A reduced level of consciousness affects non-conscious processes
bioRxiv Preprint Server November 10, 2020 A. Fontan, L. Lindgren, T. Pedale et al. preprint
Sedation with Propofol alters non-conscious brain processes as much as conscious ones, challenging the assumption that anesthetics selectively suppress consciousness. By manipulating both the content (conscious vs. non-conscious perception) and level (arousal via sedation) of consciousness during fMRI, the authors found that these two aspects are dissociable. This suggests that level and content of consciousness are separate phenomena, prompting a re-evaluation of what it means to be conscious.