Phenomenal consciousness arises from the electromagnetic field generated by a specific part of the thalamus in mammals and homologous brain regions in other animals. This field is structured by emulating information from both external and internal sources, producing qualia. What distinguishes the conscious EM field from other brain EM fields is that it models niche-relevant, action-relevant information (affordances) as a Gestalt—the best possible representation of the organism's moment-to-moment environment. Lower-level information, such as unanalyzed retinal signals, is excluded because it is not niche-relevant. This model enables organisms to control their actions within their environment.
Human consciousness typically produces an ongoing, seemingly continuous stream of thought. Prior work has examined the neural correlates of thought content, but less is known about thought dynamics—how thoughts change over time. The Dynamic Framework of Thought proposes a neural model of how large-scale brain networks contribute to freely moving (spontaneous) versus deliberately constrained thought. In a neurophenomenological study, participants reported their thought stream in real time during fMRI scanning. Freely-moving thought was associated with greater activation of the default network (especially the medial-temporal subcomponent) than the frontoparietal control network, while deliberately constrained thought showed the opposite pattern. Distinct thought dynamics were also reflected in changes in functional coupling within and between these networks.
Over the past 25 years, neuroscience has focused on perceptual consciousness, but the dynamic experience of the stream of thought—first described by William James—has received less attention. The Dynamic Framework of Thought (DFT) provides a taxonomy of thought dynamics. This study used four experiments, including laboratory, online, and fMRI-based settings, to test whether people can introspectively access and distinguish two thought dimensions: freely moving and deliberately directed. In all experiments, participants reported their thought dynamics during a probed resting period with eyes open. Using mixed methods, the findings suggest that individuals have some introspective access to these dynamics.