Neuroscience of Consciousness最新文献

{"title":"From dots to faces: individual differences in visual imagery capacity predict the content of Ganzflicker-induced hallucinations.","authors":"Ana Chkhaidze, Reshanne R Reeder, Connor Gag, Anastasia Kiyonaga, Seana Coulson","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A rapidly alternating red and black display known as Ganzflicker induces visual hallucinations that reflect the generative capacity of the visual system. Individuals vary in their degree of visual imagery, ranging from absent to vivid imagery. Recent proposals suggest that differences in the visual system along this imagery spectrum should also influence the complexity of other internally generated visual experiences. Here, we used tools from natural language processing to analyze free-text descriptions of hallucinations from >4000 participants, asking whether people with different imagery phenotypes see different things in their mind's eye during Ganzflicker-induced hallucinations. Topic modeling of descriptions revealed that strong imagers described complex, naturalistic content, while weak imagers reported simple geometric patterns. Using crowd-sourced sensorimotor norms, we also found that participants with stronger imagery used language with richer perceptual associations. These findings may reflect individual variation in coordination between early visual areas and higher-order regions relevant for the imagery spectrum.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag016"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13156945/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147870407","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"We need to explain subjective experience, but its explanation may not be mechanistic.","authors":"Camilo Miguel Signorelli, Ignacio Cea, Robert Prentner","doi":"10.1093/nc/niaf034","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niaf034","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Models of consciousness need to explain both the objective correlates of conscious experience as well as its subjective structure. However, such an explanation would not need to entail a reduction exclusively in terms of physical or neural systems. A model that intends to avoid such reduction is integrated information theory (IIT). In this article, we discuss the explanatory rationale of IIT, its potential inconsistencies and its consequences for the neuroscience of consciousness more broadly. In particular, we identify ambiguities regarding the directionality of the explanation, i.e. important tensions between IIT's purported ontological and epistemological primacy of experience, and its explanatory aim of accounting for consciousness in physical, operational terms. Across the text, we propose several ways to avoid these issues and eventually complement, enhance or replace the model. The main goal is to motivate clarification among IIT-proponents and inform IIT-opponents on accurate points of contention, without thereby misrepresenting the model. In our final section, we introduce alternative explanatory paths: mathematical, processual, and autonomy-based types of explanations. These novel and sound explanatory strategies may better inspire the next generation of models of consciousness.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niaf034"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13156949/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147870360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: GNW theoretical framework and the \"adversarial testing of global neuronal workspace and integrated information theories of consciousness\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/nc/niaf037.].</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag020"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13134662/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147822939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autonomic indicators of self-transcendence: insights from the numadelic VR paradigm.","authors":"Valerie Bonnelle, Giulia Parola, Catherine Andreu, Joseph L Hardy, Justin Wall, Christopher Timmermann, Ausiàs Cebolla, Maja Wrzesien, David R Glowacki","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Self-transcendent experiences (STEs) offer profound and beneficial shifts in perspective, yet remain largely inaccessible outside elite contemplative or pharmacological contexts. Although neural measures have advanced our understanding of these states, their cost and limited ecological validity restrict broader application. This study evaluates heart rate variability (HRV) amplitude, a measure reflecting dynamic sympathovagal engagement, as a cost-effective and sustainable physiological marker of STE during 'numadelic' virtual reality (VR) experiences designed to dissolve self-boundaries and foster embodied presence. Building on previous work showing (i) associations between non-ordinary states of consciousness (NOSC) and autonomic activity during psychedelic administration, and (ii) comparable STE intensity in non-drug numadelic VR, we tested whether HRV amplitude reflects STE depth and relates to affective and relational outcomes during numadelic VR. Ninety-six participants engaged in guided meditation either in numadelic VR or a non-VR audio-guided group format. Cardiac and respiratory data were recorded during the session, alongside pre- and post-meditation psychological assessments. Findings show that HRV amplitude measured during numadelic VR correlates with subjective STE ratings, as well as compassion traits, and emotional improvement following practice. Reanalysis of data from a prior psychedelic study further supports the relevance of this measure across different methods of inducing NOSCs. These results advance the psychophysiological mapping of STEs and identify HRV amplitude as a promising real-time biomarker that may help guide participants toward self-transcendent states within adaptive environments. By integrating contemplative science with immersive design, this work contributes to scalable tools that broaden access to and deepen understanding of STEs.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag009"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13099402/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147788877","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Intrinsic units: identifying a system's causal grain.","authors":"William Marshall, Graham Findlay, Larissa Albantakis, Giulio Tononi","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Integrated information theory (IIT) aims to account for the quality and quantity of consciousness in physical terms. According to IIT, a substrate of consciousness must be a system of units (e.g. synapses, neurons, minicolumns, etc.) that is a maximum of intrinsic, specific, unitary cause-effect power, quantified by integrated information ([Formula: see text]). The grain of each unit must be the one-from micro (finer) to macro (coarser)-that maximizes the system's integrated information. Here we provide a framework for computing the integrated information of systems whose constituents include macro units, and in doing so provide the means to identify a system's <i>intrinsic units</i>-those that constitute the system from its intrinsic perspective, and directly account for its experience. First, we formalize what it means for these units, as part of a substrate of consciousness, to satisfy IIT's postulates of physical existence. Next, we extend the mathematical framework of IIT 4.0 to assess cause-effect power across grains. Then, using simple, simulated systems, we show that the integrated information of systems containing macro units can be higher than that of corresponding systems of micro units. Three examples highlight specific kinds of macro units, and how each kind can increase cause-effect power. The implications of the framework are discussed in the broader context of IIT, including how it provides a foundation for tests and inferences about consciousness.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag013"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13082400/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stimulus duration modulates awareness-dependent brain activation in the fusiform gyrus independently of task-relevance.","authors":"Antje Peters, Annika Hense, Maximilian Bruchmann, Torge Dellert, Insa Schlossmacher, Robert Moeck, Thomas Straube","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag012","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conscious perception in daily life encompasses continuous experience and persistent percepts of visual inputs. However, the temporal dimension of consciousness, specifically neural mechanisms maintaining sustained conscious percepts over time, remains comparatively understudied. Many studies feature either brief stimulus durations or prolonged supraliminal stimuli without inducing an unconscious comparison condition. This approach prevents investigation of whether activation in specific brain regions corresponds to the maintenance of a conscious percept. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we used an inattentional blindness design to manipulate awareness across two stimulus durations, independent of report or other task-related confounds. Participants (<i>N</i> = 56) performed a visual distractor task while line stimuli were presented in the background, sometimes containing an abstract human face for either 500 or 1000 ms. Conscious face perception was manipulated through prior information about the face, with informed participants consciously perceiving the face while uninformed participants remained unaware of it. Awareness-related activation in the fusiform gyrus (FG) exhibited modulation by stimulus duration based on an increased and broader spatial extent of activation during prolonged versus short conditions. No awareness-related effects were found in other brain areas. However, significant functional connectivity between the right inferior frontal junction and the right FG depending on stimulus awareness and duration was found. Furthermore, longer stimuli, compared to shorter ones, led to increased responses in parietal and visual cortical areas, including V1, regardless of stimulus awareness. These findings suggest that specifically activation in stimulus-related visual areas is coupled to the duration of conscious visual perception.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag012"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13082381/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700850","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards a bridge between intracerebral and surface EEG signatures of conscious report.","authors":"Silvana Lozito, Stefano Lasaponara, Jianghao Liu, Vincent Navarro, Katia Lehongre, Valerio Frazzini, Tal Seidel Malkinson, Fabrizio Doricchi, Paolo Bartolomeo","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recent study using intracerebral electroencephalography (EEG) recordings in human patients has documented the electrophysiological correlates of conscious reporting of near-threshold visual targets that followed supra-threshold peripheral spatial cues. Here, we aimed to bridge these intracerebral EEG events with corresponding surface recording, differentiating between conscious and nonconscious processing. We analysed the surface EEG of 10 patients from the intracerebral study. Due to a limited number of surface derivations, we pooled trials across participants to create a virtual participant for both surface and intracerebral analyses. Event-related potential (ERP) analysis revealed a significant positive deflection for Seen compared to Unseen targets in the 350-500 ms post-target window at frontal sites, consistent with a P3b component associated with conscious report. Time-frequency analysis revealed spectral dynamics associated with conscious report, including pretarget beta/gamma power modulations at frontal electrodes and post-target increased oscillatory activity at occipital sites. Trajectory <i>k</i>-means clustering of intracerebral data enabled us to identify two key patterns of post-target activity closely corresponding to the clusters from the original study: a Visual cluster exhibiting early (120-340 ms), transient responses, and an Accumulation cluster demonstrating gradual activity buildup (230-490 ms). Ridge regression analysis revealed that, compared to the Visual cluster, the Accumulation cluster contributed more to the prediction of report-related ERPs at the scalp level. These findings offer insights into bridging the gap between intracerebral recordings and surface EEG correlates of conscious report. They also highlight the greater contribution of late integrative mechanisms, compared to early sensory processes, in the conscious experience of behaviourally relevant targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag011"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13069880/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147678470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping of Subjective Accounts into Interpreted Clusters (MOSAIC): Topic Modelling and LLM applied to Stroboscopic Phenomenology.","authors":"Romy Beauté, David J Schwartzman, Guillaume Dumas, Jennifer Crook, Fiona Macpherson, Adam B Barrett, Anil K Seth","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Stroboscopic light stimulation (SLS) on closed eyes typically induces simple visual hallucinations, characterized by vivid, geometric, and colourful patterns. A dataset of 898 sentences, extracted from 407 open subjective reports, was recently compiled as part of the Dreamachine programme (https://dreamachine.world/) (Collective Act, 2022), an immersive multisensory experience that combines SLS and spatial sound in a collective setting. Although open reports extend the range of reportable phenomenology, their analysis presents significant challenges, particularly in systematically identifying patterns. To address this challenge, we implemented a data-driven approach leveraging large language models and topic modelling to uncover and interpret latent experiential topics directly from the Dreamachine's text-based reports. Our analysis confirmed the presence of simple visual hallucinations typically documented in scientific studies of SLS, while also revealing experiences of altered states of consciousness and complex hallucinations. Building on these findings, our computational approach expands the systematic study of subjective experience by enabling data-driven analyses of open-ended phenomenological reports, capturing experiences not readily identified through standard questionnaires. By revealing rich and multifaceted aspects of experiences, our study broadens our understanding of stroboscopically induced phenomena while highlighting the potential of natural language processing and large language models in the field of computational phenomenology. More generally, this approach provides a practically applicable methodology for uncovering subtle hidden patterns of subjective experience across diverse research domains. Open-source implementation and an interactive web application are provided to facilitate application of this methodology.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag008"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13064861/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147678480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When the body resonates with the pain of the other: Empathy Bodyssence in Parkinson's disease.","authors":"María Del Carmen Tejada, Antonia Zepeda, Alejandro Troncoso, Anaís Aluicio, Rebecca M Todd, David Martínez-Pernía","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Empathy plays a fundamental role in social bonding and intersubjective understanding. While recent research has emphasized how bodily processes shape empathic engagement and underlie individual differences, the impact of bodily disruptions on empathic experience in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains largely unexplored. In this study, we used a neurophenomenological approach to investigate Empathy Bodyssence in PD, conceived as an enacted organization of bodily, affective, and meaning-related dimensions of experience, by integrating first-person experiential data with motor, physiological, and self-report measures. Forty-two individuals with PD watched pain-related and baseline videos. Empathic engagement was assessed through self-reports, postural movement, and physiological recordings (heart rate and electrodermal activity). Following exposure, participants underwent phenomenological interviews designed to capture their experience of witnessing another's suffering. The interview data were analyzed through an iterative, multistage process involving independent coding, triangulation, and advanced analytical tools (CAQDAS, inter-rater agreement assessment, and interactive dashboards) to ensure analytical depth and rigor. Phenomenological analysis enabled us to categorize participants into two groups, distinguished by high versus low levels of bodily resonance in response to viewing pain. These phenomenological groupings were then integrated with quantitative data to reveal two distinct structures through which individuals with PD embodied empathy: Resonance Bodyssence, a response in which emotions are tightly coupled with bodily sensations and movement; and Marginal Resonance Bodyssence, a more observational and cognitively mediated response, marked by reduced bodily resonance. By using phenomenological structure as an organizing level of analysis, the present study shows how interindividual variability in motor and physiological responses in PD is enacted as distinct embodied modes of empathic engagement. In doing so, it advances neurophenomenological approaches and provides a more nuanced, embodied account of empathy in PD as a heterogeneous and dynamically enacted phenomenon.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag010"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13064857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147678536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"From hidden springs to endless oceans: exploring the complementary roles of the amygdala and hippocampus in phenomenal experience.","authors":"Ronald Sladky","doi":"10.1093/nc/niag007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Current theories of consciousness often emphasize its ego-centric functions, highlighting the role of the insular cortex in interoceptive self-modeling and subcortical brain regions in qualitative experience and motivation, aptly described as the 'hidden spring' of consciousness. From ecological and pragmatic perspectives, conscious experience may facilitate the self-organization of complex organisms by optimizing goals that are typically parallel, multifaceted, and difficult to reconcile. However, the notion that all forms of conscious experience are ego-centric, or at least grounded in a minimal sense of self, is challenged by credible reports of minimal phenomenal experience (MPE), which occur without any self-referential content. I propose that this apparent duality in conscious experience can be explained by the dual-origin theory of cortical development. This theory suggests a gradual expansion of cortical cytoarchitecture from two distinct subcortical origins. The 'Amygdala-System' supports interoceptive self-modeling for habitual interactions with the body and the environment. It expands ventrally from the olfactory system and amygdala, enabling ego-centric processing. In contrast, the 'Hippocampus-System', centered on the hippocampus and expanding dorsally, supports allocentric cognition and experiences that are not constrained by self-referential processing. This complementary system allows for open-ended, selfless forms of experience, akin to an 'endless ocean'. In this framework, MPE may represent a fragile form of consciousness, typically overshadowed by the self-related interoceptive and exteroceptive functions of the Amygdala-System. Finally, I discuss how real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback could be used to upregulate the Hippocampus-System, potentially enabling the controlled study of MPE in neuroscientific settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":52242,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience of Consciousness","volume":"2026 1","pages":"niag007"},"PeriodicalIF":4.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12986782/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147470239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}