From hidden springs to endless oceans: exploring the complementary roles of the amygdala and hippocampus in phenomenal experience.
Ronald Sladky
Neuroscience of Consciousness 2026 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niag007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ego dissolution |
| Keywords | Amygdala FMRI Hippocampus Minimal phenomenal experience Neuroanatomy Neurofeedback Neuroimaging Non-dual awareness Self-consciousness |
| Key points | Proposes that the dual-origin theory of cortical development explains both ego-centric and selfless forms of conscious experience, with the Amygdala-System supporting self-related processing and the Hippocampus-System enabling allocentric, selfless experiences. |
Abstract
Current theories of consciousness often emphasize its ego-centric functions, highlighting the role of the insular cortex in interoceptive self-modeling and subcortical brain regions in qualitative experience and motivation, aptly described as the 'hidden spring' of consciousness. From ecological and pragmatic perspectives, conscious experience may facilitate the self-organization of complex organisms by optimizing goals that are typically parallel, multifaceted, and difficult to reconcile. However, the notion that all forms of conscious experience are ego-centric, or at least grounded in a minimal sense of self, is challenged by credible reports of minimal phenomenal experience (MPE), which occur without any self-referential content. I propose that this apparent duality in conscious experience can be explained by the dual-origin theory of cortical development. This theory suggests a gradual expansion of cortical cytoarchitecture from two distinct subcortical origins. The 'Amygdala-System' supports interoceptive self-modeling for habitual interactions with the body and the environment. It expands ventrally from the olfactory system and amygdala, enabling ego-centric processing. In contrast, the 'Hippocampus-System', centered on the hippocampus and expanding dorsally, supports allocentric cognition and experiences that are not constrained by self-referential processing. This complementary system allows for open-ended, selfless forms of experience, akin to an 'endless ocean'. In this framework, MPE may represent a fragile form of consciousness, typically overshadowed by the self-related interoceptive and exteroceptive functions of the Amygdala-System. Finally, I discuss how real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback could be used to upregulate the Hippocampus-System, potentially enabling the controlled study of MPE in neuroscientific settings.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on ego dissolution, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self unbound: ego dissolution in psychedelic experience | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Ethics and ego dissolution: the case of psilocybin | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mystical and Other Alterations in Sense of Self: An Expanded Framework for Studying Nonordinary Experiences | 2020 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Psychedelic medicalization, public discourse, and the morality of ego dissolution | 2021 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 26
- An Interoceptive Predictive Coding Model of Conscious Presence Frontiers in Psychology 2012
- Active interoceptive inference and the emotional brain Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences October 11, 2016
- Out‐of‐body experience and autoscopy of neurological origin Brain January 15, 2004
- Mapping the self in the brain's default mode network Neuroimage February 15, 2016
- Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects. Neuroimage August 1, 2019
and 21 more in the library