuli, circular inference can change the dynamics of the perceptual system and turn what should be an integrator of inputs into a bistable attractor switching between two highly trusted interpretations. The model captures various aspects of bistability, including Levelt’s laws and the stabilizing effects of intermittent presentation of the stimulus. Since it is related to the generic perceptual inference and belief updating mechanisms, this approach can be used to predict the tendency of individuals to form aberrant beliefs from their bistable perception behavior. Overall, we suggest that feedforward/feedback information loops in hierarchical neural networks, a phenomenon that could lead to psychotic symptoms when overly strong, could also underlie perception in nonclinical populations.

当我们面对模棱两可的图像时，大脑无法专注于一个感知。相反，它每隔几秒钟就会在互斥的解释之间切换，这种现象称为双稳态感知。虽然神经力学模型（例如，通过横向抑制使神经群体适应）可能会解释双稳态的动态性，但仍然存在一个更大的问题尚未解决：这种现象如何在较少人工的情况下为我们提供有关一般感知过程的信息。在这里，我们认为双稳态感知是由于我们先前的信念在皮质层次中被回荡并破坏了感觉证据，这种现象被称为“循环推理”。这种圆度可能发生在分级大脑中，在该大脑中，感觉反应触发了较高级别区域中的活动，但也受到来自这些相同区域的反馈投影的调节。我们表明，面对不明确的感觉刺激，循环推理可以改变感知系统的动态，并将本应作为输入的积分器转变为在两个高度可信的解释之间切换的双稳态吸引子。该模型捕获了双稳态的各个方面，包括Levelt定律和间歇性刺激表示的稳定作用。由于它与一般的感知推理和信念更新机制有关，因此该方法可用于预测个人从其双稳态感知行为形成异常信念的趋势。总体而言，我们建议在分层神经网络中使用前馈/反馈信息循环，这种现象在过度强壮时可能导致精神病性症状，也可能是非临床人群的知觉基础。