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Martínez García SJ, Padilla Longoria P. Analysis of Shannon's entropy to contrast between the Embodied and Neurocentrist hypothesis of conscious experience. Biosystems 2024:105323. [PMID: 39244080 DOI: 10.1016/j.biosystems.2024.105323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
We usually accept that consciousness is in the brain. This statement corresponds to a Neurocentrist view. However, with all the physical and physiological data currently available, a convincing explanation of how consciousness emerges has not been given this topic is aborded by Anil Seth 2021; Seth, 2021). Because of this, a natural question arises: Is consciousness really in the brain or not? If the answer is no, this corresponds to the Embodied perspective. We cannot discriminate between these two points of view because we cannot identify how the organism processes the information. If we try to measure information processing in the brain, then the Neurocentrist view is unavoidable. For example, the information integration theory of Tononi's research group and the global work area theory developed by Dehaene and Baars, focus solely on the brain without considering aspects of Embodied vision (See Tononi 2021; Dehaene 2021). In this article, we propose an index based on Shannon's entropy, capable of identifying the leading processing elements acting: Are they mainly inner or external? In order to validate it, we performed simulations with networks accounting for different amounts of internal and outer layers. Since Shannon's entropy is an abstract measure of the information content, this index is not dependent on the physical network nor the proportion of different layers. Therefore, we validate the index as free of bias. This index is a way to discriminate between Embodied from Neurocentrist hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio J Martínez García
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio D, 1° Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, CDMX, México.
| | - Pablo Padilla Longoria
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma and Instituto de Investigaciones en Matemáticas Aplicadas y Sistemas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Escolar sin número, Ciudad Universitaria, Delegación Coyoacán, C.P. 04510, México, D.F.
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2
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Bachmann T. What do the pre-stimulus brain-process markers really mean vis-à-vis the NCC?: A commentary on "Beyond task response-Pre-stimulus activity modulates contents of consciousness" by Northoff, Zilio, and Zhang. Phys Life Rev 2024; 50:7-9. [PMID: 38762980 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2024.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
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3
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Yamakawa H, Fukawa A, Yairi IE, Matsuo Y. Brain-consistent architecture for imagination. Front Syst Neurosci 2024; 18:1302429. [PMID: 39229305 PMCID: PMC11368743 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2024.1302429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Imagination represents a pivotal capability of human intelligence. To develop human-like artificial intelligence, uncovering the computational architecture pertinent to imaginative capabilities through reverse engineering the brain's computational functions is essential. The existing Structure-Constrained Interface Decomposition (SCID) method, leverages the anatomical structure of the brain to extract computational architecture. However, its efficacy is limited to narrow brain regions, making it unsuitable for realizing the function of imagination, which involves diverse brain areas such as the neocortex, basal ganglia, thalamus, and hippocampus. Objective In this study, we proposed the Function-Oriented SCID method, an advancement over the existing SCID method, comprising four steps designed for reverse engineering broader brain areas. This method was applied to the brain's imaginative capabilities to design a hypothetical computational architecture. The implementation began with defining the human imaginative ability that we aspire to simulate. Subsequently, six critical requirements necessary for actualizing the defined imagination were identified. Constraints were established considering the unique representational capacity and the singularity of the neocortex's modes, a distributed memory structure responsible for executing imaginative functions. In line with these constraints, we developed five distinct functions to fulfill the requirements. We allocated specific components for each function, followed by an architectural proposal aligning each component with a corresponding brain organ. Results In the proposed architecture, the distributed memory component, associated with the neocortex, realizes the representation and execution function; the imaginary zone maker component, associated with the claustrum, accomplishes the dynamic-zone partitioning function; the routing conductor component, linked with the complex of thalamus and basal ganglia, performs the manipulation function; the mode memory component, related to the specific agranular neocortical area executes the mode maintenance function; and the recorder component, affiliated with the hippocampal formation, handles the history management function. Thus, we have provided a fundamental cognitive architecture of the brain that comprehensively covers the brain's imaginative capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Yamakawa
- School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ayako Fukawa
- The Whole Brain Architecture Initiative, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ikuko Eguchi Yairi
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yutaka Matsuo
- School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Huang H. Eight challenges in developing theory of intelligence. Front Comput Neurosci 2024; 18:1388166. [PMID: 39114083 PMCID: PMC11303322 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2024.1388166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
A good theory of mathematical beauty is more practical than any current observation, as new predictions about physical reality can be self-consistently verified. This belief applies to the current status of understanding deep neural networks including large language models and even the biological intelligence. Toy models provide a metaphor of physical reality, allowing mathematically formulating the reality (i.e., the so-called theory), which can be updated as more conjectures are justified or refuted. One does not need to present all details in a model, but rather, more abstract models are constructed, as complex systems such as the brains or deep networks have many sloppy dimensions but much less stiff dimensions that strongly impact macroscopic observables. This type of bottom-up mechanistic modeling is still promising in the modern era of understanding the natural or artificial intelligence. Here, we shed light on eight challenges in developing theory of intelligence following this theoretical paradigm. Theses challenges are representation learning, generalization, adversarial robustness, continual learning, causal learning, internal model of the brain, next-token prediction, and the mechanics of subjective experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiping Huang
- PMI Lab, School of Physics, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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5
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Northoff G, Zilio F, Zhang J. Beyond task response-Pre-stimulus activity modulates contents of consciousness. Phys Life Rev 2024; 49:19-37. [PMID: 38492473 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2024.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
The current discussion on the neural correlates of the contents of consciousness (NCCc) focuses mainly on the post-stimulus period of task-related activity. This neglects the substantial impact of the spontaneous or ongoing activity of the brain as manifest in pre-stimulus activity. Does the interaction of pre- and post-stimulus activity shape the contents of consciousness? Addressing this gap in our knowledge, we review and converge two recent lines of findings, that is, pre-stimulus alpha power and pre- and post-stimulus alpha trial-to-trial variability (TTV). The data show that pre-stimulus alpha power modulates post-stimulus activity including specifically the subjective features of conscious contents like confidence and vividness. At the same time, alpha pre-stimulus variability shapes post-stimulus TTV reduction including the associated contents of consciousness. We propose that non-additive rather than merely additive interaction of the internal pre-stimulus activity with the external stimulus in the alpha band is key for contents to become conscious. This is mediated by mechanisms on different levels including neurophysiological, neurocomputational, neurodynamic, neuropsychological and neurophenomenal levels. Overall, considering the interplay of pre-stimulus intrinsic and post-stimulus extrinsic activity across wider timescales, not just evoked responses in the post-stimulus period, is critical for identifying neural correlates of consciousness. This is well in line with both processing and especially the Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Northoff
- University of Ottawa, Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada.
| | - Federico Zilio
- Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Education and Applied Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Jianfeng Zhang
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.
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6
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Gonçalves ÓF, Sayal J, Lisboa F, Palhares P. The experimental study of consciousness: Is psychology travelling back to the future? Int J Clin Health Psychol 2024; 24:100475. [PMID: 39021679 PMCID: PMC11253270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
It was with the promise of rendering an experimental approach to consciousness that psychology started its trajectory as an independent science more than 150 years ago. Here, we will posit that the neurosciences were instrumental in leading psychology to resume the study of consciousness by projecting an empirical agenda for the future. First, we will start by showing how scientists were able to venture into the consciousness of supposedly unconscious patients, opening the door for the identification of important neural correlates of distinct consciousness states. Then, we will describe how different technological advances and elegant experimental paradigms helped in establishing important neuronal correlates of global consciousness (i.e., being conscious at all), perceptual consciousness (i.e., being conscious of something), and self-consciousness (i.e., being conscious of itself). Finally, we will illustrate how the study of complex consciousness experiences may contribute to the clarification of the mechanisms associated with global consciousness, the relationship between perceptual and self-consciousness, and the interface among distinct self-consciousness domains. In closing, we will elaborate on the road ahead of us for re-establishing psychology as a science of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Joana Sayal
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
| | - Fábio Lisboa
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
| | - Pedro Palhares
- Proaction Lab – CINEICC, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Coimbra, Colégio de Jesus, R. Inácio Duarte 65, Coimbra 3000-481, Portugal
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7
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Avila J, Marco J, Plascencia-Villa G, Bajic VP, Perry G. Could there be an experimental way to link consciousness and quantum computations of brain microtubules? Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1430432. [PMID: 38979125 PMCID: PMC11228156 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1430432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Avila
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CSIC-UAM), Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús Marco
- Instituto de Física de Cantabria (CSIC-UC), Santander, Spain
| | - Germán Plascencia-Villa
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Vladan P. Bajic
- Laboratory for Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Health and Environment, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - George Perry
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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8
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Fialoke S, Tripathi V, Thakral S, Dhawan A, Majahan V, Garg R. Functional connectivity changes in meditators and novices during yoga nidra practice. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12957. [PMID: 38839877 PMCID: PMC11153538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63765-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/31/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Yoga nidra (YN) practice aims to induce a deeply relaxed state akin to sleep while maintaining heightened awareness. Despite the growing interest in its clinical applications, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying neural correlates of the practice of YN remains largely unexplored. In this fMRI investigation, we aim to discover the differences between wakeful resting states and states attained during YN practice. The study included individuals experienced in meditation and/or yogic practices, referred to as 'meditators' (n = 30), and novice controls (n = 31). The GLM analysis, based on audio instructions, demonstrated activation related to auditory cues without concurrent default mode network (DMN) deactivation. DMN seed based functional connectivity (FC) analysis revealed significant reductions in connectivity among meditators during YN as compared to controls. We did not find differences between the two groups during the pre and post resting state scans. Moreover, when DMN-FC was compared between the YN state and resting state, meditators showed distinct decoupling, whereas controls showed increased DMN-FC. Finally, participants exhibit a remarkable correlation between reduced DMN connectivity during YN and self-reported hours of cumulative meditation and yoga practice. Together, these results suggest a unique neural modulation of the DMN in meditators during YN which results in being restful yet aware, aligned with their subjective experience of the practice. The study deepens our understanding of the neural mechanisms of YN, revealing distinct DMN connectivity decoupling in meditators and its relationship with meditation and yoga experience. These findings have interdisciplinary implications for neuroscience, psychology, and yogic disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suruchi Fialoke
- National Resource Center for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
| | - Vaibhav Tripathi
- Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, USA
| | - Sonika Thakral
- Department of Computer Science, Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Anju Dhawan
- National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, India
| | | | - Rahul Garg
- National Resource Center for Value Education in Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India.
- Amar Nath and Shashi Khosla School of Information Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India.
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India.
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9
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Mashour GA, Lee U, Pal D, Li D. Consciousness and the Dying Brain. Anesthesiology 2024; 140:1221-1231. [PMID: 38603803 PMCID: PMC11096058 DOI: 10.1097/aln.0000000000004970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
The near-death experience has been reported since antiquity and is often characterized by the perception of light, interactions with other entities, and life recall. Near-death experiences can occur in a variety of situations, but they have been studied systematically after in-hospital cardiac arrest, with an incidence of 10 to 20%. Long attributed to metaphysical or supernatural causes, there have been recent advances in understanding the neurophysiologic basis of this unique category of conscious experience. This article reviews the epidemiology and neurobiology of near-death experiences, with a focus on clinical and laboratory evidence for a surge of neurophysiologic gamma oscillations and cortical connectivity after cardiac and respiratory arrest.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A. Mashour
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - UnCheol Lee
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Dinesh Pal
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science and Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Duan Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
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10
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Doradzińska Ł, Bola M. Early Electrophysiological Correlates of Perceptual Consciousness Are Affected by Both Exogenous and Endogenous Attention. J Cogn Neurosci 2024; 36:1297-1324. [PMID: 38579265 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2024]
Abstract
It has been proposed that visual awareness negativity (VAN), which is an early ERP component, constitutes a neural correlate of visual consciousness that is independent of perceptual and cognitive mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated whether VAN is indeed a specific marker of phenomenal awareness or rather reflects the involvement of attention. To this end, we reanalyzed data collected in a previously published EEG experiment in which awareness of visual stimuli and two aspects that define attentional involvement, namely, the inherent saliency and task relevance of a stimulus, were manipulated orthogonally. During the experimental procedure, participants (n = 41) were presented with images of faces that were backward-masked or unmasked, fearful or neutral, and defined as task-relevant targets or task-irrelevant distractors. Single-trial ERP analysis revealed that VAN was highly dependent on attentional manipulations in the early time window (140-200 msec), up to the point that the effect of awareness was not observed for attentionally irrelevant stimuli (i.e., neutral faces presented as distractors). In the late time window (200-350 msec), VAN was present in all attentional conditions, but its amplitude was significantly higher in response to fearful faces and task-relevant face images than in response to neutral ones and task-irrelevant ones, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the amplitude of VAN is highly dependent on both exogenous (stimulus saliency) and endogenous attention (task requirements). Our results challenge the view that VAN constitutes an attention-independent correlate of phenomenal awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Łucja Doradzińska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Michał Bola
- Centre for Brain Research, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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11
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Kozuch B. An embarrassment of richnesses: the PFC isn't the content NCC. Neurosci Conscious 2024; 2024:niae017. [PMID: 38938921 PMCID: PMC11210398 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niae017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent years have seen the rise of several theories saying that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a neural correlate of visual consciousness (NCC). Especially popular here are theories saying that the PFC is the 'content NCC' for vision, i.e. it contains those brain areas that are not only necessary for consciousness, but also determine 'what' it is that we visually experience (e.g. whether we experience green or red). This article points out how this "upper-deck" form of PFC theory is at odds with the character of visual experience: on the one hand, visual consciousness appears to contain copious amounts of content, with many properties (such as object, shape, or color) being simultaneously represented in many parts of the visual field. On the other hand, the functions that the PFC carries out (e.g. attention and working memory) are each dedicated to processing only a relatively small subset of available visual stimuli. In short, the PFC probably does not produce enough or the right kind of visual representations for it to supply all of the content found in visual experience, in which case the idea that the PFC is the content NCC for vision is probably false. This article also discusses data thought to undercut the idea that visual experience is informationally rich (inattentional blindness, etc.), along with theories of vision according to which "ensemble statistics" are used to represent features in the periphery of the visual field. I'll argue that these lines of evidence fail to close the apparently vast gap between the amount of visual content represented in the visual experience and the amount represented in the PFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Kozuch
- Philosophy Department, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, United States
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12
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Mudrik L, Hirschhorn R, Korisky U. Taking consciousness for real: Increasing the ecological validity of the study of conscious vs. unconscious processes. Neuron 2024; 112:1642-1656. [PMID: 38653247 PMCID: PMC11100345 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.03.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The study of consciousness has developed well-controlled, rigorous methods for manipulating and measuring consciousness. Yet, in the process, experimental paradigms grew farther away from everyday conscious and unconscious processes, which raises the concern of ecological validity. In this review, we suggest that the field can benefit from adopting a more ecological approach, akin to other fields of cognitive science. There, this approach challenged some existing hypotheses, yielded stronger effects, and enabled new research questions. We argue that such a move is critical for studying consciousness, where experimental paradigms tend to be artificial and small effect sizes are relatively prevalent. We identify three paths for doing so-changing the stimuli and experimental settings, changing the measures, and changing the research questions themselves-and review works that have already started implementing such approaches. While acknowledging the inherent challenges, we call for increasing ecological validity in consciousness studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liad Mudrik
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Rony Hirschhorn
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Uri Korisky
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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13
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Keppler J. Laying the foundations for a theory of consciousness: the significance of critical brain dynamics for the formation of conscious states. Front Hum Neurosci 2024; 18:1379191. [PMID: 38736531 PMCID: PMC11082359 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1379191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Empirical evidence indicates that conscious states, distinguished by the presence of phenomenal qualities, are closely linked to synchronized neural activity patterns whose dynamical characteristics can be attributed to self-organized criticality and phase transitions. These findings imply that insight into the mechanism by which the brain controls phase transitions will provide a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanism by which the brain manages to transcend the threshold of consciousness. This article aims to show that the initiation of phase transitions and the formation of synchronized activity patterns is due to the coupling of the brain to the zero-point field (ZPF), which plays a central role in quantum electrodynamics (QED). The ZPF stands for the presence of ubiquitous vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field, represented by a spectrum of normal modes. With reference to QED-based model calculations, the details of the coupling mechanism are revealed, suggesting that critical brain dynamics is governed by the resonant interaction of the ZPF with the most abundant neurotransmitter glutamate. The pyramidal neurons in the cortical microcolumns turn out to be ideally suited to control this interaction. A direct consequence of resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is the amplification of specific ZPF modes, which leads us to conclude that the ZPF is the key to the understanding of consciousness and that the distinctive feature of neurophysiological processes associated with conscious experience consists in modulating the ZPF. Postulating that the ZPF is an inherently sentient field and assuming that the spectrum of phenomenal qualities is represented by the normal modes of the ZPF, the significance of resonant glutamate-ZPF interaction for the formation of conscious states becomes apparent in that the amplification of specific ZPF modes is inextricably linked with the excitation of specific phenomenal qualities. This theory of consciousness, according to which phenomenal states arise through resonant amplification of zero-point modes, is given the acronym TRAZE. An experimental setup is specified that can be used to test a corollary of the theory, namely, the prediction that normally occurring conscious perceptions are absent under experimental conditions in which resonant glutamate-ZPF coupling is disrupted.
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14
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Luppi AI, Uhrig L, Tasserie J, Signorelli CM, Stamatakis EA, Destexhe A, Jarraya B, Cofre R. Local orchestration of distributed functional patterns supporting loss and restoration of consciousness in the primate brain. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2171. [PMID: 38462641 PMCID: PMC10925605 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46382-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
A central challenge of neuroscience is to elucidate how brain function supports consciousness. Here, we combine the specificity of focal deep brain stimulation with fMRI coverage of the entire cortex, in awake and anaesthetised non-human primates. During propofol, sevoflurane, or ketamine anaesthesia, and subsequent restoration of responsiveness by electrical stimulation of the central thalamus, we investigate how loss of consciousness impacts distributed patterns of structure-function organisation across scales. We report that distributed brain activity under anaesthesia is increasingly constrained by brain structure across scales, coinciding with anaesthetic-induced collapse of multiple dimensions of hierarchical cortical organisation. These distributed signatures are observed across different anaesthetics, and they are reversed by electrical stimulation of the central thalamus, coinciding with recovery of behavioural markers of arousal. No such effects were observed upon stimulating the ventral lateral thalamus, demonstrating specificity. Overall, we identify consistent distributed signatures of consciousness that are orchestrated by specific thalamic nuclei.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I Luppi
- Division of Anaesthesia and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
| | - Lynn Uhrig
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Necker Hospital, AP-HP, Université de Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Jordy Tasserie
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Center for Brain Circuit Therapeutics, Department of Neurology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Camilo M Signorelli
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, 7 Parks Rd, Oxford, OX1 3QG, UK
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Division of Anaesthesia and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alain Destexhe
- Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), Paris-Saclay University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Bechir Jarraya
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, CEA, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, NeuroSpin Center, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Department of Neurology, Hopital Foch, 92150, Suresnes, France
| | - Rodrigo Cofre
- Institute of Neuroscience (NeuroPSI), Paris-Saclay University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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15
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White PA. The perceptual timescape: Perceptual history on the sub-second scale. Cogn Psychol 2024; 149:101643. [PMID: 38452720 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2024.101643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
There is a high-capacity store of brief time span (∼1000 ms) which information enters from perceptual processing, often called iconic memory or sensory memory. It is proposed that a main function of this store is to hold recent perceptual information in a temporally segregated representation, named the perceptual timescape. The perceptual timescape is a continually active representation of change and continuity over time that endows the perceived present with a perceived history. This is accomplished primarily by two kinds of time marking information: time distance information, which marks all items of information in the perceptual timescape according to how far in the past they occurred, and ordinal temporal information, which organises items of information in terms of their temporal order. Added to that is information about connectivity of perceptual objects over time. These kinds of information connect individual items over a brief span of time so as to represent change, persistence, and continuity over time. It is argued that there is a one-way street of information flow from perceptual processing either to the perceived present or directly into the perceptual timescape, and thence to working memory. Consistent with that, the information structure of the perceptual timescape supports postdictive reinterpretations of recent perceptual information. Temporal integration on a time scale of hundreds of milliseconds takes place in perceptual processing and does not draw on information in the perceptual timescape, which is concerned with temporal segregation, not integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter A White
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, Park Place, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3YG, United Kingdom.
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16
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Meng J. Bridging the gap between consciousness and matter: recurrent out-of-body projection of visual awareness revealed by the law of non-identity. Integr Psychol Behav Sci 2024; 58:178-203. [PMID: 37221424 PMCID: PMC10904448 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-023-09775-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Consciousness is the most precious function of brain; however, there is an explanatory gap between consciousness and matter, which is deemed to affect the scientific research on consciousness. We believe that a methodological trap commonly present in scientific research and the incompleteness of logic are the true reasons that affect the research on consciousness. Here, a novel logic tool, the non-identity law, was extracted from physics and applied into the analysis of the visual dynamics related to naturalistic observation of night-shot still life, whose methodological approach is consistent with Descartes' matter-body-mind approach, breaking free from the methodological trap of current research. We show that visual system, the representative sensory system, has a postponed, recurrent out-of-body projection pathway from brain to observed object, besides the well-known feedforward signaling pathway available in existing literature, suggesting that human possesses an instinct of not only subjectively imaging (brain-generated imagery) but also projecting the image back onto the original or a particular place according to the clue of the manipulated afferent messenger light pathway. This finding adds a key piece of puzzle to the visual system. The out-of-body projection, coupled with neural correlates of consciousness (NCC), bridges the gap between consciousness and matter. This study in a self-contained and systematic manner provides a foundation for understanding the subjectivity and intentionality of human consciousness from the angle of visual awareness as well as the isomorphic relationships between unknowable original, private experience, and shareable expression (recording, calculus and deduction), showing that consciousness is obedient to certain rules rather than being unruly. The result paves the way for scientific research on consciousness and facilitates the integration of humanities and natural science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinsong Meng
- University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 611731, China.
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17
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Zhang Q, Lu H, Wang J, Yang T, Bi W, Zeng Y, Yu B. Hierarchical rhythmic propagation of corticothalamic interactions for consciousness: A computational study. Comput Biol Med 2024; 169:107843. [PMID: 38141448 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.107843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/25/2023]
Abstract
Clarifying the mechanisms of loss and recovery of consciousness in the brain is a major challenge in neuroscience, and research on the spatiotemporal organization of rhythms at the brain region scale at different levels of consciousness remains scarce. By applying computational neuroscience, an extended corticothalamic network model was developed in this study to simulate the altered states of consciousness induced by different concentration levels of propofol. The cortex area containing oscillation spread from posterior to anterior in four successive time stages, defining four groups of brain regions. A quantitative analysis showed that hierarchical rhythm propagation was mainly due to heterogeneity in the inter-brain region connections. These results indicate that the proposed model is an anatomically data-driven testbed and a simulation platform with millisecond resolution. It facilitates understanding of activity coordination across multiple areas of the conscious brain and the mechanisms of action of anesthetics in terms of brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Zhang
- Brain-inspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Han Lu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China
| | - Jihang Wang
- Brain-inspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Taoyi Yang
- Brain-inspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Weida Bi
- Brain-inspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Yi Zeng
- Brain-inspired Cognitive Intelligence Lab, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China; Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
| | - Buwei Yu
- Department of Anesthesiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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18
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Marchetti G. The self and conscious experience. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1340943. [PMID: 38333065 PMCID: PMC10851942 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1340943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
The primary determinant of the self (S) is the conscious experience (CE) we have of it. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise that empirical research on S mainly resorts to the CE (or lack of CE) that subjects have of their S. What comes as a surprise is that empirical research on S does not tackle the problem of how CE contributes to building S. Empirical research investigates how S either biases the cognitive processing of stimuli or is altered through a wide range of means (meditation, hypnosis, etc.). In either case, even for different reasons, considerations of how CE contributes to building S are left unspecified in empirical research. This article analyzes these reasons and proposes a theoretical model of how CE contributes to building S. According to the proposed model, the phenomenal aspect of consciousness is produced by the modulation-engendered by attentional activity-of the energy level of the neural substrate (that is, the organ of attention) that underpins attentional activity. The phenomenal aspect of consciousness supplies the agent with a sense of S and informs the agent on how its S is affected by the agent's own operations. The phenomenal aspect of consciousness performs its functions through its five main dimensions: qualitative, quantitative, hedonic, temporal, and spatial. Each dimension of the phenomenal aspect of consciousness can be explained by a specific aspect of the modulation of the energy level of the organ of attention. Among other advantages, the model explains the various forms of S as outcomes resulting from the operations of a single mechanism and provides a unifying framework for empirical research on the neural underpinnings of S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Marchetti
- Mind, Consciousness and Language Research Center, Alano di Piave, Italy
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19
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Esteban FJ, Ibáñez-Molina A, Iglesias-Parro S, Ruiz de Miras J, Soler-Toscano F. Editorial: Complex network dynamics in consciousness. Front Comput Neurosci 2023; 17:1310392. [PMID: 38024447 PMCID: PMC10648109 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2023.1310392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Juan Ruiz de Miras
- Software Engineering Department, Research Center for Information and Communication Technologies (CITIC-UGR), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Fernando Soler-Toscano
- Philosophy, Logic and Philosophy of Science Department, Sevilla University, Sevilla, Spain
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20
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Odean NN, Sanayei M, Shadlen MN. Transient Oscillations of Neural Firing Rate Associated With Routing of Evidence in a Perceptual Decision. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6369-6383. [PMID: 37550053 PMCID: PMC10500999 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2200-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
To form a perceptual decision, the brain must acquire samples of evidence from the environment and incorporate them in computations that mediate choice behavior. While much is known about the neural circuits that process sensory information and those that form decisions, less is known about the mechanisms that establish the functional linkage between them. We trained monkeys of both sexes to make difficult decisions about the net direction of visual motion under conditions that required trial-by-trial control of functional connectivity. In one condition, the motion appeared at different locations on different trials. In the other, two motion patches appeared, only one of which was informative. Neurons in the parietal cortex produced brief oscillations in their firing rate at the time routing was established: upon onset of the motion display when its location was unpredictable across trials, and upon onset of an attention cue that indicated in which of two locations an informative patch of dots would appear. The oscillation was absent when the stimulus location was fixed across trials. We interpret the oscillation as a manifestation of the mechanism that establishes the source and destination of flexibly routed information, but not the transmission of the information per se Significance Statement It has often been suggested that oscillations in neural activity might serve a role in routing information appropriately. We observe an oscillation in neural firing rate in the lateral intraparietal area consistent with such a role. The oscillations are transient. They coincide with the establishment of routing, but they do not appear to play a role in the transmission (or conveyance) of the routed information itself.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi N Odean
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025
| | - Mehdi Sanayei
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025
| | - Michael N Shadlen
- Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York 10025
- Kavli Institute, New York, New York 10025
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21
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Koenig-Robert R, El Omar H, Pearson J. Implicit bias training can remove bias from subliminal stimuli, restoring choice divergence: A proof-of-concept study. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289313. [PMID: 37506067 PMCID: PMC10381032 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Subliminal information can influence our conscious life. Subliminal stimuli can influence cognitive tasks, while endogenous subliminal neural information can sway decisions before volition. Are decisions inextricably biased towards subliminal information? Or can they diverge away from subliminal biases via training? We report that implicit bias training can remove biases from subliminal sensory primes. We first show that subliminal stimuli biased an imagery-content decision task. Participants (n = 17) had to choose one of two different patterns to subsequently imagine. Subliminal primes significantly biased decisions towards imagining the primed option. Then, we trained participants (n = 7) to choose the non-primed option, via post choice feedback. This training was successful despite participants being unaware of the purpose or structure of the reward schedule. This implicit bias training persisted up to one week later. Our proof-of-concept study indicates that decisions might not always have to be biased towards non-conscious information, but instead can diverge from subliminal primes through training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Koenig-Robert
- Future Minds Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Hashim El Omar
- Future Minds Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Joel Pearson
- Future Minds Lab, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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22
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Vuong QH, La VP, Nguyen MH, Jin R, La MK, Le TT. How AI's Self-Prolongation Influences People's Perceptions of Its Autonomous Mind: The Case of U.S. Residents. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:470. [PMID: 37366721 DOI: 10.3390/bs13060470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The expanding integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects of society makes the infosphere around us increasingly complex. Humanity already faces many obstacles trying to have a better understanding of our own minds, but now we have to continue finding ways to make sense of the minds of AI. The issue of AI's capability to have independent thinking is of special attention. When dealing with such an unfamiliar concept, people may rely on existing human properties, such as survival desire, to make assessments. Employing information-processing-based Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics on a dataset of 266 residents in the United States, we found that the more people believe that an AI agent seeks continued functioning, the more they believe in that AI agent's capability of having a mind of its own. Moreover, we also found that the above association becomes stronger if a person is more familiar with personally interacting with AI. This suggests a directional pattern of value reinforcement in perceptions of AI. As the information processing of AI becomes even more sophisticated in the future, it will be much harder to set clear boundaries about what it means to have an autonomous mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan-Hoang Vuong
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
| | - Viet-Phuong La
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
- A.I. for Social Data Lab (AISDL), Vuong & Associates, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Minh-Hoang Nguyen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
| | - Ruining Jin
- Civil, Commercial and Economic Law School, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing 100088, China
| | - Minh-Khanh La
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Tam-Tri Le
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
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23
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Yurchenko SB. A systematic approach to brain dynamics: cognitive evolution theory of consciousness. Cogn Neurodyn 2023; 17:575-603. [PMID: 37265655 PMCID: PMC10229528 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-022-09863-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain integrates volition, cognition, and consciousness seamlessly over three hierarchical (scale-dependent) levels of neural activity for their emergence: a causal or 'hard' level, a computational (unconscious) or 'soft' level, and a phenomenal (conscious) or 'psyche' level respectively. The cognitive evolution theory (CET) is based on three general prerequisites: physicalism, dynamism, and emergentism, which entail five consequences about the nature of consciousness: discreteness, passivity, uniqueness, integrity, and graduation. CET starts from the assumption that brains should have primarily evolved as volitional subsystems of organisms, not as prediction machines. This emphasizes the dynamical nature of consciousness in terms of critical dynamics to account for metastability, avalanches, and self-organized criticality of brain processes, then coupling it with volition and cognition in a framework unified over the levels. Consciousness emerges near critical points, and unfolds as a discrete stream of momentary states, each volitionally driven from oldest subcortical arousal systems. The stream is the brain's way of making a difference via predictive (Bayesian) processing. Its objective observables could be complexity measures reflecting levels of consciousness and its dynamical coherency to reveal how much knowledge (information gain) the brain acquires over the stream. CET also proposes a quantitative classification of both disorders of consciousness and mental disorders within that unified framework.
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24
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Schiff ND. Mesocircuit mechanisms in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of consciousness. Presse Med 2023; 52:104161. [PMID: 36563999 DOI: 10.1016/j.lpm.2022.104161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The 'mesocircuit hypothesis' proposes mechanisms underlying the recovery of consciousness following severe brain injuries. The model builds up from a single premise that multifocal brain injuries resulting in coma and subsequent disorders of consciousness produce widespread neuronal death and dysfunction. Considering the general properties of cortical, thalamic, and striatal neurons, a lawful and specific circuit-level mechanism is constructed based on these known anatomical and physiological specializations of neuronal subtypes. The mesocircuit model generates many testable predictions at the mesocircuit, local circuit, and cellular level across multiple cerebral structures to correlate diagnostic measurements and interpret therapeutic interventions. The anterior forebrain mesocircuit is integrally related to the frontal-parietal network, another network demonstrated to show strong correlation with levels of recovery in disorders of consciousness. A further extension known as the "ABCD" model has been used to examine interaction of these models in recovery of consciousness using electrophysiological data types. Many studies have examined predictions of the mesocircuit model; here we first present the model and review the accumulated evidence for several predictions of model across multiple stages of recovery function in human subjects. Recent studies linking the mesocircuit model, the ABCD model, and interactions with the frontoparietal network are reviewed. Finally, theoretical implications of the mesocircuit model at the neuronal level are considered to interpret recent studies of deep brain stimulation in the central lateral thalamus in patients recovering from coma and in new experimental models in the context of emerging understanding of neuronal and local circuit mechanisms underlying conscious brain states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Schiff
- Jerold B. Katz Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, United States.
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25
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Havlík M, Hlinka J, Klírová M, Adámek P, Horáček J. Towards causal mechanisms of consciousness through focused transcranial brain stimulation. Neurosci Conscious 2023; 2023:niad008. [PMID: 37089451 PMCID: PMC10120840 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niad008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Conscious experience represents one of the most elusive problems of empirical science, namely neuroscience. The main objective of empirical studies of consciousness has been to describe the minimal sets of neural events necessary for a specific neuronal state to become consciously experienced. The current state of the art still does not meet this objective but rather consists of highly speculative theories based on correlates of consciousness and an ever-growing list of knowledge gaps. The current state of the art is defined by the limitations of past stimulation techniques and the emphasis on the observational approach. However, looking at the current stimulation technologies that are becoming more accurate, it is time to consider an alternative approach to studying consciousness, which builds on the methodology of causal explanations via causal alterations. The aim of this methodology is to move beyond the correlates of consciousness and focus directly on the mechanisms of consciousness with the help of the currently focused brain stimulation techniques, such as geodesic transcranial electric neuromodulation. This approach not only overcomes the limitations of the correlational methodology but will also become another firm step in the following science of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Havlík
- Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czech Republic
| | - Jaroslav Hlinka
- Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czech Republic
- Department of Complex Systems, Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Pod Vodárenskou věží 271/2, Prague 182 07, Czech Republic
| | - Monika Klírová
- Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czech Republic
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, Prague 10 100 00, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Adámek
- Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czech Republic
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, Prague 10 100 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Horáček
- Center for Advanced Studies of Brain and Consciousness, National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, Klecany 250 67, Czech Republic
- Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Ruská 87, Prague 10 100 00, Czech Republic
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26
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Sun B, Zeng X, Chen X, Zhao J, Fu S. Neural correlates of conscious processing of emotional faces: Evidence from event-related potentials. Neuropsychologia 2023; 182:108478. [PMID: 36707025 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
There is a theoretical debate between the early and late neural correlates of consciousness (NCCs). Previous studies using neutral face stimuli supported an early NCC and suggested that visual awareness negativity (VAN) is associated with consciousness, while late positivity (LP) reflects post-perceptual activity. However, emotional faces may help to examine the relationship between LP and consciousness due to the differences in late processing between emotional and neutral faces. To explore the effects of facial emotional information on NCCs, the present study manipulated consciousness with the inattentional blindness paradigm and used happy, fearful, and neutral faces as visual stimuli. The results showed that the conscious processing of emotional faces was correlated with VAN and LP, while the conscious processing of neutral faces was associated with VAN. First, the results suggest that VAN is an NCC, and the relationship between LP and consciousness is affected by facial emotional information. Second, VAN reflects the early perceptual experience of emotional faces, whereas LP may reflect the late conscious processing of emotional faces. Furthermore, source localization analysis showed that the LPs of emotional faces were mainly located in the frontal and parietal lobes, whereas those of neutral faces showed no significant activation. This suggests that facial emotional information may affect the brain regions associated with conscious processing. Time-frequency analysis showed that conscious processing is related to the enhancement of alpha and theta oscillation, indicating that conscious processing may be associated with the suppression of irrelevant stimuli. Overall, the present study suggests that the integration of the theories that support early and late NCCs helps explain the conscious processing of emotional faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Sun
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
| | - Xianqing Zeng
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiaomin Chen
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jin Zhao
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Shimin Fu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain and Cognitive Sciences, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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27
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Complexity of cortical wave patterns of the wake mouse cortex. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1434. [PMID: 36918572 PMCID: PMC10015011 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37088-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Rich spatiotemporal dynamics of cortical activity, including complex and diverse wave patterns, have been identified during unconscious and conscious brain states. Yet, how these activity patterns emerge across different levels of wakefulness remain unclear. Here we study the evolution of wave patterns utilizing data from high spatiotemporal resolution optical voltage imaging of mice transitioning from barbiturate-induced anesthesia to wakefulness (N = 5) and awake mice (N = 4). We find that, as the brain transitions into wakefulness, there is a reduction in hemisphere-scale voltage waves, and an increase in local wave events and complexity. A neural mass model recapitulates the essential cellular-level features and shows how the dynamical competition between global and local spatiotemporal patterns and long-range connections can explain the experimental observations. These mechanisms possibly endow the awake cortex with enhanced integrative processing capabilities.
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28
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Kirshner HS. Commentary on "Consciousness as a Memory System" by Budson, Richman, and Kensinger (2022). Cogn Behav Neurol 2023; 36:59-62. [PMID: 36729375 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Consciouness is a phenomenon that has eluded explanation by generations of physicians and scientists. Many discussions, experiments, and theories about consciousness have been published, but none has adequately explained the phenomenon. In the previous issue, Budson and colleagues (2022) present a theory of consciousness based on explicit memory processes, with consciousness developing in the context of memory function. In the authors' view, consciousness accompanying other cortical processes such as language or visual-spatial function developed only later in evolution. The evidence presented for this evolutionary sequence, however, is very limited. Furthermore, no discussion is directed toward the theory that consciousness involves the intersection between external perceptions and internal bodily states. The authors also develop the concept that most of our actions, and even our personality, are conscious only after the fact; immediate decisions are taken by the unconscious mind-the "horse" rather than the "rider." There is empirical evidence that rapid decisions and responses occur before they become conscious. However, Budson and colleagues (2022) extend the concept of unconscious decision-making to virtually all actions; in so doing, not only do they minimize the phenomenon of self-conscious awareness, but their theory has disturbing ethical implications for personal responsibility, criminal law, free will, and personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard S Kirshner
- Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt Medical Center North, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
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29
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Melloni L, Mudrik L, Pitts M, Bendtz K, Ferrante O, Gorska U, Hirschhorn R, Khalaf A, Kozma C, Lepauvre A, Liu L, Mazumder D, Richter D, Zhou H, Blumenfeld H, Boly M, Chalmers DJ, Devore S, Fallon F, de Lange FP, Jensen O, Kreiman G, Luo H, Panagiotaropoulos TI, Dehaene S, Koch C, Tononi G. An adversarial collaboration protocol for testing contrasting predictions of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theory. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0268577. [PMID: 36763595 PMCID: PMC9916582 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The relationship between conscious experience and brain activity has intrigued scientists and philosophers for centuries. In the last decades, several theories have suggested different accounts for these relationships. These theories have developed in parallel, with little to no cross-talk among them. To advance research on consciousness, we established an adversarial collaboration between proponents of two of the major theories in the field, Global Neuronal Workspace and Integrated Information Theory. Together, we devised and preregistered two experiments that test contrasting predictions of these theories concerning the location and timing of correlates of visual consciousness, which have been endorsed by the theories' proponents. Predicted outcomes should either support, refute, or challenge these theories. Six theory-impartial laboratories will follow the study protocol specified here, using three complementary methods: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), Magneto-Electroencephalography (M-EEG), and intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG). The study protocol will include built-in replications, both between labs and within datasets. Through this ambitious undertaking, we hope to provide decisive evidence in favor or against the two theories and clarify the footprints of conscious visual perception in the human brain, while also providing an innovative model of large-scale, collaborative, and open science practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Melloni
- Neural Circuits, Consciousness and Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Liad Mudrik
- School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michael Pitts
- Psychology Department, Reed College, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Katarina Bendtz
- Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Oscar Ferrante
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Urszula Gorska
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Rony Hirschhorn
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Aya Khalaf
- Department of Neurology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- Biomedical Engineering and Systems, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
| | - Csaba Kozma
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Alex Lepauvre
- Neural Circuits, Consciousness and Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ling Liu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science, Peking University, Peking, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Science at Peking University, Peking, China
| | - David Mazumder
- Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - David Richter
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Hao Zhou
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U992, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hal Blumenfeld
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Melanie Boly
- Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - David J. Chalmers
- Department of Philosophy, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Sasha Devore
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Francis Fallon
- Philosophy Department, St. John’s University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Floris P. de Lange
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ole Jensen
- Centre for Human Brain Health, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gabriel Kreiman
- Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Center for Brains, Minds and Machines, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science, Peking University, Peking, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Science at Peking University, Peking, China
| | - Theofanis I. Panagiotaropoulos
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U992, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Stanislas Dehaene
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA), Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) U992, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Collège de France, Paris, France
| | - Christof Koch
- MindScope Program, Allen Institute, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Giulio Tononi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
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Towards a systematization of brain oscillatory activity in actions. Commun Biol 2023; 6:137. [PMID: 36732548 PMCID: PMC9894929 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04531-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Information processing in the brain is governed by oscillatory activity. Activity oscillations in specific frequency bands (theta, alpha, beta and gamma) have been associated with various cognitive functions. A drawback of this is that the plethora of findings led to considerable uncertainty as to the functional relevance of activity in different frequency bands and their interrelation. Here, we use a novel cognitive-science theoretical framework to better understand and conceptually harmonize neurophysiological research on human action control. We outline how this validated starting point can systematize and probably reframe the functional relevance of oscillatory activity relevant for action control and beyond.
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Conscious interpretation: A distinct aspect for the neural markers of the contents of consciousness. Conscious Cogn 2023; 108:103471. [PMID: 36736210 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Progress in the science of consciousness depends on the experimental paradigms and varieties of contrastive analysis available to researchers. Here we highlight paradigms where the object is represented in consciousness as a set of its features but the interpretation of this set alternates in consciousness. We group experimental paradigms with this property under the label "conscious interpretation". We compare the paradigms studying conscious interpretation of the already consciously perceived objects with other types of experimental paradigms. We review previous and recent studies investigating this interpretative aspect of consciousness and propose future directions. We put forward the hypothesis that there are types of stimuli with a hierarchy of interpretations for which the rule applies: conscious experience is drawn towards higher-level interpretation and reverting back to the lower level of interpretation is impossible. We discuss how theories of consciousness might incorporate knowledge and constraints arising from the characteristics of conscious interpretation.
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Lee TL, Lee H, Kang N. A meta-analysis showing improved cognitive performance in healthy young adults with transcranial alternating current stimulation. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:1. [PMID: 36593247 PMCID: PMC9807644 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00152-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation used for improving cognitive functions via delivering weak electrical stimulation with a certain frequency. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of tACS protocols on cognitive functions in healthy young adults. We identified 56 qualified studies that compared cognitive functions between tACS and sham control groups, as indicated by cognitive performances and cognition-related reaction time. Moderator variable analyses specified effect size according to (a) timing of tACS, (b) frequency band of simulation, (c) targeted brain region, and (b) cognitive domain, respectively. Random-effects model meta-analysis revealed small positive effects of tACS protocols on cognitive performances. The moderator variable analyses found significant effects for online-tACS with theta frequency band, online-tACS with gamma frequency band, and offline-tACS with theta frequency band. Moreover, cognitive performances were improved in online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band on either prefrontal and posterior parietal cortical regions, and further both online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band enhanced executive function. Online-tACS with gamma frequency band on posterior parietal cortex was effective for improving cognitive performances, and the cognitive improvements appeared in executive function and perceptual-motor function. These findings suggested that tACS protocols with specific timing and frequency band may effectively improve cognitive performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Lee Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Hanall Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Nyeonju Kang
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Division of Sport Science & Sport Science Institute, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
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33
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Loeb GE. Remembrance of things perceived: Adding thalamocortical function to artificial neural networks. Front Integr Neurosci 2023; 17:1108271. [PMID: 36959924 PMCID: PMC10027940 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2023.1108271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has illuminated the complexity and importance of the thalamocortical system but it has been difficult to identify what computational functions it performs. Meanwhile, deep-learning artificial neural networks (ANNs) based on bio-inspired models of purely cortical circuits have achieved surprising success solving sophisticated cognitive problems associated historically with human intelligence. Nevertheless, the limitations and shortcomings of artificial intelligence (AI) based on such ANNs are becoming increasingly clear. This review considers how the addition of thalamocortical connectivity and its putative functions related to cortical attention might address some of those shortcomings. Such bio-inspired models are now providing both testable theories of biological cognition and improved AI technology, much of which is happening outside the usual academic venues.
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Safron A. Integrated world modeling theory expanded: Implications for the future of consciousness. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:642397. [PMID: 36507308 PMCID: PMC9730424 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.642397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Integrated world modeling theory (IWMT) is a synthetic theory of consciousness that uses the free energy principle and active inference (FEP-AI) framework to combine insights from integrated information theory (IIT) and global neuronal workspace theory (GNWT). Here, I first review philosophical principles and neural systems contributing to IWMT's integrative perspective. I then go on to describe predictive processing models of brains and their connections to machine learning architectures, with particular emphasis on autoencoders (perceptual and active inference), turbo-codes (establishment of shared latent spaces for multi-modal integration and inferential synergy), and graph neural networks (spatial and somatic modeling and control). Future directions for IIT and GNWT are considered by exploring ways in which modules and workspaces may be evaluated as both complexes of integrated information and arenas for iterated Bayesian model selection. Based on these considerations, I suggest novel ways in which integrated information might be estimated using concepts from probabilistic graphical models, flow networks, and game theory. Mechanistic and computational principles are also considered with respect to the ongoing debate between IIT and GNWT regarding the physical substrates of different kinds of conscious and unconscious phenomena. I further explore how these ideas might relate to the "Bayesian blur problem," or how it is that a seemingly discrete experience can be generated from probabilistic modeling, with some consideration of analogies from quantum mechanics as potentially revealing different varieties of inferential dynamics. I go on to describe potential means of addressing critiques of causal structure theories based on network unfolding, and the seeming absurdity of conscious expander graphs (without cybernetic symbol grounding). Finally, I discuss future directions for work centered on attentional selection and the evolutionary origins of consciousness as facilitated "unlimited associative learning." While not quite solving the Hard problem, this article expands on IWMT as a unifying model of consciousness and the potential future evolution of minds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Safron
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies (IACS), Santa Monica, CA, United States
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35
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Intrinsic brain dynamics in the Default Mode Network predict involuntary fluctuations of visual awareness. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6923. [PMID: 36376303 PMCID: PMC9663583 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34410-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain activity is intrinsically organised into spatiotemporal patterns, but it is still not clear whether these intrinsic patterns are functional or epiphenomenal. Using a simultaneous fMRI-EEG implementation of a well-known bistable visual task, we showed that the latent transient states in the intrinsic EEG oscillations can predict upcoming involuntarily perceptual transitions. The critical state predicting a dominant perceptual transition was characterised by the phase coupling between the precuneus (PCU), a key node of the Default Mode Network (DMN), and the primary visual cortex (V1). The interaction between the lifetime of this state and the PCU- > V1 Granger-causal effect is correlated with the perceptual fluctuation rate. Our study suggests that the brain's endogenous dynamics are phenomenologically relevant, as they can elicit a diversion between potential visual processing pathways, while external stimuli remain the same. In this sense, the intrinsic DMN dynamics pre-empt the content of consciousness.
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36
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Yurchenko SB. From the origins to the stream of consciousness and its neural correlates. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:928978. [PMID: 36407293 PMCID: PMC9672924 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.928978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
There are now dozens of very different theories of consciousness, each somehow contributing to our understanding of its nature. The science of consciousness needs therefore not new theories but a general framework integrating insights from those, yet not making it a still-born "Frankenstein" theory. First, the framework must operate explicitly on the stream of consciousness, not on its static description. Second, this dynamical account must also be put on the evolutionary timeline to explain the origins of consciousness. The Cognitive Evolution Theory (CET), outlined here, proposes such a framework. This starts with the assumption that brains have primarily evolved as volitional subsystems of organisms, inherited from primitive (fast and random) reflexes of simplest neural networks, only then resembling error-minimizing prediction machines. CET adopts the tools of critical dynamics to account for metastability, scale-free avalanches, and self-organization which are all intrinsic to brain dynamics. This formalizes the stream of consciousness as a discrete (transitive, irreflexive) chain of momentary states derived from critical brain dynamics at points of phase transitions and mapped then onto a state space as neural correlates of a particular conscious state. The continuous/discrete dichotomy appears naturally between the brain dynamics at the causal level and conscious states at the phenomenal level, each volitionally triggered from arousal centers of the brainstem and cognitively modulated by thalamocortical systems. Their objective observables can be entropy-based complexity measures, reflecting the transient level or quantity of consciousness at that moment.
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37
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Maschke C, Duclos C, Blain-Moraes S. Paradoxical markers of conscious levels: Effects of propofol on patients in disorders of consciousness. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:992649. [PMID: 36277055 PMCID: PMC9584648 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.992649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Human consciousness is widely understood to be underpinned by rich and diverse functional networks, whose breakdown results in unconsciousness. Candidate neural correlates of anesthetic-induced unconsciousness include: (1) disrupted frontoparietal functional connectivity; (2) disrupted brain network hubs; and (3) reduced spatiotemporal complexity. However, emerging counterexamples have revealed that these markers may appear outside of the state they are associated with, challenging both their inclusion as markers of conscious level, and the theories of consciousness that rely on their evidence. In this study, we present a case series of three individuals in disorders of consciousness (DOC) who exhibit paradoxical brain responses to exposure to anesthesia. High-density electroencephalographic data were recorded from three patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) while they underwent a protocol of propofol anesthesia with a targeted effect site concentration of 2 μg/ml. Network hubs and directionality of functional connectivity in the alpha frequency band (8–13 Hz), were estimated using the weighted phase lag index (wPLI) and directed phase lag index (dPLI). The spatiotemporal signal complexity was estimated using three types of Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZC). Our results illustrate that exposure to propofol anesthesia can paradoxically result in: (1) increased frontoparietal feedback-dominant connectivity; (2) posterior network hubs; and (3) increased spatiotemporal complexity. The case examples presented in this paper challenge the role of functional connectivity and spatiotemporal complexity in theories of consciousness and for the clinical evaluation of levels of human consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Maschke
- Montreal General Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Catherine Duclos
- Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Stefanie Blain-Moraes
- Montreal General Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
- School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- *Correspondence: Stefanie Blain-Moraes,
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38
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Tucker DM, Luu P, Johnson M. Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Implicit and Explicit Memory in the Process of Consciousness. J Neurophysiol 2022; 128:872-891. [PMID: 36044682 PMCID: PMC9576178 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00328.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurophysiological mechanisms are increasingly understood to constitute the foundations of human conscious experience. These include the capacity for ongoing memory, achieved through a hierarchy of reentrant cross-laminar connections across limbic, heteromodal, unimodal, and primary cortices. The neurophysiological mechanisms of consciousness also include the capacity for volitional direction of attention to the ongoing cognitive process, through a reentrant fronto-thalamo-cortical network regulation of the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus. More elusive is the way that discrete objects of subjective experience, such as the color of deep blue or the sound of middle C, could be generated by neural mechanisms. Explaining such ineffable qualities of subjective experience is what Chalmers has called “the hard problem of consciousness,” which has divided modern neuroscientists and philosophers alike. We propose that insight into the appearance of the hard problem can be gained through integrating classical phenomenological studies of experience with recent progress in the differential neurophysiology of consolidating explicit versus implicit memory. Although the achievement of consciousness, once it is reflected upon, becomes explicit, the underlying process of generating consciousness, through neurophysiological mechanisms, is largely implicit. Studying the neurophysiological mechanisms of adaptive implicit memory, including brain stem, limbic, and thalamic regulation of neocortical representations, may lead to a more extended phenomenological understanding of both the neurophysiological process and the subjective experience of consciousness. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The process of consciousness, generating the qualia that may appear to be irreducible qualities of experience, can be understood to arise from neurophysiological mechanisms of memory. Implicit memory, organized by the lemnothalamic brain stem projections and dorsal limbic consolidation in REM sleep, supports the unconscious field and the quasi-conscious fringe of current awareness. Explicit memory, organized by the collothalamic midbrain projections and ventral limbic consolidation of NREM sleep, supports the focal objects of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don M Tucker
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.,Brain Electrophysiology Laboratory Company, Riverfront Research Park, Eugene OR, United States
| | - Phan Luu
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States.,Brain Electrophysiology Laboratory Company, Riverfront Research Park, Eugene OR, United States
| | - Mark Johnson
- Department of Philosophy, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
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39
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De la Torre GG. Evaluation of Several Computer Vision Feature Detectors/Extractors on Ahuna Mons Region in Ceres and Its Implications for Technosignatures Search. Vision (Basel) 2022; 6:vision6030054. [PMID: 36136747 PMCID: PMC9502714 DOI: 10.3390/vision6030054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ahuna Mons is a 4 km particular geologic feature on the surface of Ceres, of possibly cryovolcanic origin. The special characteristics of Ahuna Mons are also interesting in regard of its surrounding area, especially for the big crater beside it. This crater possesses similarities with Ahuna Mons including diameter, age, morphology, etc. Under the cognitive psychology perspective and using current computer vision models, we analyzed these two features on Ceres for comparison and pattern-recognition similarities. Speeded up robust features (SURF), oriented features from accelerated segment test (FAST), rotated binary robust independent elementary features (BRIEF), Canny edge detector, and scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) algorithms were employed as feature-detection algorithms, avoiding human cognitive bias. The 3D analysis of images of both features’ (Ahuna Mons and Crater B) characteristics is discussed. Results showed positive results for these algorithms about the similarities of both features. Canny edge resulted as the most efficient algorithm. The 3D objects of Ahuna Mons and Crater B showed good-fitting results. Discussion is provided about the results of this computer-vision-techniques experiment for Ahuna Mons. Results showed the potential for the computer vision models in combination with 3D imaging to be free of bias and to detect potential geoengineered formations in the future. This study also brings forward the potential problem of both human and cognitive bias in artificial-intelligence-based models and the risks for the task of searching for technosignatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel G De la Torre
- Neuropsychology and Experimental Psychology Lab, Campus Rio San Pedro, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, Spain
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40
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Kaczanowska J, Ganglberger F, Chernomor O, Kargl D, Galik B, Hess A, Moodley Y, von Haeseler A, Bühler K, Haubensak W. Molecular archaeology of human cognitive traits. Cell Rep 2022; 40:111287. [PMID: 36044840 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The brains and minds of our human ancestors remain inaccessible for experimental exploration. Therefore, we reconstructed human cognitive evolution by projecting nonsynonymous/synonymous rate ratios (ω values) in mammalian phylogeny onto the anatomically modern human (AMH) brain. This atlas retraces human neurogenetic selection and allows imputation of ancestral evolution in task-related functional networks (FNs). Adaptive evolution (high ω values) is associated with excitatory neurons and synaptic function. It shifted from FNs for motor control in anthropoid ancestry (60-41 mya) to attention in ancient hominoids (26-19 mya) and hominids (19-7.4 mya). Selection in FNs for language emerged with an early hominin ancestor (7.4-1.7 mya) and was later accompanied by adaptive evolution in FNs for strategic thinking during recent (0.8 mya-present) speciation of AMHs. This pattern mirrors increasingly complex cognitive demands and suggests that co-selection for language alongside strategic thinking may have separated AMHs from their archaic Denisovan and Neanderthal relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kaczanowska
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Olga Chernomor
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna (CIBIV), Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dominic Kargl
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Bence Galik
- Bioinformatics and Scientific Computing, Vienna Biocenter Core Facilities (VBCF), Dr. Bohr Gasse 3, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Andreas Hess
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Fahrstrasse 17, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou, Republic of South Africa
| | - Arndt von Haeseler
- Center for Integrative Bioinformatics Vienna (CIBIV), Max Perutz Labs, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr Gasse 9, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Faculty of Computer Science, University of Vienna, Währinger Str. 29, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Katja Bühler
- VRVis Research Center, Donau-City Strasse 11, 1220 Vienna, Austria
| | - Wulf Haubensak
- Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna Biocenter (VBC), Campus-Vienna-Biocenter 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Department of Neuronal Cell Biology, Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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41
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Marchetti G. The why of the phenomenal aspect of consciousness: Its main functions and the mechanisms underpinning it. Front Psychol 2022; 13:913309. [PMID: 35967722 PMCID: PMC9368316 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
What distinguishes conscious information processing from other kinds of information processing is its phenomenal aspect (PAC), the-what-it-is-like for an agent to experience something. The PAC supplies the agent with a sense of self, and informs the agent on how its self is affected by the agent’s own operations. The PAC originates from the activity that attention performs to detect the state of what I define “the self” (S). S is centered and develops on a hierarchy of innate and acquired values, and is primarily expressed via the central and peripheral nervous systems; it maps the agent’s body and cognitive capacities, and its interactions with the environment. The detection of the state of S by attention modulates the energy level of the organ of attention (OA), i.e., the neural substrate that underpins attention. This modulation generates the PAC. The PAC can be qualified according to five dimensions: qualitative, quantitative, hedonic, temporal and spatial. Each dimension can be traced back to a specific feature of the modulation of the energy level of the OA.
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Frankle L. Entropy, Amnesia, and Abnormal Déjà Experiences. Front Psychol 2022; 13:794683. [PMID: 35967717 PMCID: PMC9364811 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.794683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has contrasted fleeting erroneous experiences of familiarity with equally convincing, and often more stubborn erroneous experiences of remembering. While a subset of the former category may present as nonpathological “déjà vu,” the latter, termed “déjà vécu” can categorize a delusion-like confabulatory phenomenon first described in elderly dementia patients. Leading explanations for this experience include the dual process view, in which erroneous familiarity and erroneous recollection are elicited by inappropriate activation of the parahippocampal cortex and the hippocampus, respectively, and the more popular encoding-as-retrieval explanation in which normal memory encoding processes are falsely flagged and interpreted as memory retrieval. This paper presents a novel understanding of this recollective confabulation that builds on the encoding-as-retrieval hypothesis but more adequately accounts for the co-occurrence of persistent déjà vécu with both perceptual novelty and memory impairment, the latter of which occurs not only in progressive dementia but also in transient epileptic amnesia (TEA) and psychosis. It makes use of the growing interdisciplinary understanding of the fluidity of time and posits that the functioning of memory and the perception of novelty, long known to influence the subjective experience of time, may have a more fundamental effect on the flow of time.
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Alachkar A. Aromatic patterns: Tryptophan aromaticity as a catalyst for the emergence of life and rise of consciousness. Phys Life Rev 2022; 42:93-114. [PMID: 35905538 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sunlight held the key to the origin of life on Earth. The earliest life forms, cyanobacteria, captured the sunlight to generate energy through photosynthesis. Life on Earth evolved in accordance with the circadian rhythms tied to sensitivity to sunlight patterns. A unique feature of cyanobacterial photosynthetic proteins and circadian rhythms' molecules, and later of nearly all photon-sensing molecules throughout evolution, is that the aromatic amino acid tryptophan (Trp) resides at the center of light-harvesting active sites. In this perspective, I review the literature and integrate evidence from different scientific fields to explore the role Trp plays in photon-sensing capabilities of living organisms through its resonance delocalization of π-electrons. The observations presented here are the product of apparently unrelated phenomena throughout evolution, but nevertheless share consistent patterns of photon-sensing by Trp-containing and Trp-derived molecules. I posit the unique capacity to transfer electrons during photosynthesis in the earliest life forms is conferred to Trp due to its aromaticity. I propose this ability evolved to assume more complex functions, serving as a host for mechanisms underlying mental aptitudes - a concept which provides a theoretical basis for defining the neural correlates of consciousness. The argument made here is that Trp aromaticity may have allowed for the inception of the mechanistic building blocks used to fabricate complexity in higher forms of life. More specifically, Trp aromatic non-locality may have acted as a catalyst for the emergence of consciousness by instigating long-range synchronization and stabilizing the large-scale coherence of neural networks, which mediate functional brain activity. The concepts proposed in this perspective provide a conceptual foundation that invites further interdisciplinary dialogue aimed at examining and defining the role of aromaticity (beyond Trp) in the emergence of life and consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amal Alachkar
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; UC Irvine Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, USA; Institute for Genomics and Bioinformatics, School of Information and Computer Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA.
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Cowin J, Nimphius S, Fell J, Culhane P, Schmidt M. A Proposed Framework to Describe Movement Variability within Sporting Tasks: A Scoping Review. SPORTS MEDICINE - OPEN 2022; 8:85. [PMID: 35759128 PMCID: PMC9237196 DOI: 10.1186/s40798-022-00473-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Movement variability is defined as the normal variations in motor performance across multiple repetitions of a task. However, the term "movement variability" can mean different things depending on context, and when used by itself does not capture the specifics of what has been investigated. Within sport, complex movements are performed repeatedly under a variety of different constraints (e.g. different situations, presence of defenders, time pressure). Movement variability has implications for sport performance and injury risk management. Given the importance of movement variability, it is important to understand the terms used to measure and describe it. This broad term of "movement variability" does not specify the different types of movement variability that are currently being assessed in the sporting literature. We conducted a scoping review (1) to assess the current terms and definitions used to describe movement variability within sporting tasks and (2) to utilise the results of the review for a proposed framework that distinguishes and defines the different types of movement variability within sporting tasks. To be considered eligible, sources must have assessed a sporting movement or skill and had at least one quantifiable measure of movement variability. A total of 43 peer-reviewed journal article sources were included in the scoping review. A total of 280 terms relating to movement variability terminology were extracted using a data-charting form jointly developed by two reviewers. One source out of 43 (2%) supplied definitions for all types of movement variability discussed. Moreover, 169 of 280 terms (60%) were undefined in the source material. Our proposed theoretical framework explains three types of movement variability: strategic, execution, and outcome. Strategic variability describes the different approaches or methods of movement used to complete a task. Execution variability describes the intentional and unintentional adjustments of the body between repetitions within the same strategy. Outcome variability describes the differences in the result or product of a movement. These types emerged from broader frameworks in motor control and were adapted to fit the movement variability needs in sports literature. By providing specific terms with explicit definitions, our proposed framework can ensure like-to-like comparisons of previous terms used in the literature. The practical goal of this framework is to aid athletes, coaches, and support staff to gain a better understanding of how the different types of movement variability within sporting tasks contribute to performance. The framework may allow training methods to be tailored to optimise the specific aspects of movement variability that contribute to success. This review was retrospectively registered using the Open Science Framework (OSF) Registries ( https://osf.io/q73fd ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake Cowin
- School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Newnham, TAS, Australia.
- Tasmanian Institute of Sport (Sports Performance Unit), Prospect, TAS, Australia.
| | - Sophia Nimphius
- School of Medical and Health Sciences, Centre for Human Performance, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia
| | - James Fell
- School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Newnham, TAS, Australia
| | - Peter Culhane
- Tasmanian Institute of Sport (Sports Performance Unit), Prospect, TAS, Australia
| | - Matthew Schmidt
- School of Health Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, Australia
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Leisti T, Vaahteranoksa M, Olives JL, Peltoketo VT, Häkkinen J. The Fewer Reasons, the More You Like It! How Decision-Making Heuristics of Image Quality Estimation Exploit the Content of Subjective Experience. Front Psychol 2022; 13:867874. [PMID: 35800936 PMCID: PMC9253696 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.867874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaging science has approached subjective image quality (IQ) as a perceptual phenomenon, with an emphasis on thresholds of defects. The paradigmatic design of subjective IQ estimation, the two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) method, however, requires viewers to make decisions. We investigated decision strategies in three experiments both by asking the research participants to give reasons for their decisions and by examining the decision times. We found that typical for larger quality differences is a smaller set of subjective attributes, resulting from convergent attention toward the most salient attribute, leading to faster decisions and better accuracy. Smaller differences are characterized by divergent attention toward different attributes and an emphasis on preferential attributes instead of defects. In larger differences, attributes have sigmoidal relationships between their visibility and their occurrence in explanations. For other attributes, this relationship is more random. We also examined decision times in different attribute configurations to clarify the heuristics of IQ estimation, and we distinguished a top-down-oriented Take-the-Best heuristic and a bottom-up visual salience-based heuristic. In all experiments, heuristic one-reason decision-making endured as a prevailing strategy independent of quality difference or task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuomas Leisti
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- *Correspondence: Tuomas Leisti,
| | | | - Jean-Luc Olives
- Huawei Technologies Oy (Finland) Co., Ltd., Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Jukka Häkkinen
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Ávila-Villanueva M, Marcos Dolado A, Gómez-Ramírez J, Fernández-Blázquez M. Brain Structural and Functional Changes in Cognitive Impairment Due to Alzheimer’s Disease. Front Psychol 2022; 13:886619. [PMID: 35800946 PMCID: PMC9253821 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.886619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Cognitive neuropsychology seeks a potential alignment between structural and functional brain features to explain physiological or pathological processes, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Several structural and functional brain changes occurring during the disease, including cognitive impairment, are found at the end of the patient’s life, but we need to know more about what happens before its onset. In order to do that, we need earlier biomarkers at preclinical stages, defined by those biomarkers, to prevent the cognitive impairment. In this minireview, we have tried to describe the structural and functional changes found at different stages during AD, focusing on those features taking place before clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Ávila-Villanueva
- Research in Alzheimer’s Disease, Departamento de Psicología Experimental, Procesos Cognitivos y Logopedia Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), Madrid, Spain
- *Correspondence: Marina Ávila-Villanueva,
| | - Alberto Marcos Dolado
- Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jaime Gómez-Ramírez
- Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz, Universidad de Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Miguel Fernández-Blázquez
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Gidon A, Aru J, Larkum ME. Does brain activity cause consciousness? A thought experiment. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001651. [PMID: 35687582 PMCID: PMC9187086 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid advances in neuroscience have provided remarkable breakthroughs in understanding the brain on many fronts. Although promising, the role of these advancements in solving the problem of consciousness is still unclear. Based on technologies conceivably within the grasp of modern neuroscience, we discuss a thought experiment in which neural activity, in the form of action potentials, is initially recorded from all the neurons in a participant's brain during a conscious experience and then played back into the same neurons. We consider whether this artificial replay can reconstitute a conscious experience. The possible outcomes of this experiment unravel hidden costs and pitfalls in understanding consciousness from the neurosciences' perspective and challenge the conventional wisdom that causally links action potentials and consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albert Gidon
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jaan Aru
- Institute of Computer Science, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Matthew Evan Larkum
- Institute of Biology, Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Neurocure Center for Excellence, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Bartsev SI, Baturina PM, Markova GM. Neural Network-Based Decoding Input Stimulus Data Based on Recurrent Neural Network Neural Activity Pattern. DOKLADY BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2022; 502:1-5. [PMID: 35298745 PMCID: PMC8930860 DOI: 10.1134/s001249662201001x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The paper reports the assessment of the possibility to recover information obtained using an artificial neural network via inspecting neural activity patterns. A simple recurrent neural network forms dynamic excitation patterns for storing data on input stimulus in the course of the advanced delayed match to sample test with varying duration of pause between the received stimuli. Information stored in these patterns can be used by the neural network at any moment within the specified interval (three to six clock cycles), whereby it appears possible to detect invariant representation of received stimulus. To identify these representations, the neural network-based decoding method that shows 100% efficiency of received stimuli recognition has been suggested. This method allows for identification the minimum subset of neurons, the excitation pattern of which contains comprehensive information about the stimulus received by the neural network.
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Affiliation(s)
- S I Bartsev
- Institute of Biophysics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 660036, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
- Siberian Federal University, 660041, Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
| | - P M Baturina
- Siberian Federal University, 660041, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - G M Markova
- Siberian Federal University, 660041, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
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Fermin ASR, Friston K, Yamawaki S. An insula hierarchical network architecture for active interoceptive inference. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220226. [PMID: 35774133 PMCID: PMC9240682 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
In the brain, the insular cortex receives a vast amount of interoceptive information, ascending through deep brain structures, from multiple visceral organs. The unique hierarchical and modular architecture of the insula suggests specialization for processing interoceptive afferents. Yet, the biological significance of the insula's neuroanatomical architecture, in relation to deep brain structures, remains obscure. In this opinion piece, we propose the Insula Hierarchical Modular Adaptive Interoception Control (IMAC) model to suggest that insula modules (granular, dysgranular and agranular), forming parallel networks with the prefrontal cortex and striatum, are specialized to form higher order interoceptive representations. These interoceptive representations are recruited in a context-dependent manner to support habitual, model-based and exploratory control of visceral organs and physiological processes. We discuss how insula interoceptive representations may give rise to conscious feelings that best explain lower order deep brain interoceptive representations, and how the insula may serve to defend the body and mind against pathological depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan S. R. Fermin
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Karl Friston
- The Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, England
| | - Shigeto Yamawaki
- Center for Brain, Mind and Kansei Sciences Research, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
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50
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LaValley D. Equivocating on unconsciousness. THEORY & PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/09593543221092708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In the language used by those who take an empirical approach to the study of consciousness, the subliminal–supraliminal binary and the unconscious–conscious process binary are treated as one and the same, despite the unconscious–conscious process distinction having a historical association to a different meaning. The historical meaning of the unconscious–conscious process distinction may then become implicitly associated with the interpretations of related studies, resulting in a misinterpretation of evidence. This is to say, where the ability to differentially respond to subliminal and supraliminal stimuli may be indicative of a variety of “unconscious” and “conscious” processes, as these terms relate to a qualitative conception of consciousness, subliminal threshold testing does not tell us anything about consciousness and the associated binary of “unconscious” and “conscious” processes as these terms relate to their historical, metacognitive conceptions.
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