Consciousness, Functional Networks and Delirium Screening.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Consciousness relies on integrated functional networks for introspection (Default Mode Network - DMN) and external awareness (Task Positive Network - TPN).
• Disruptions in these networks are implicated in disorders of consciousness and potentially delirium.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the role of disrupted functional networks in delirium.
• To connect network dysfunction to delirium neurobiology and clinical diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Review of functional networks (DMN, TPN) in health and delirium.
• Exploration of the relationship between delirium symptoms and network aberrancy.

Main Results:

• Delirium involves pathological co-activation of the DMN and compromised cortical connectivity.
• This disruption leads to an experiential singularity, merging internal/external drivers and effacing self-identity.
• Functional network disruption and cortical disconnectivity are proposed as central to delirium mechanisms.

Conclusions:

• Critically disrupted functional networks are central to delirium's clinical features.
• Understanding delirium neurobiology offers research and therapeutic opportunities for detection, diagnosis, and management.