Theories of consciousness

Seth, Anil K.; Bayne, Tim

doi:10.1038/s41583-022-00587-4

Cited by 376 publications

(294 citation statements)

References 168 publications

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“…Therefore, our finding of the importance of NMDA receptors and a (potentially subcortical) vigilance signal to ignition is consistent with multiple converging lines of evidence, which are illuminating the network, cellular and synaptic mechanisms of conscious processing. In the future, the development of large-scale network simulations with spiking neurons (Brette et al 2007; Joglekar et al 2018), linking from ion channels to dendritic, laminar, areal and brain-wide dynamics (Goldman et al 2019) across species (Sanz Leon et al 2013) should help link across the scales of neuroscience and provide a platform to test various theories of consciousness (Doerig et al 2021; Seth and Bayne 2022; Signorelli et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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%

“…;Joglekar et al 2018), linking from ion channels to dendritic, laminar, areal and brain-wide dynamics(Goldman et al 2019) across species (SanzLeon et al 2013) should help link across the scales of neuroscience and provide a platform to test various theories of consciousness(Doerig et al 2021;Seth and Bayne 2022;Signorelli et al 2021). …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

Klatzmann

Bliss

Theodoni

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…As this article goes to press a new review article has been published listing 22 theories of consciousness, including the EM field theory of consciousness. This evidences a small improvement in the visibility of the EM account of consciousness ( Seth and Bayne, 2022 ). The abstracting-away of the EM basis of the brain (physics-shyness within neuroscience) is a common factor that is the most likely explanation of the observed relative obscurity.…”

Section: Part I: Abc-correlates Of Consciousness Are Electromagnetic ...mentioning

confidence: 89%

“…The primary origin of causation in the brain is that which inheres in its fundamental EM field basis: the Lorentz force ( Supplementary Material A ). The Lorentz force (EM in general) lacks all specification of “what it is like to be the Lorentz force.” There has, more recently, been some success using EM field measurements to quantify and explore the integrated information content (measured level of P-Consciousness) of the vast and real fundamental EM field system of the brain impressed on space as per Supplementary Material A (Koch, 2019 ; Seth and Bayne, 2022 ). How can IIT use EM as empirical evidence (thereby proving EM delivers the 1PP) while, in effect, denying that it is EM that is actually delivering the 1PP?…”

Section: Part I: Abc-correlates Of Consciousness Are Electromagnetic ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It seems an apt way of forging a path ahead. IIT and its variants have already demonstrated unique progress in “detecting consciousness” using EM field measurements ( Koch, 2019 ; Seth and Bayne, 2022 ). It may be that IIT’s apparent access to deeper insight is actually a result of it being unknowingly involved in the novel (ii) kind of fundamental physics.…”

Section: Part Ii: a Speculated Route To Explanation For The Science O...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electromagnetism’s Bridge Across the Explanatory Gap: How a Neuroscience/Physics Collaboration Delivers Explanation Into All Theories of Consciousness

Hales

Ericson

2022

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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A productive, informative three decades of correlates of phenomenal consciousness (P-Consciousness) have delivered valuable knowledge while simultaneously locating us in a unique and unprecedented explanatory cul-de-sac. Observational correlates are demonstrated to be intrinsically very unlikely to explain or lead to a fundamental principle underlying the strongly emergent 1st-person-perspective (1PP) invisibly stowed away inside them. That lack is now solidly evidenced in practice. To escape our explanatory impasse, this article focuses on fundamental physics (the standard model of particle physics), which brings to light a foundational argument for how the brain is an essentially electromagnetic (EM) field object from the atomic level up. That is, our multitude of correlates of P-Consciousness are actually descriptions of specific EM field behaviors that are posed (hypothesized) as “the right” correlate by a particular theory of consciousness. Because of this, our 30 years of empirical progress can be reinterpreted as, in effect, the delivery of a large body of evidence that the standard model’s EM quadrant can deliver a 1PP. That is, all theories of consciousness are, in the end, merely recipes that select a particular subset of the totality of EM field expression that is brain tissue. With a universal convergence on EM, the science of P-Consciousness becomes a collaborative effort between neuroscience and physics. The collaboration acts in pursuit of a unified explanation applicable to all theories of consciousness while remaining mindful that the process still contains no real explanation as to why or how EM fields deliver a 1PP. The apparent continued lack of explanation is, however, different: this time, the way forward is opened through its direct connection to fundamental physics. This is the first result (Part I). Part II posits, in general terms, a structural (epistemic) add-on/upgrade to the standard model that has the potential to deliver the missing route to an explanation of how subjectivity is delivered through EM fields. The revised standard model, under the neuroscience/physics collaboration, intimately integrates with the existing “correlates of-” paradigm, which acts as its source of empirical evidence. No existing theory of consciousness is lost or invalidated.

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Advanced near‐infrared light approaches for neuroimaging and neuromodulation

Yin

Jiang

Liu

et al. 2023

BMEMat

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Almost all physiological processes of animals are controlled by the brain, including language, cognitive, memory, learning, emotion and so forth. Minor brain dysfunction usually leads to brain diseases and disorders. Therefore, it' is greatly meaningful and urgent for scientists to have a better understanding of brain structure and function. Optical approaches can provide powerful tools for imaging and modulating physiological processes of the brain. In particular, optical approaches in the near-infrared (NIR) window (700-1700 nm) exhibit excellent prosperities of deep tissue penetration and low tissue scattering and absorption compared with those of visible windows (400-700 nm), which provides a promising approach for scientists to develop desired methods of neuroimaging and neuromodulation in deep brain tissues. In this review, variable types of NIR light approaches for imaging and modulating neural ions, membrane potential, neurotransmitters, and other critical molecules for brain functions and diseases are summarized. In particular, the latest breakthrough research of brain imaging and brain regulation in the NIR-II window (1000-1700 nm) are highlighted. Finally, we conclude the challenges and prospects of NIR light-based neuroimaging and neuromodulation for both basic brain research and further clinical translation.

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Theories of consciousness

Cited by 376 publications

References 168 publications

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

A connectome-based model of conscious access in monkey cortex

Electromagnetism’s Bridge Across the Explanatory Gap: How a Neuroscience/Physics Collaboration Delivers Explanation Into All Theories of Consciousness

Advanced near‐infrared light approaches for neuroimaging and neuromodulation

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