The evolutionary origins of the Global Neuronal Workspace in vertebrates.
Neuroscience of consciousness January 1, 2023 Oryan Zacks, Eva Jablonka 45 citations
The Global Neuronal Workspace theory, which links consciousness to cognitive functions like perception and memory, aligns with the Unlimited Associative Learning theory that describes minimal consciousness. However, applying these models to basal vertebrates requires significant adjustments based on brain evolution. Comparative evidence indicates that in these vertebrates, the workspace is implemented by the event memory system in the hippocampal homolog. This offers testable predictions about hippocampal and cortical roles, the evolutionary link between memory and consciousness, and the development of unified perception.