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Consciousness does not seem to be linked to a single neural mechanism

Carlo Umiltà, Marco Zorzi

Behavioral and Brain Sciences December 1, 1995 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x0004067x (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Key points Argues that attention must be given a role in any model of consciousness, and that neuropsychological evidence of dissociations between explicit and implicit knowledge after brain damage suggests conscious experience is not linked to a restricted brain area. The author contends that even if a single consciousness area existed, the subicular area is an unlikely candidate.

Abstract

AbstractOn the basis of neuropsychological evidence, it is clear that attention should be given a role in any model (or conjecture) of consciousness. What is known about the many instances of dissociation between explicit and implicit knowledge after brain damage suggests that conscious experience might not be linked to a restricted area of the brain. Even if it were true that there is a single brain area devoted to consciousness, the subicular area would seem to be an unlikely possibility.