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Human consciousness is supported by dynamic complex patterns of brain signal coordination
A Demertzi1,2,3, E Tagliazucchi3,4, S Dehaene5,6
1GIGA-Consciousness, GIGA Institute B34, University of Liège, Avenue de l'Hôpital, 11, 4000 Sart Tilman, Belgium.
Science Advances
|February 19, 2019
Summary
Consciousness relies on complex brain signal coordination. Unconscious states, like after brain damage or anesthesia, show simpler, less dynamic brain patterns, indicating a loss of rich brain dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Brain Dynamics
Background:
- Human consciousness is intricately linked to brain dynamics.
- Understanding the neural correlates of consciousness is crucial, especially in altered states like brain injury or anesthesia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if dynamic signal coordination in brain activity can identify specific patterns for conscious versus unconscious states.
- To establish generalizable neural fingerprints for different states of consciousness.
Main Methods:
- Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyze dynamic signal coordination patterns.
- Examined brain activity in healthy individuals, minimally conscious patients, unresponsive patients, patients with covert cognition, and during anesthesia.
Main Results:
- Healthy individuals and minimally conscious patients exhibited coordinated and anticoordinated fMRI signal patterns.
- Unresponsive patients displayed reduced interareal phase coherence and limited pattern transitions.
- Covert cognition and anesthesia studies corroborated the link between complex dynamics and consciousness, and simpler dynamics and unconsciousness, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Consciousness is dependent on the brain's capacity to maintain complex and dynamic signal coordination.
- The study identified distinct neural signatures for conscious and unconscious states, offering potential biomarkers.
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