Conscious perception involves large-scale, coordinated activation of distant brain regions, a process called ignition or integration. Combining a magnetically-induced phosphene perception task with electroencephalography, functional cortical networks were identified using graph theory. Conscious phosphene perception activated frequency-specific networks, each linked to a particular spatial scale of information processing. Integration increased within an alpha-band functional network, while segregation changed in the beta band. These findings confirm the key role of integration processes for conscious perception in humans and bring evidence for the functional role of distinct brain oscillations.
Our brains create consciousness through an intricate dance of neural circuits, from tiny local networks to vast brain-spanning connections. New research reveals how specific inhibitory neurons help orchestrate this complex symphony, while the balance between fast local signals and slower long-distance communication proves crucial for awareness. Understanding these mechanisms offers hope for treating consciousness disorders and explains how our brains generate our conscious experience.
A computational model called COALIA simulates human cortical micro-circuits, including specific neuron types and thalamo-cortical regulation of cortico-cortical connectivity. The model generates EEG that matches brain rhythms recorded in humans during wakefulness and sleep. It reproduces disynaptic disinhibition of basket cells and pyramidal neurons via long-range activation of VIP interneurons. The model predicts that thalamic output strength and dynamics control local and long-range cortical information processing. It also reproduces and explains clinical TMS-evoked EEG complexity in disorders of consciousness patients and healthy volunteers through modulation of thalamo-cortical connectivity governing cortico-cortical communication.