Human consciousness and cognition go hand in hand, but require different types of explanations
Aperture Neuro March 18, 2026 Melanie Boly
Consciousness is not an epiphenomenon but a prerequisite for most purposeful behaviors in humans. Over the past two decades, consciousness science has advanced from descriptive correlations to mechanistic predictions, with the Perturbational Complexity Index (PCI) from TMS-EEG indicating about a 95% probability of detecting consciousness in non-communicative patients when purposeful behavior is present. Recent studies in neurotypical individuals and communicative patients, using refined statistical methods and awareness scales validated by subjective reports, consistently suggest that some degree of stimulus awareness is necessary for above-chance performance. Consciousness, intelligence, and cognitive abilities can dissociate, motivating Integrated Information Theory, which generates testable predictions about conscious states independently of behavior.