An information processing theory of anaesthesia.
H Flohr
Neuropsychologia September 1995 DOI: 10.1016/0028-3932(95)00056-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes that consciousness arises from transient higher-order, self-referential mental representations instantiated by neural cell assemblies, and that loss of consciousness occurs when representational activity falls below a critical threshold. Argues that NMDA receptor channel complex activation governs how fast assemblies form, and that general anaesthetics act by directly or indirectly affecting the NMDA system. |
Abstract
A theory of anaesthesia is presented. It consists of four hypotheses: (1) The occurrence of states of consciousness causally depends on the formation of transient higher-order, self-referential mental representations. The occurrence of such states is identical with the appearance of conscious phenomena. Loss of consciousness will occur, if and only if the brain's representational activity falls below a critical threshold. (2) Mental representations are instantiated by neural cell assemblies. (3) The formation of assemblies involves the activation of the NMDA receptor channel complex. The activation state of this receptor determines the rate at which assemblies are generated. (4) General anaesthetics have a common operative mechanism: they directly or indirectly affect the function of the NMDA system.
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