Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems.
There have been a number of advances in the search for the neural correlates of consciousness--the minimum neural mechanisms sufficient for any one specific conscious percept. In this Review, we describe recent findings showing that the anatomical neural correlates of consciousness are primarily localized to a posterior cortical hot zone that includes sensory areas, rather than to a fronto-parietal network involved in task monitoring and reporting. We also discuss some candidate neurophysiological markers of consciousness that have proved illusory, and measures of differentiation and integration of neural activity that offer more promising quantitative indices of consciousness.
Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, Washington 98109 USA.
Christof
C
Koch
Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences 'Luigi Sacco', University of Milan, Milan, Italy.|Instituto Di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, Italy.
Marcello
M
Massimini
Department of Neurology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53719, USA.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53719, USA.
Melanie
M
Boly
Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53719, USA.
Giulio
G
Tononi
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*