Consciousness transitions during epilepsy seizures through the lens of integrated information theory.
F H Baglivo, N Campora, C J Mininni, S Kochen, S Lew
Scientific Reports March 4, 2024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56045-x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Patients with refractory epilepsy undergoing intracranial EEG monitoring |
| Keywords | Consciousness Epilepsy Integrated information |
| Key findings | Changes in integrated information (ΦAR) are significantly correlated with changes in reported states of consciousness during epileptic seizures. |
Abstract
Consciousness is one of the most complex aspects of human experience. Studying the mechanisms involved in the transitions among different levels of consciousness remains as one of the greatest challenges in neuroscience. In this study we use a measure of integrated information (ΦAR) to evaluate dynamic changes during consciousness transitions. We applied the measure to intracranial electroencephalography (SEEG) recordings collected from 6 patients that suffer from refractory epilepsy, taking into account inter-ictal, pre-ictal and ictal periods. We analyzed the dynamical evolution of ΦAR in groups of electrode contacts outside the epileptogenic region and compared it with the Consciousness Seizure Scale (CCS). We show that changes on ΦAR are significantly correlated with changes in the reported states of consciousness.