Scientists May Have Pinpointed Physical Evidence of Our Consciousness
New research on brainwaves in the thalamus shows patterns distinctly linked to conscious states.
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The thalamus is very important for our ability of a conscious perception. But here the most important detail for conscious perception is the intensity of neural activity: We can have a conscious perception only — when the intensity of neural activity crossed a certain threshold: above this theshold = conscious perception is possible // under this threshold = e.g. sleep state.
The ability to perceive our thoughts, our body, other persons and the environment as a conscious perception — is the basement of our existence. A very special form of our conscious perception are the ´Near-Death Experiences´(NDEs) — because with NDEs we can perceive LIVE DIRECT CONSCIOUS how a single stimulus/thought/perception is processed by the brain — step-by-step. An analysis of NDEs would allow to understand important mechanisms of our working brain, of thinking; even the nature of qualia. But NDEs are ignored up to now by brain science.
We will never understand the working procedures of our brain — when science ignore one of it´s most important procedures.
The thalamus is very important for our ability of a conscious perception.
But here the most important detail for conscious perception is the intensity of neural activity: We can have a conscious perception only — when the intensity of neural activity crossed a certain threshold: above this theshold = conscious perception is possible // under this threshold = e.g. sleep state.
The ability to perceive our thoughts, our body, other persons and the environment as a conscious perception — is the basement of our existence. A very special form of our conscious perception are the ´Near-Death Experiences´(NDEs) — because with NDEs we can perceive LIVE DIRECT CONSCIOUS how a single stimulus/thought/perception is processed by the brain — step-by-step.
An analysis of NDEs would allow to understand important mechanisms of our working brain, of thinking; even the nature of qualia. But NDEs are ignored up to now by brain science.
We will never understand the working procedures of our brain — when science ignore one of it´s most important procedures.
DOI: 10.7554/elife.60824 Neural effects of propofol-induced unconsciousness and its reversal during thalamic stimulation
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.01.05 Thalamus modulates consciousness via layer-specific control of cortex
= some useful papers to the topic