Making Sense of Multiple NCCs and the No-Report Paradigms
June 9, 2026 DOI: 10.33774/coe-2026-znkh4 via OpenAlex
Summary
The study presents the Twin Cognitive Cycle (TCC), a cognitive model designed to address confounding findings in neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) research, specifically multiple peaks and excessive activations observed in ERP and fMRI studies. The TCC outlines five activation stages across four cognitive regions during semantic report generation, aligning with multiple-NCC theories. It also explains how no-report paradigms can significantly lower neural activity, highlighting the complexities of understanding conscious experience.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The Twin Cognitive Cycle model provides a framework for understanding the neural processes involved in generating semantic reports and addresses issues related to multiple NCCs and no-report paradigms. |
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Abstract
Neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) studies have faced two kinds of confounding empirical findings: multiple peaks and excessive activations recorded by ERP in the temporal domain and by fMRI in the spatial domain, respectively. These confounds have led to the well-known proposals of multiple NCCs and no-report paradigms. However, ‘the exact neural underpinnings of conscious experience remain a mystery.’ This study introduces a cognitive model, the Twin Cognitive Cycle (TCC), a system-level cognitive process model developed from an executable system simulated to generate semantic reports, to make sense of the multiple peaks and ‘overestimated’ activations. The model comprises five stages of activation occurring across four cognitive regions during the generation of a semantic report, consistent with a combination of the characteristics proposed by several multiple-NCC theories. It also offers an explanation for why no-report paradigms are able to drastically reduce neural activity.