Synchrony and subjective experience: the neural correlates of the stream of consciousness.
Trends in Cognitive Sciences May 15, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2025.04.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Opinion article Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Gestalt cortex P-interpretations Temporoparietal junction Consciousness Perception Brain research Cognitive science |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key points | Proposes that differential neural synchrony in gestalt cortex and posterior medial cortex may track idiosyncratic, meaning-infused subjective experiences arising from the integration of sensory inputs with preexisting non-sensory representations. |
Abstract
Human subjectivity, our first-person conscious experience of the world, is among the deepest scientific mysteries. This opinion article lays out an approach to examining the neural correlates of subjectivity as it unfolds over time. Subjective experience is inherently idiosyncratic, arising from effortless interpretations that feel like perceived facts (p-interpretations), and integrative, with past and expected future moments influencing the current experience. Differential synchrony effects (i.e., neural synchrony that differs between groups) suggest that parts of gestalt cortex (inferior parietal lobule and posterior temporal cortex) and posterior medial cortex track p-interpretations. Differential synchrony may result from each person's preexisting idiosyncratic non-sensory representations (e.g., expectations, memories, motivations) being integrated with sensory inputs to yield unique meaning-infused immediate experiences across the stream of consciousness.