Researchers are exploring competing theories of consciousness in search of an answer to one of neuroscience’s greatest mysteries
247 The question of where consciousness comes from always brings to mind thoughtful philosophers, but is rarely associated with soft rock songs or freestyle rap whose lyrics are based on theories of consciousness. These sounds, however, captivated the audience at the 26th meeting of the Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC 26) in New York, where results of a scientific debate between the two main theories of consciousness were presented. The study suggests that consciousness can arise from a gridlike connection of neurons in the back of the head.
Launched in 2019, the $20 million COGITATE project aimed to explore an ageold question: how does consciousness arise? This bold project shook up the research field by proposing fair competition: teams collaborated on specific experiment designs, published them online, and preregistered the expected results based on each of the theories put forward.
The human brain scan data was collected in six neutral laboratories around the world. The results were judged by three impartial experts, assessing how well the measured results matched the predictions. The winner theory is only a first victory. The opposing team, which believes consciousness originates in the front parts of the brain, is already preparing to strike back with a new test design.
Meanwhile, scientists at the Human Brain Project have been attempting to identify the neural circuits essential to consciousness. By scanning the brains of patients in complete and partial coma, they identified two neural circuits that fail dramatically when consciousness lapses. A circuit located at the back of the brain has trouble absorbing and integrating information. The other is in the frontal and lateral areas and loses its ability to transmit signals to the rest of the brain.
The quest to measure consciousness becomes even more urgent as AI, brain organoids, and chimeric humananimal tissues become more sophisticated. Two approaches are mainly used to solve the problem. One of them is to scan the brains of alert and alert volunteers, the approach taken by COGITATE. The other deals with people in a vegetative or minimally conscious state who have gradually regained their awareness of light and touch.
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Dozens of theories of consciousness have found their way into science, but two dominate. One of them is the Global Neural Workspace Theory (TETNG), which states that consciousness originates in the front part of the brain. The other, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), looks for consciousness in the back of the brain. The COGITATE study examined these discrepancies and obtained results that, while not yet peerreviewed or published, favor IIT.
At the same time, a Human Brain Project team led by Dr. Jitka Annen from the University of Liège in Belgium took a neutral approach. She used a platform that scans parts of the brain relevant to the problem to run simulation tests. Based on these simulations, the team discovered that both the anterior and posterior regions of the brain are potentially critical to restoring consciousness.
While research into the origin of consciousness is ongoing, there are indications that the competing theories may represent two sides of the same coin. The Human Brain Project team’s findings show similarities to both theories, suggesting the possibility of convergence between the different concepts of consciousness.
With information from the Singularity Hub.