Perception, Memory, Simulation, and Consciousness: A Convergence of Theories.
Andrew E Budson, Hinze Hogendoorn, Donna Rose Addis
Journal of cognitive neuroscience January 7, 2026 DOI: 10.1162/JOCN.a.2429
Summary
Consciousness may fundamentally be our brain's explicit memory of past events or its powerful capacity to simulate experiences. This suggests our conscious perceptions, decisions, and actions are sophisticated simulations of prior unconscious processes. Intriguingly, at timescales from milliseconds to seconds, perception and memory have no hard boundary. Critical brain networks, like the default mode network, are essential for this simulation and memory, thereby supporting normal consciousness. This integrated perspective illuminates the mechanisms of consciousness, from visual processing to decision-making, across timescales spanning subsecond to years.
Abstract
Our theories stemming from perception, memory, and neurology came to similar and complementary conclusions regarding the mechanism of conscious brain processes. We suggest that consciousness is the explicit memory of past events or the general cognitive capacity to simulate events, whether used to consciously remember the past, experience the present, or imagine the future. Perceptual mechanisms may represent an ongoing, editable, "best estimate" of our past, present, and future. In fact, at milliseconds to seconds timescales, there may be no hard boundary between perception and memory. We view conscious perceptions, decisions, and actions as simulations of prior unconscious sensations, decisions, and actions. As consciousness is the simulation/explicit memory of past events, the neural correlates of consciousness may therefore be the neural correlates of simulation/explicit memory. Because the default mode network, along with the frontoparietal control and salience networks, is critical for simulation/explicit memory, it is likely critical for normal consciousness. Each aspect of consciousness (e.g., visual, auditory, decision-making) may have its own neural correlate. Lastly, by combining our three theories, our synthesis can shed light on conscious perceptions, decisions, and actions in timescales ranging from subsecond to seconds, minutes, days, months, and years.