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10.1: Consciousness

  • Page ID
    217214
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    Learning Objectives
    • Differentiate the main theories of consciousness.
    • Describe the Default Mode Network including its associated brain structures and its role in varying levels of consciousness

    Overview

    What does it mean to be conscious? Clearly when someone has fainted, they are unconscious, and when they are sitting up and solving a math problem alongside you they are conscious. But consider the case of a child sleepwalking through their home in the middle of the night and not answering when asked if everything was alright. Would you say she was conscious? Alternately, is there a difference between the kind of consciousness someone experiences while taking an exam, versus when they have eaten some THC edibles or are meditating? This chapter will examine theories about whether consciousness varies on levels or types. We will also explore research looking at the brain underpinnings of these different states including the role of the Default Mode Network (brain areas involved in resting and wakefulness).

    Theories of Consciousness

    Conscious states can be thought of as global dimensions of consciousness that can modulate how we think, feel and behave (Bayne and Hohwy 2016; Bayne et al. 2016). For example, in the state of ordinary waking awareness, a wide variety of inputs can enter consciousness, and a wide variety of cognitive and behavioral capacities can be exercised. In other conscious states, however, both the range of conscious content and the range of cognitive and behavioral capacities may be curtailed. Conditions that are often associated with changes in conscious state include post-comatose disorders of consciousness (Bruno et al. 2011; Casarotto et al. 2016), sleep and drug-induced sedation (Sarasso et al. 2015), and certain pathologies of consciousness, such as epileptic absence seizures (Gloor 1986; Blumenfeld 2005; Bayne 2011). For example, Minimally Conscious State patients can track certain features of their environment (such as the presence of motion or the semantic content of simple instructions), but they lack the capacity to engage in complex forms of cognition or behavior, and they seem unable to entertain complex thoughts or ideas (Giacino et al. 2002).

    The Integrated Information Theory of Consciousness (IITC) is one theory suggesting that consciousness can be explained in terms of levels (Tononi & Koch, 2015). However, this assumes that conscious states can be ordered along a single continuum. Indeed, using transcranial magnetic stimulation and computerized compression of the wave patterns that result, Casali et al (2013) figured out a way to objectively measure different states of consciousness including healthy subjects who are awake, dreaming, in NREM sleep, and those who are sedated, as well as in patients who had emerged from coma. But these are still not quite levels, and might indeed be thought of as qualitatively separate states of consciousness.

    On the other hand, Bayne and Carter (2018) claim that consciousness ought to be construed in multidimensional terms, and that conscious states can differ from each other along multiple dimensions. For example, one of their central claims is that although the psychedelic state is distinct from the state of ordinary waking awareness, it is neither ‘higher’ nor ‘lower’ than the state of ordinary waking awareness.

    The Global Workspace Theory of Consciousness (Dahaene et al., 2017) holds that changes in consciousness only involve ‘vigilance’ and ‘wakefulness’ where there is global availability of content. But this theory does not consider the multidimensional nature of consciousness.

    Consider the state of consciousness elicited by psychedelic drugs. The psychedelic state involves a state that certainly differs from that associated with ordinary waking awareness, but there is no reason to think that individuals in the psychedelic state are more conscious (or, for that matter, less conscious) than individuals who are not in it. Why do psychedelics increase the vividness, complexity and possibly also the bandwidth of sensory experience? What explains the systematic effects that psychedelics have on the experience of unity across a wide range of domains (e.g. time, space and the self)? Addressing these questions have helped researchers to identify the various dimensions that structure consciousness. Additionally, since much is known about the neurochemical effects of psychedelics, using this knowledge in both animal models and human imaging might provide a window into understanding the neural basis of consciousness.

    Default Mode Network

    Raichle et al coined the term, Default Mode Network (DMN) in 2001 to describe how the brain is constantly active even when not doing anything actively (See Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). The regions in this network exhibit decreased activation when engaging in goal-oriented or attention-demanding tasks, and therefore facilitate a “default” functional state within the brain. (Raichle et al., 2001; Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)).

    The brain is constantly active even when it is not engaged in a task. This network is active when one is in a state of wakeful rest, for example when one is daydreaming, relaxing, or meditating. It used to also be called the task negative network – meaning that it was deactivated when we are engaged in a particular task. The main parts in this network include the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus and angular gyrus.

    FMRI (side and horizontal view) of head with the medial prefrontal, precuneus and angular gyrus
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): FMRI of Default Mode Network from Functional MRI in the investigation of blast-related traumatic brain injury by Graner, Oakes, French and Riedy in the Public Domain.

    DMN activation is modulated in different types of consciousness changes. Table \(\PageIndex{1}\) summarizes studies showing these connections.

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Different studies have shown the ways in which the Default Mode Network (DMN) is affected by psychological events.
    Consciousness change Effect on DMN Research credit
    Acupuncture DMN connectivity reduced in pain response Huang et al, 2012
    Meditation Structural changes in areas of precuneus Fox et al, 2014
    Resting wakefulness Increase in DMN Picchioni et al, 2013
    Sleep deprivation Decrease in connectivity McKenna & Eyler, 2012
    Use of psychedelics reduced blood flow to precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex Carhart-Ellis et al, 2012
    Deep brain stimulation used to rebalance the restful brain structures Kringelbach et al, 2011
    Psychotherapy helps stabilize the DMN in PTSD sufferers Sripada et al, 2012
    Attention training techniques help increase connectivity in DMN Kowalski et al, 2020
    Antidepressant use improves abnormalities in DMN in PTSD sufferers Akiki et al, 2017
    Physical activity and exercise alters DMN Shao et al, 2019; Muraskin et al, 2016; Voss et al, 2019

    Summary

    There has been a lot of research into what consciousness means philosophically and how that ties in with brain activity. Clearly, when one is asleep there is a difference in the awareness of stimuli, thought and function behaviorally. Biological psychologists have attempted to establish whether the differences in consciousness experienced while awake, asleep, under the influence of different drugs, while meditating, and in comatose states are qualitative or quantitative differences. Images of the brain in these different conditions have helped scientists come up with theories - and arguments - for each of these positions

    References

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    Bayne T. (2011). The presence of consciousness in absence seizures. Behav Neurol, 24(1:47-53. doi: 10.3233/BEN-2011-0318

    Bayne, T., & Hohwy, J. (2016). Modes of consciousness. In: Sinnott-Armstrong W. (ed.), Finding Consciousness: The Neuroscience, Ethics and Law of Severe Brain Damage. New York: Oxford University Press, 57–80.

    Bayne, T., Hohwy, J., & Owen, A.M. (2016). Are there levels of consciousness? Trends Cogn Sci 20, 405–413.

    Blumenfeld H. (2005). Consciousness and epilepsy: why are patients with absence seizures absent? Prog Brain Res. 150, 271-286. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(05)50020-7.

    Bruno, M. A., Vanhaudenhuyse, A., Thibaut, A., Moonen, G., & Laureys, S. (2011). From unresponsive wakefulness to minimally conscious PLUS and functional locked-in syndromes: recent advances in our understanding of disorders of consciousness. J Neurol. 258(7),1373-1384. doi: 10.1007/s00415-011-6114-x.

    Carhart-Harris, R. L., Erritzoe, D., Williams, T., Stone, J. M., Reed, L. J., Colasanti, A., Tyacke, R. J., Leech, R., Malizia, A. L., Murphy, K., Hobden, P., Evans, J., Feilding, A., Wise, R. G., & Nutt, D. J. (2012). Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(6), 2138–2143. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1119598109

    Casali, A.G., Gosseries, O., Rosanova, M., Boly, M., Sarasso, S., Casali, P., Casarotto, S., Bruno, M., Laureys, S., Tononi, G., & Massimini, M. (2013) A theoretically based index of consciousness independent of sensory processing and behavior. Sci Transl Med, 14(5),198ra105. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006294.

    Casarotto, S., Comanducci, A., Rosanova, M., Sarasso, S., Fecchio, M., Napolitani, M., Pigorini, A., Casali, A., Trimarchi, P. D., Boly, M., Gosseries, O., Bodart, O., Curto, F., Landi, C., Mariotti, M., Devalle, G., Laureys, S., Tononi, G., & Massimini, M. (2016). Stratification of unresponsive patients by an independently validated index of brain complexity. Ann Neurol. 80(5), 718-729. doi: 10.1002/ana.24779.

    Dehaene, S., Lau, H., & Kouider, S. (2017). What is consciousness, and could machines have it? Science, 358, 486-492. doi: 10.1126/science.aan8871.

    Fox, K. C. R, Nijeboer, S., Dixon, M. L., Floman, J. L., Ellamil, M., Rumak, S. P., Sedlmeier, P., & Christoff, K. (2014). Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 43, 48-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.016.

    Giacino, J.T., Ashwal, S., Childs, N., Cranford, R., Jennett, B., Katz, D.I., Kelly, J.P., Rosenberg, J.H., Whyte, J., Zafonte, R.D., & Zasler, N.D. (2002). The minimally conscious state: definition and diagnostic criteria. Neurology,58(3):349-353. doi: 10.1212/wnl.58.3.349.

    Gloor P. (1986). Consciousness as a neurological concept in epileptology: a critical review. Epilepsia. 27 Suppl 2:S14-26. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1157.1986.tb05737.x.

    Graner, J., Oakes, T. R., French, L. M. & Riedy, G. (2013). Functional MRI in the investigation of blast-related traumatic brain injury. Frontiers in Neurology, 4, 16, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2013.00016

    Huang, W., Pach, D., Napadow, V., Park, K., Long, X., Neumann, J., Maeda, Y., Nierhaus, T., Liang, F., & Witt, C. M. (2012). Characterizing acupuncture stimuli using brain imaging with FMRI--a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature. PloS one, 7(4), e32960. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0032960

    Kowalski, J., Wierzba, M., Wypych, M., Marchewka, A., & Dragan, M. (2020). Effects of attention training technique on brain function in high- and low-cognitive-attentional syndrome individuals: Regional dynamics before, during, and after a single session of ATT. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 132, 103693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2020.103693.

    Kringelbach, M., Green, A., & Aziz T. (2011). Balancing the Brain: Resting State Networks and Deep Brain Stimulation. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 5. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00008

    McKenna, B. S., & Eyler, L. T. (2012). Overlapping prefrontal systems involved in cognitive and emotional processing in euthymic bipolar disorder and following sleep deprivation: a review of functional neuroimaging studies. Clinical psychology review, 32(7), 650–663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.07.003

    Muraskin, J., Dodhia, S., Lieberman, G., Garcia, J. O., Verstynen, T., Vettel, J. M., Sherwin, J., & Sajda, P. (2016). Brain dynamics of post-task resting state are influenced by expertise: Insights from baseball players. Human brain mapping, 37(12), 4454–4471. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23321

    Picchioni, D., Duyn, J. H., Horovitz, S. G. (2013). Sleep and the functional connectome. NeuroImage, 80, 387-396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.05.067.

    Raichle, M. E., MacLeod, A. M., Snyder, A.Z., Powers, W. J., Gusnard, D. A., & Shulman, G. L. (2001). A default mode of brain function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 98 (2) 676-682. doi: 10.1073/pnas.98.2.676

    Sarasso, S., Boly, M., Napolitani, M., Gosseries, O., Charland-Verville, V., Casarotto, S., Rosanova, M., Casali, A. G., Brichant, J. F., Boveroux, P., Rex, S., Tononi, G., Laureys, S., & Massimini, M. (2015). Consciousness and complexity during unresponsiveness induced by Propofol, Xenon, and Ketamine. Curr Biol. 25(23), 3099-3105. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.014.

    Shao, M., Lin, H., Yin, D., Li, Y., Wang, Y., Ma, J., Yin, J., & Jin, H. (2019). Learning to play badminton altered resting-state activity and functional connectivity of the cerebellar sub-regions in adults. PloS one, 14(10), e0223234. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223234

    Sripada, R. K., King, A. P., Welsh, R. C., Garfinkel, S. N., Wang, X., Sripada, C. S., & Liberzon, I. (2012). Neural dysregulation in posttraumatic stress disorder: evidence for disrupted equilibrium between salience and default mode brain networks. Psychosomatic medicine, 74(9), 904–911. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0b013e318273bf33

    Voss, M. W., Soto, C., Yoo, S., Sodoma, M., Vivar, C., & van Praag, H. (2019). Exercise and hippocampal memory systems. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 23(4), 318-333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2019.01.006

    Attributions

    Adapted by Bakhtawar Bhadha from Tim Bayne, Olivia Carter, Dimensions of consciousness and the psychedelic state, Neuroscience of Consciousness, Volume 2018, Issue 1, 2018, niy008, https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niy008 Licensed CC-BY NC 4.0

    Adapted by Bakhtawar Bhadha from Tononi G, Koch C. 2015 Consciousness: here, there and everywhere? Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370: 20140167. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0167 Licensed CC-BY 4.0


    This page titled 10.1: Consciousness is shared under a mixed license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by ASCCC OERI & Bakhtawar Bhadha.