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Perception, Memory, Simulation, and Consciousness: A Convergence of Theories
Andrew E Budson1,2, Hinze Hogendoorn3, Donna Rose Addis4,5,6
1Center for Translational Cognitive Neuroscience, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|January 9, 2026
Summary
Consciousness is the brain's explicit memory or simulation capacity, integrating past, present, and future events. Key brain networks, like the default mode network, are crucial for this simulation/memory process underlying conscious experience.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Theories of perception, memory, and neurology offer insights into conscious brain processes.
- Understanding the neural basis of consciousness remains a significant challenge in neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a unified theory of consciousness based on simulation and explicit memory.
- To identify the neural correlates of consciousness by linking them to simulation/memory networks.
Main Methods:
- Synthesizing existing theories from perception, memory, and neurology.
- Proposing a framework where consciousness is viewed as simulation or explicit memory.
- Identifying key brain networks involved in simulation/explicit memory.
Main Results:
- Consciousness is proposed as the explicit memory or simulation of past events, enabling present experience and future imagination.
- A seamless integration of perception and memory is suggested at short timescales (milliseconds to seconds).
- The default mode network, frontoparietal control network, and salience network are implicated as critical for consciousness due to their role in simulation/explicit memory.
Conclusions:
- Consciousness can be understood as the brain's simulation or explicit memory function.
- The neural correlates of consciousness are likely the neural correlates of simulation and explicit memory.
- Specific brain networks are essential for supporting conscious functions across various timescales.
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