Prefrontal neural dynamics in consciousness.
Umberto León-Domínguez, José León-Carrión
Neuropsychologia August 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.05.018 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Attention Awareness Consciousness Corticocortical Prefrontal Reticular thalamic nucleus Thalamocortical Thalamus |
| Key findings | The prefrontal cortex, through its connections with nonspecific thalamic nuclei and the reticular thalamic nucleus, may form a cortico-thalamocortical loop that integrates sensory perception into a unified conscious content and maintains a subjective stream of consciousness. |
Abstract
The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is one of the principal brain regions studied in consciousness. Previous investigations suggest that the PFC is an important neural hub in both awareness and the manipulation of the content of consciousness. Despite a consensus in the scientific community regarding PFC function in cortico-cortical networks, there is still intense debate as to its role in the thalamocortical network and the formation of content of consciousness. The objective of this research is to provide a comprehensive review of the possible implications of PFC activity in awareness, with a focus on thalamic neural pathways that could explain perceptual alterations in the content of consciousness. We posit that the PFC and its connection with nonspecific thalamic nuclei could be responsible for the functional integration of sensory perception into a unique conscious content. This cortico-thalamocortical neural loop would denote a small closed-loop subnetwork within the thalamocortical system that organizes the flow of temporal and spatial information to maintain a subjective stream of consciousness. In particular, attentional top-down mechanisms between the PFC and the reticular thalamic nucleus could influence the formation of the content of consciousness through their capacity to regulate thalamic activity. Summarizing, the PFC acts as a dynamic and multifunctional neural hub that recalibrates global neural dynamics and regulates interactive brain processes associated with consciousness.