Abstract
How perception of sensory stimuli emerges from brain activity is a fundamental question of neuroscience. To date, two disparate lines of research have examined this question. On one hand, human neuroimaging studies have helped us understand the large-scale brain dynamics of perception. On the other hand, work in animal models has led to fundamental insight into the micro-scale neural circuits underlying perception. However, the translation from animal models to humans has been challenging. Here, I use biophysical modeling to model two evoked related field responses associated with auditory perception: the Auditory Awareness Negativity and the Mismatch Negativity. Biophysical neural models allow us to make cellular- and circuit-level predictions about the underlying neural mechanisms that give rise to event-related fields of interest. The modeling results shine light on the specific cortical layers and cell types responsible for Auditory Awareness Negativity and Mismatch Negativity generation. These results help bridge the gap between circuit- and network-level theories of consciousness, and could lead to new, targeted treatments for perceptual dysfunction and disorders of consciousness.