Human consciousness is supported by dynamic complex patterns of brain signal coordination. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Adopting the framework of brain dynamics as a cornerstone of human consciousness, we determined whether dynamic signal coordination provides specific and generalizable patterns pertaining to conscious and unconscious states after brain damage. A dynamic pattern of coordinated and anticoordinated functional magnetic resonance imaging signals characterized healthy individuals and minimally conscious patients. The brains of unresponsive patients showed primarily a pattern of low interareal phase coherence mainly mediated by structural connectivity, and had smaller chances to transition between patterns. The complex pattern was further corroborated in patients with covert cognition, who could perform neuroimaging mental imagery tasks, validating this pattern's implication in consciousness. Anesthesia increased the probability of the less complex pattern to equal levels, validating its implication in unconsciousness. Our results establish that consciousness rests on the brain's ability to sustain rich brain dynamics and pave the way for determining specific and generalizable fingerprints of conscious and unconscious states.

publication date

  • February 6, 2019

Research

keywords

  • Brain
  • Connectome
  • Consciousness
  • Neural Pathways

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC6365115

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85061310312

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1126/sciadv.aat7603

PubMed ID

  • 30775433

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 5

issue

  • 2