Hi, my name is Anirudh. When my brother and I
sometimes fight, my mum often says that we
are like her two eyes. After researching
the subject of binocular rivalry, I
realised that this was a figure of
speech, and certainly not the case.
The phenomenon of binocular rivalry
occurs when two distinctly different
images are presented to each
simultaneously. The observer though, is
only aware of one image at a time.
There is a random switching between the
images from each eye, creating a rivalry
between both eyes. Sorry mum, your figure
speech isn't quite right! To create
binocular rivalry, each eye has to be
presented with a different image. This
can be achieved in several ways such as
anaglyph glasses, mirror stereoscopes or
prism glasses. For simplicity, I'll be
using anaglyph glasses, also known as 3D
glasses. In order to understand
binocular rivalry, first let me explain how
the brain processes images. Each of our
eyes normally see slightly different
images and the brain uses these images
into one.
However, when presented with two
distinctly different images, the brain
does not merge these images, instead,
suppressing one and making the other
dominant.
This process continues indefinitely.
Visual attention flickers between the
two images causing binocular rivalry.
When the brain processes two distinctly
different images, signals run through the
optic nerve and to the brain, processing
each individual image separately. The
group of neurons processing the dominant
image inhibits the group processing the
suppressed image. After a while, the
system fatigues and then the suppressed
image becomes dominant. This processing of
the images switches from time to time
and continues indefinitely. Now, I hope
that you'd have some understanding of
binocular rivalry. I know what you're
thinking.
What is the use of this? Though there is
no direct application of this
phenomenon, binocular rivalry
facilitates understanding of some of the
complex mechanisms of the brain. Let me
go through a few recent studies. There is
no better way to explain the usefulness
of this phenomenon. We often find it
hard to adjust to changes that we are
faced with throughout our lives, but did
you know our brain is adapting to change
quicker than we think. Our brain is
constantly changing, every minute, every
second of our lives, adapting to the
environment. This amazing ability, called
neuroplasticity, is what makes it
unrivalled in comparison to machines and
computers. Let me explain how the Pisa
Vision Lab utilised the phenomenon of
binocular rivalry to prove that the
brain can easily adapt to change and
makes new connections within short timespans.
They measured binocular rivalry
in normal settings and again after
patching one eye for two and a half
hours. The results showed that the patched
eye was more dominant than the other.
The concentration of a neurotransmitter,
Gamma Amino Butyric Acid, GABA for short,
may trigger neuroplasticity. The research
concluded: The change in resting GABA
strongly correlates with deprived eye
perceptual boost. A decrease in resting
GABA
triggers homeostatic plasticity in
adult primary visual cortex. This is a
classic example of how researchers use
the phenomenon of binocular rivalry to
prove some of the amazing abilities of
the brain such as neuroplasticity.
You may be wondering why I was
meditating. What is this got to do with
binocular rivalry?
Well, consciousness is the state of being
aware and alert in your surroundings. For
neuroscientists, there has been contention
around the precise identification of the
neural correlates of consciousness. The
study of binocular rivalry attempts to
understand this phenomenon. A recent
study by Olivia Carter and Jack
Pettigrew explores whether focused
meditation can lead to a higher level of
control and stability and mental
processes. The results were quite
interesting and concluded that focused
meditation could slow down or even stop
binocular rivalry. This creates a
stabilisation of mental processes and is
a step forward in our understanding of
the neural correlates of consciousness.
The phenomenon of binocular rivalry can
be used as a basis to understand neural
processing in many different fields.
Researchers use the concept of binocular
rivalry to understand some of the complex
mechanisms of the brain. So not all
rivalries are bad. Sometimes we can learn
from them. So does that mean we can fight now.
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