How are theories of consciousness empirically tested? The Consciousness Theories Studies (ConTraSt) database

Yaron, Itay; Melloni, Lucía; Pitts, Michael; Mudrik, Liad

doi:10.1167/jov.21.9.2195

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Further anatomically-constrained large-scale modelling, or analysis of our model, could make explicit the areas of agreement and disagreement between GNW and IIT. Future work addressing aspects of metacognition, attention or predictive processing could aim to further bridge GNW with other prominent theories of consciousness (Fleming and Lau 2014; Graziano and Webb 2015; Lau and Rosenthal 2011; Seth and Hohwy 2021; Shea and Frith 2019), and provide much-needed testable predictions about behaviour and neural dynamics to distinguish between such theories (Demertzi et al 2019; Melloni et al 2021; Yaron et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

Klatzmann

Bliss

Theodoni

et al. 2022

Preprint

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A growing body of evidence suggests that conscious perception of a sensory stimulus triggers an all-or-none activity across multiple cortical areas, a phenomenon called 'ignition'. In contrast, the same stimulus, when undetected, induces only transient activity. In this work, we report a large-scale model of the macaque cortex based on recently quantified structural connectome data. We use this model to simulate a detection task, and demonstrate how a dynamical bifurcation mechanism produces ignition-like events in the model network. Within this framework, the model predicts that feedforward excitatory transmission is primarily mediated by the fast AMPA receptors to ensure rapid signal propagation from sensory to associative areas. In contrast, a large fraction of the inter-areal feedback projections and local recurrent excitation depend on the slow NMDA receptors, to ensure ignition of distributed frontoparietal activity. Our model predicts, counterintuitively, that fast-responding sensory areas contain a higher ratio of NMDA to AMPA receptors compared to association cortical areas that show slow, sustained activity. We validate this prediction using in-vitro receptor autoradiography data. Finally, we show how this model can account for various behavioral and physiological effects linked to consciousness. Together, these findings clarify the neurophysiological mechanisms of conscious access in the primate cortex and support the concept that gradients of receptor densities along the cortical hierarchy contribute to distributed cognitive functions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

Klatzmann

Bliss

Theodoni

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Despite this null result, we think that the limited number of studies is itself informative, proving treatments of sleep disorders on DOCs are barely explored, at least in the last 10 years. A side note is due here, as during the last 10 years there has been an increase in literature produced on experimental paradigms with DOCs (see, for instance, data in the database by Yaron et al [ 54 ]; , accessed on 22 December 2021) indicating how there has been a growing interest in exploring the nature of DOCs while it is likely fewer efforts have been put on exploring the efficacy of treatments for consciousness recovery, especially when they act indirectly on consciousness recovery, as happens in the case of sleep disorder treatments.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep Treatments in Disorders of Consciousness: A Systematic Review

et al. 2021

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Sleep disorders are among the main comorbidities in patients with a Disorder of Consciousness (DOC). Given the key role of sleep in neural and cognitive functioning, detecting and treating sleep disorders in DOCs might be an effective therapeutic strategy to boost consciousness recovery and levels of awareness. To date, no systematic reviews have been conducted that explore the effect of sleep treatments in DOCs; thus, we systematically reviewed the existing studies on both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for sleep disorders in DOCs. Among 2267 assessed articles, only 7 were included in the systematic review. The studies focused on two sleep disorder categories (sleep-related breathing disorders and circadian rhythm dysregulation) treated with both pharmacological (Modafinil and Intrathecal Baclofen) and non-pharmacological (positive airway pressure, bright light stimulation, and central thalamic deep brain stimulation) interventions. Although the limited number of studies and their heterogeneity do not allow generalized conclusions, all the studies highlighted the effectiveness of treatments on both sleep disorders and levels of awareness. For this reason, clinical and diagnostic evaluations able to detect sleep disorders in DOC patients should be adopted in the clinical routine for the purpose of intervening promptly with the most appropriate treatment.

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“…A recent systematic review concluded that no current theory of consciousness accounted for all of the findings, and that an integrative "cross-talk" between the theories is needed (Yaron et al, 2021). An integrative theory of consciousness would need to explain all three recognized aspects of consciousness.…”

Section: Scientific Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

An integrative control theory perspective on consciousness.

Mansell¹

2024

Psychological Review

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An integrative account of consciousness should have a number of properties. It should build upon a framework of nonconscious behavior in order to explain how and why consciousness contributes to, and addresses the limitations of, nonconscious processes. It should also encompass the primary (phenomenal), secondary (access), and tertiary (self-awareness) aspects of consciousness. A number of accounts have proposed a role for consciousness in the prediction of sensory input, yet these proposals do not address how organisms deal with multiple, unpredictable, disturbances to maintain control. According to perceptual control theory (PCT), purposiveness is the control of hierarchically organized perceptual variables via changes in output that counteract disturbances which would otherwise increase error between the current value and the reference value (goal state) of each perceptual variable. In PCT, reorganization is the process required for the adaptive modification of control systems in order to reduce the error in intrinsic systems that control essential, largely physiological, variables. The current article proposes that primary consciousness emerges from this system, and is sustained as secondary consciousness through a number of processes including the control of the integration rate of novel information via exploratory behavior, attention, imagination, and altering the mutation rate of reorganization. Tertiary consciousness arises when internally sustained perceptual information is associated with specific symbols that form a parallel, propositional system for the use of language, logic, and other symbolic systems. The hypotheses and initial research designs to test this account are provided.

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How are theories of consciousness empirically tested? The Consciousness Theories Studies (ConTraSt) database

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

Sleep Treatments in Disorders of Consciousness: A Systematic Review

An integrative control theory perspective on consciousness.

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