Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems
Christof Koch, Marcello Massimini, Melanie Boly, Giulio Tononi
Nature reviews. Neuroscience April 20, 2016 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2016.22 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThe neural correlates of consciousness—the minimum neural mechanisms sufficient for any one specific conscious percept—are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, rather than to a fronto-parietal network involved in task monitoring and reporting. Some candidate neurophysiological markers of consciousness have proved illusory, while measures of differentiation and integration of neural activity offer more promising quantitative indices of consciousness.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Neuroscience Neurophysiology Cognitive psychology Sensory system Level of consciousness |
| Citations | 1,654 |
| Key finding | The anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, not to a fronto-parietal network. |
Abstract
There have been a number of advances in the search for the neural correlates of consciousness--the minimum neural mechanisms sufficient for any one specific conscious percept. In this Review, we describe recent findings showing that the anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, rather than to a fronto-parietal network involved in task monitoring and reporting. We also discuss some candidate neurophysiological markers of consciousness that have proved illusory, and measures of differentiation and integration of neural activity that offer more promising quantitative indices of consciousness.