The Neurofunctional Model of Consciousness: The Physiological Interconnectivity of Brain Networks

Abstract

The present chapter integrates neural networks’ connectivity into a model that explores consciousness and volitional behavior from a neurofunctional perspective. The model poses a theoretical evidenced-based framework that organizes the brain journey of neural information flow from the ascending reticular activating system and non-specific thalamic nuclei, to cortical networks, such as the default mode network and the fronto-parietal network. These inter-connected brain networks can be divided within three hierarchical and inter-connected “functional neural loops”: (1) the “brainstem-thalamic neural loop” for arousal, (2) the “thalamo-cortical neural loop” for neural information distribution throughout the brain, and (3) the “cortico-cortical neural loop” for transforming neural information into the contents of consciousness that the individual can perceive and manipulate voluntarily. These three neural loops act as a global functional neural system, and its disruption due to brain damage can cause a person to experience catastrophic outcomes, such as a coma, a vegetative state, a minimal conscious state, or other cognitive and behavioral impairments.