Models of consciousness

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Models of consciousness are used to illustrate and aid in understanding and explaining distinctive aspects of consciousness. Sometimes the models are labeled theories of consciousness. Anil Seth defines such models as those that relate brain phenomena such as fast irregular electrical activity and widespread brain activation to properties of consciousness such as qualia. Seth allows for different types of models including mathematical, logical, verbal and conceptual models. [1] [2]

Contents

Neuroscience

Neural correlates of consciousness

The Neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) formalism is used as a major step towards explaining consciousness. The NCC are defined to constitute the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for a specific conscious percept, and consequently sufficient for consciousness. In this formalism, consciousness is viewed as a state-dependent property of some undefined complex, adaptive, and highly interconnected biological system. [3] [4] [5]

Dehaene–Changeux model

The Dehaene–Changeux model (DCM), also known as the global neuronal workspace or the global cognitive workspace model is a computer model of the neural correlates of consciousness programmed as a neural network. Stanislas Dehaene and Jean-Pierre Changeux introduced this model in 1986. [6] It is associated with Bernard Baars's Global workspace theory for consciousness.

Electromagnetic theories of consciousness

Electromagnetic theories of consciousness propose that consciousness can be understood as an electromagnetic phenomenon that occurs when a brain produces an electromagnetic field with specific characteristics. [7] [8] Some electromagnetic theories are also quantum mind theories of consciousness. [9]

Orchestrated objective reduction

Orchestrated objective reduction (Orch-OR) model is based on the hypothesis that consciousness in the brain originates from quantum processes inside neurons, rather than from connections between neurons (the conventional view). The mechanism is held to be associated with molecular structures called microtubules. The hypothesis was advanced by Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff and has been the subject of extensive debate, [10] [11]

Thalamic reticular networking model of consciousness

Min proposed in a 2010 paper a Thalamic reticular networking model of consciousness. [12] The model suggests consciousness as a "mental state embodied through TRN-modulated synchronization of thalamocortical networks". In this model the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is suggested as ideally suited for controlling the entire cerebral network, and responsible (via GABAergic networking) for synchronization of neural activity.

Holographic models of consciousness

A number of researchers, most notably Karl Pribram and David Bohm, have proposed holographic models of consciousness [13] as a way to explain number of problems of consciousness using the properties of hologram. A number of these theories overlap to some extent with quantum theories of mind.

Medicine

Clouding of consciousness

Clouding of consciousness, also known as brain fog or mental fog, is a term used in medicine denoting an abnormality in the regulation of the overall level of consciousness that is mild and less severe than a delirium. [14] It is part of an overall model where there's regulation of the "overall level" of the consciousness of the brain and aspects responsible for "arousal" or "wakefulness" and awareness of oneself and of the environment. [15]

Philosophy

Multiple drafts model

Daniel Dennett proposed a physicalist, information processing based multiple drafts model of consciousness described more fully in his 1991 book, Consciousness Explained.

Functionalism

Functionalism is a view in the theory of the mind. It states that mental states (beliefs, desires, being in pain, etc.) are constituted solely by their functional role – that is, they have causal relations to other mental states, numerous sensory inputs, and behavioral outputs.

Sociology

Sociology of human consciousness uses the theories and methodology of sociology to explain human consciousness. The theory and its models emphasize the importance of language, collective representations, self-conceptions, and self-reflectivity. It argues that the shape and feel of human consciousness is heavily social.

Spirituality

Eight-circuit model of consciousness

Timothy Leary introduced [16] and Robert Anton Wilson [17] and Antero Alli [18] elaborated the Eight-circuit model of consciousness as hypothesis that "suggested eight periods [circuits] and twenty-four stages of neurological evolution".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Consciousness</span> Awareness of existence

Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of internal and external existence. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debate by philosophers, theologians, and scientists. Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied or even considered consciousness. In some explanations, it is synonymous with the mind, and at other times, an aspect of mind. In the past, it was one's "inner life", the world of introspection, of private thought, imagination and volition. Today, it often includes any kind of cognition, experience, feeling or perception. It may be awareness, awareness of awareness, or self-awareness either continuously changing or not. The disparate range of research, notions and speculations raises a curiosity about whether the right questions are being asked.

Artificial consciousness (AC), also known as machine consciousness (MC), synthetic consciousness or digital consciousness, is the consciousness hypothesized to be possible in artificial intelligence. It is also the corresponding field of study, which draws insights from philosophy of mind, philosophy of artificial intelligence, cognitive science and neuroscience. The same terminology can be used with the term "sentience" instead of "consciousness" when specifically designating phenomenal consciousness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stuart Hameroff</span> American anesthesiologist

Stuart Hameroff is an American anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Arizona known for his studies of consciousness and his controversial contention that consciousness originates from quantum states in neural microtubules. He is the lead organizer of the Science of Consciousness conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orchestrated objective reduction</span> Theory of a quantum origin of consciousness

Orchestrated objective reduction is a highly controversial theory postulating that consciousness originates at the quantum level inside neurons. The mechanism is held to be a quantum process called objective reduction that is orchestrated by cellular structures called microtubules. It is proposed that the theory may answer the hard problem of consciousness and provide a mechanism for free will. The hypothesis was first put forward in the early 1990s by Nobel laureate for physics, Roger Penrose, and anaesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff. The hypothesis combines approaches from molecular biology, neuroscience, pharmacology, philosophy, quantum information theory, and quantum gravity.

The consciousness and binding problem is the problem of how objects, background, and abstract or emotional features are combined into a single experience.

Electromagnetic theories of consciousness propose that consciousness can be understood as an electromagnetic phenomenon.

Henry Pierce Stapp is an American mathematical physicist, known for his work in quantum mechanics, particularly the development of axiomatic S-matrix theory, the proofs of strong nonlocality properties, and the place of free will in the "orthodox" quantum mechanics of John von Neumann.

Global workspace theory (GWT) is a framework for thinking about consciousness proposed by cognitive scientists Bernard Baars and Stan Franklin in the late 1980s. It was developed to qualitatively account for a large set of matched pairs of conscious and unconscious processes. GWT has been influential in modeling consciousness and higher-order cognition as emerging from competition and integrated flows of information across widespread, parallel neural processes.

Holonomic brain theory is a branch of neuroscience investigating the idea that human consciousness is formed by quantum effects in or between brain cells. Holonomic refers to representations in a Hilbert phase space defined by both spectral and space-time coordinates. Holonomic brain theory is opposed by traditional neuroscience, which investigates the brain's behavior by looking at patterns of neurons and the surrounding chemistry.

In the field of computational neuroscience, the theory of metastability refers to the human brain's ability to integrate several functional parts and to produce neural oscillations in a cooperative and coordinated manner, providing the basis for conscious activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neural binding</span>

Neural binding is the neuroscientific aspect of what is commonly known as the binding problem: the interdisciplinary difficulty of creating a comprehensive and verifiable model for the unity of consciousness. "Binding" refers to the integration of highly diverse neural information in the forming of one's cohesive experience. The neural binding hypothesis states that neural signals are paired through synchronized oscillations of neuronal activity that combine and recombine to allow for a wide variety of responses to context-dependent stimuli. These dynamic neural networks are thought to account for the flexibility and nuanced response of the brain to various situations. The coupling of these networks is transient, on the order of milliseconds, and allows for rapid activity.

<i>Shadows of the Mind</i> Book by Roger Penrose

Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness is a 1994 book by mathematical physicist Roger Penrose that serves as a followup to his 1989 book The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds and The Laws of Physics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanislas Dehaene</span> French cognitive neuroscientist

Stanislas Dehaene is a French author and cognitive neuroscientist whose research centers on a number of topics, including numerical cognition, the neural basis of reading and the neural correlates of consciousness. As of 2017, he is a professor at the Collège de France and, since 1989, the director of INSERM Unit 562, "Cognitive Neuroimaging".

The quantum mind or quantum consciousness is a group of hypotheses proposing that local physical laws and interactions from classical mechanics or connections between neurons alone cannot explain consciousness, positing instead that quantum-mechanical phenomena, such as entanglement and superposition that cause nonlocalized quantum effects, interacting in smaller features of the brain than cells, may play an important part in the brain's function and could explain critical aspects of consciousness. These scientific hypotheses are as yet unvalidated, and they can overlap with quantum mysticism.

Recurrent thalamo-cortical resonance or Thalamocortical oscillation is an observed phenomenon of oscillatory neural activity between the thalamus and various cortical regions of the brain. It is proposed by Rodolfo Llinas and others as a theory for the integration of sensory information into the whole of perception in the brain. Thalamocortical oscillation is proposed to be a mechanism of synchronization between different cortical regions of the brain, a process known as temporal binding. This is possible through the existence of thalamocortical networks, groupings of thalamic and cortical cells that exhibit oscillatory properties.

Neurophysics is the branch of biophysics dealing with the development and use of physical methods to gain information about the nervous system. Neurophysics is an interdisciplinary science using physics and combining it with other neurosciences to better understand neural processes. The methods used include the techniques of experimental biophysics and other physical measurements such as EEG mostly to study electrical, mechanical or fluidic properties, as well as theoretical and computational approaches. The term "neurophysics" is a portmanteau of "neuron" and "physics".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neural correlates of consciousness</span> Neuronal events sufficient for a specific conscious percept

The neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are the minimal set of neuronal events and mechanisms sufficient for the occurrence of the mental states to which they are related. Neuroscientists use empirical approaches to discover neural correlates of subjective phenomena; that is, neural changes which necessarily and regularly correlate with a specific experience. The set should be minimal because, under the materialist assumption that the brain is sufficient to give rise to any given conscious experience, the question is which of its components are necessary to produce it.

The Dehaene–Changeux model (DCM), also known as the global neuronal workspace, or global cognitive workspace model, is a part of Bernard Baars's global workspace model for consciousness.

<i>Consciousness and the Brain</i> 2014 book by Stanislas Dehaene

Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts is a 2014 book by Stanislas Dehaene. It summarizes research on the neuroscience of consciousness, particularly from recent decades.

Theories of holographic consciousness postulate that consciousness has structural and functional similarities to a hologram, in that the information needed to model the whole is contained within each constituent component.

References

  1. ↑ Seth, Anil (2007). "Models of consciousness". Scholarpedia. 2 (1): 1328. Bibcode:2007SchpJ...2.1328S. doi: 10.4249/scholarpedia.1328 .
  2. ↑ Seth, A. K. & Baars, B. J. 2005 Neural Darwinism and consciousness. Consciousness and Cognition 14, 140-168
  3. ↑ Crick F. and Koch C. (1990) Towards a neurobiological theory of consciousness. Seminars in Neuroscience Vol2, 263–275.
  4. ↑ Koch, Christof (2004). The quest for consciousness: a neurobiological approach. Englewood, US-CO: Roberts & Company Publishers. ISBN   0-9747077-0-8.
  5. ↑ Squire, Larry R. (2008). Fundamental neuroscience (3rd ed.). Academic Press. ISBN   0-12-374019-3.
  6. ↑ Dehaene S, Changeux JP. Experimental and theoretical approaches to conscious processing. Neuron. 2011 Apr 28;70(2):200-27.
  7. ↑ Pockett, Susan (2000). The Nature of Consciousness: A Hypothesis. iUniverse. ISBN   0-595-12215-9.
  8. ↑ Pockett, Susan (2012). "The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness: a testable hypothesis about the characteristics of conscious as opposed to non-conscious fields". Journal of Consciousness Studies . 19 (11-12): 191–223. ISSN   1355-8250.
  9. ↑ Mari Jibu; Kunio Yasue {1995}. Quantum brain dynamics and consciousness. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN   1-55619-183-9.
  10. ↑ Hameroff, Stuart; Penrose, Roger (March 2014). "Consciousness in the universe: A review of the 'Orch OR' theory". Physics of Life Reviews. Elsevier. 11 (1): 39–78. doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2013.08.002. PMID   24070914.
  11. ↑ Hameroff, Stuart; Penrose, Roger (March 2014). "Reply to seven commentaries on "Consciousness in the universe: Review of the 'Orch OR' theory"". Physics of Life Reviews. Elsevier. 11 (1): 104–112. doi:10.1016/j.plrev.2013.11.014.
  12. ↑ Min, B. K. (2010). A thalamic reticular networking model of consciousness. Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling, 7(1), 10. https://tbiomed.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1742-4682-7-10
  13. ↑ Joye, Shelli R. (2017-03-25). "Tuning the Mind in the Frequency Domain: Karl Pribram's Holonomic Brain Theory and David Bohm's Implicate Order". Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy. 13 (2): 166–184. ISSN   1832-9101.
  14. ↑ Plum and Posner's diagnosis of stupor and coma. Oxford University Press. 2007
  15. ↑ Augusto Caraceni; Luigi Grassi (2011). Delirium: Acute Confusional States in Palliative Medicine. Oxford University Press
  16. ↑ Leary, Timothy (1987). Info-Psychology. (Seventh Print, 2011). New Falcon Publications. p. xii. ISBN   1-56184-105-6.
  17. ↑ Wilson, Robert Anton (1983). Prometheus Rising . (Reprint - 1992). New Falcon Publications. ISBN   1-56184-056-4.
  18. ↑ Alli, Antero (2009). The Eight-Circuit Brain: Navigational Strategies for the Energetic Body. Vertical Pool Publishing. ISBN   978-0-9657341-3-4.
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