A possible framework to characterize nervous system dynamics and its organization in conscious and unconscious states is introduced, derived from a high level perspective on the coordinated activity of brain cell ensembles. Some questions are best addressable in a global framework and here we build on past observations about the structure of configurations of brain networks in conscious and unconscious states and about neurophysiological results. Aiming to bind some results together into some sort of coherence with a central theme, the scenario that emerges underscores the crucial importance of the creation and dissipation of energy gradients in brain cellular ensembles resulting in maximization of the configurations in the functional connectivity among those networks that favor conscious awareness and healthy conditions. These considerations are then applied to indicate approaches that can be used to improve neuropathological syndromes.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2019.01106 | DOI Listing |
Brain Commun
December 2024
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), University of Lausanne, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
A key question for the scientific study of consciousness is whether it is possible to identify specific features in brain activity that are uniquely linked to conscious experience. This question has important implications for the development of markers to detect covert consciousness in unresponsive patients. In this regard, many studies have focused on investigating the neural response to complex auditory regularities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cogn
January 2025
Departamento de Psicología Básica, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain.
Research on unconscious processing has been a valuable source of evidence in psycholinguistics for shedding light on the cognitive architecture of language. The automaticity of syntactic processing, in particular, has long been debated. One strategy to establish this automaticity involves detecting significant syntactic priming effects in tasks that limit conscious awareness of the stimuli.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cogn
January 2025
Instituto Pluridisciplinar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
The dissociation between conscious and unconscious perception is one of the most relevant issues in the study of human cognition. While there is evidence suggesting that some stimuli might be unconsciously processed up to its meaning (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoods
December 2024
Department of Digestive Tract Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 90-153 Lodz, Poland.
Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease that results from the interaction of genetic, immune, and environmental factors. According to the 2020 European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) guidelines, an elimination diet (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPharmacol Res
January 2025
Department of Anesthesiology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Institute of Anesthesia and Critical Care Medicine, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), Ministry of Education, Wuhan, China. Electronic address:
General anesthesia is administered to millions of individuals each year, however, the precise mechanism by which it induces unconsciousness remains unclear. While some theories suggest that anesthesia shares similarities with natural sleep, targeting sleep-promoting areas and inhibiting arousal nuclei, recent research indicates a more complex process. Emerging evidence highlights the critical role of corticothalamocortical circuits, which are involved in higher cognitive functions, in controlling arousal states and modulating transitions between different conscious states during anesthesia.
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