Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems
Christof Koch, Marcello Massimini, Melanie Boly, Giulio Tononi
Nature reviews. Neuroscience April 20, 2016 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2016.22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Neurophysiology Cognitive psychology Sensory system Level of consciousness Cognitive science Perception Cognition Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 1,654 |
| Key findings | The anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, not to a fronto-parietal network. |
Abstract
There have been a number of advances in the search for the neural correlates of consciousness--the minimum neural mechanisms sufficient for any one specific conscious percept. In this Review, we describe recent findings showing that the anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, rather than to a fronto-parietal network involved in task monitoring and reporting. We also discuss some candidate neurophysiological markers of consciousness that have proved illusory, and measures of differentiation and integration of neural activity that offer more promising quantitative indices of consciousness.