Neural correlates of consciousness in the complexity of brain networks
University of Cambridge 2019 DOI: 10.17863/cam.38338 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that consciousness requires the brain to balance functional segregation and integration, a property termed brain complexity, and proposes that consciousness is abolished when this balance is lost and complexity is attenuated. On this basis, the author uses complexity of functional connectivity as a marker of consciousness. |
Abstract
How do we define consciousness? Besides philosophical endeavours, the development of modern neuroimaging techniques fostered a principled way of quantifying the neural correlates of consciousness. Acquiring and analysing resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) data, has allowed neuroscientists to noninvasively map the brain's functional interactions (or functional connectivity). Based on data obtained during controlled loss of consciousness and in cases of patients with disorders of consciousness, it has now been suggested that multiple, functionally specialized/segregated areas need to interact and integrate information in order to support consciousness. Thus an emerging idea in neuroscience is that the brain needs to balance the coexistence of functional segregation and integration, a property often termed as brain complexity, in order to produce consciousness. A resulting hypothesis is that consciousness is abolished when the balance between segregation and integration is lost and brain complexity is attenuated. In that regard, I use complexity of functional connectivity, an aggregate measure of segregation and integration, as a marker of consciousness. ... (continues)