The evolutionary origins of the Global Neuronal Workspace in vertebrates.

Summary

The Global Neuronal Workspace theory connects consciousness with cognitive functions like memory and perception. In a comparative analysis of vertebrates, it was found that the event memory system in the hippocampal homolog plays a crucial role in minimal consciousness. This approach highlights significant evolutionary adaptations in fish neuroanatomy, suggesting that their cognitive-affective architecture aligns with Unlimited Associative Learning principles. With implications for understanding hippocampal functions, the study emphasizes how basal vertebrates exhibit forms of animal consciousness through unlimited associative learning mechanisms.

Abstract

The Global Neuronal Workspace theory of consciousness offers an explicit functional architecture that relates consciousness to cognitive abilities such as perception, attention, memory, and evaluation. We show that the functional architecture of the Global Neuronal Workspace, which is based mainly on human studies, corresponds to the cognitive-affective architecture proposed by the Unlimited Associative Learning theory that describes minimal consciousness. However, we suggest that when applied to basal vertebrates, both models require important modifications to accommodate what has been learned about the evolution of the vertebrate brain. Most importantly, comparative studies suggest that in basal vertebrates, the Global Neuronal Workspace is instantiated by the event memory system found in the hippocampal homolog. This proposal has testable predictions and implications for understanding hippocampal and cortical functions, the evolutionary relations between memory and consciousness, and the evolution of unified perception.

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