Decoding the circuitry of consciousness: from local microcircuits to brain-scale networks
Julien Modolo, Mahmoud Hassan, Fabrice Wendling, Pascal Benquet
arXiv Preprint Archive July 26, 2019 via arXiv
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractOur brains create consciousness through an intricate dance of neural circuits, from tiny local networks to vast brain-spanning connections. New research reveals how specific inhibitory neurons help orchestrate this complex symphony, while the balance between fast local signals and slower long-distance communication proves crucial for awareness. Understanding these mechanisms offers hope for treating consciousness disorders and explains how our brains generate our conscious experience.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Q-bio.nc Neuroscience Consciousness Neural-networks Brain-connectivity |
| Key finding | Cellular-scale mechanisms involving GABAergic interneurons and nested oscillations could extend current theories of consciousness. |
Abstract
Identifying the physiological processes underlying the emergence and maintenance of consciousness is one of the most fundamental problems of neuroscience, with implications ranging from fundamental neuroscience to the treatment of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). One major challenge is to understand how cortical circuits at drastically different spatial scales, from local networks to brain-scale networks, operate in concert to enable consciousness, and how those processes are impaired in DOC patients. In this review, we attempt to relate available neurophysiological and clinical data with existing theoretical models of consciousness, while linking the micro- and macro-circuit levels. First, we address the relationships between awareness and wakefulness on the one hand, and cortico-cortical, and thalamo-cortical connectivity on the other hand. Second, we discuss the role of three main types of GABAergic interneurons in specific circuits responsible for the dynamical re-organization of functional networks. Third, we explore advances in the functional role of nested oscillations for neural synchronization and communication, emphasizing the importance of the balance between local (high-frequency) and distant (low-frequency) activity for efficient information processing. The clinical implications of these theoretical considerations are presented. We propose that such cellular-scale mechanisms could extend current theories of consciousness.