Fluctuations in Neural Complexity During Wakefulness Relate To Conscious Level and Cognition
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) September 23, 2021 Pedro A. M. Mediano, Aleksi Ikkala, Rogier Kievit et al. 30 citations preprint
Neural complexity measures, which can distinguish conscious from unconscious states, also detect meaningful fluctuations in conscious level during normal wakefulness. Using MEG and fMRI data from healthy adults, complexity decreased as participants became drowsy, validating the approach. Complexity changed within and between tasks, and higher complexity was associated with better performance and faster reaction times on an executive task. This offers a new way to explore the cognitive and neural basis of consciousness.