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A neuroscientific approach to consciousness
Susan A Greenfield1, Toby F T Collins
1Department of Pharmacology, Mansfield Road, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QT, UK. susan.greenfield@pharm.ox.ac.uk
Progress in Brain Research
|September 28, 2005
Summary
Consciousness is not a unique human trait but a continuously variable property of the brain. Its emergence is linked to quantitative increases in brain complexity across species and development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Consciousness lacks a formal operational definition in neuroscience.
- Consciousness is distinct from self-consciousness, experienced as a basic subjective state.
- The subjective state of consciousness is not exclusive to the human brain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the physiological basis of consciousness.
- To propose a scientific view of consciousness as a consequence of brain complexity.
- To investigate consciousness across phylogenetic and ontogenetic scales.
Main Methods:
- Review of current neuroscientific understanding.
- Analysis of anatomical and physiological properties of the central nervous system.
- Discussion of modern techniques for determining the physiological basis of consciousness.
Main Results:
- Consciousness is not an all-or-none phenomenon generated at a specific point.
- No clear phylogenetic or ontogenetic line marks the generation of consciousness.
- Consciousness likely increases quantitatively with brain growth and complexity.
Conclusions:
- Consciousness is a continuously variable property of the brain.
- Brain complexity, not a unique property, underlies consciousness.
- Modern techniques can help elucidate the physiological underpinnings of consciousness.