Neuroscience of consciousness: cognition, physics and philosophy of decoding the human brain

Consciousness remains unexplained despite centuries of debate. Contemporary theories often fail to connect or produce complete, empirically proven accounts. This investigation explores approaches linking neuronal brain activity with physics and philosophical principles behind consciousness. It evaluates relationships between consciousness, attention, working memory, and types of consciousness (access vs. phenomenal). Conscious and unconscious perception, including visual and subliminal inputs, are contrasted to discuss neural correlates of self-awareness. Consciousness is considered as global information broadcast to integrated brain modules, and the brain as a parallel processor linked to attention. The interplay between consciousness and attention—including attention without consciousness and vice versa—is examined. Implications and shortcomings of approaches from brain science, philosophy, and quantum physics are covered.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The biophysical roots of consciousness have been the subject of an ongoing debate for centuries. In order to understand the data, create novel experimental methodologies, and increase our ability to investigate this phenomenon of interest, the proposed theories must lead to empirical, repeatable, and testifiable studies. Contemporary theories of consciousness often do not relate to one another, and none of them has been distinguished as complete or proven empirically so far. The aim of this study is an investigation into some of the possible approaches that could merge neuronal brain activity with the laws of physics and some philosophical principles that may be associated with the emergence of consciousness in the first place. As a result, the relationship between consciousness and attention, working memory, access consciousness and phenomenal consciousness is evaluated. The contrast between conscious and unconscious perception, perceived visual inputs and subliminal ones is investigated to facilitate a discussion about the neural correlates of self-awareness. Consciousness as a global broadcast of information to integrated brain modules is being considered, as well as viewing a brain as a parallel information processor linked to attention inputs. Relationship between consciousness and attention is explored, as well as attention without consciousness and vice versa. Implications and shortcomings of the proposed approaches based on brain science, philosophy and quantum physics are also covered to shed some more light on this ever present experience of being conscious that everyone seems to self-witness but no one manages to adequately explain.