Neural correlates of consciousness: what we know and what we have to learn!
Neurological Sciences January 15, 2015 R. Calabró, A. Cacciola, P. Bramanti et al.
Consciousness comprises awareness of self and environment (content) and wakefulness (level). It depends on the brainstem and thalamus for arousal, with basic cognition supported by recurrent electrical activity between cortex and thalamus at gamma band frequencies. Some working memory must be fleetingly present for awareness. Advances in neuroimaging, particularly functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging, now allow direct, non-invasive measurement of brain activity and white matter integrity in normal subjects and patients with disorders of consciousness.