Consciousness is one’s awareness of electrochemically conveyed information coming into the brain from the environment via sensory pathways or generated within the brain’s neuronal networks (i.e., thoughts). In popular culture ‘consciousness’ is often portrayed as a mysterious concept or process. However, research that examines the effects of anesthetics, sleep, brain injuries, and psychedelics on neuronal network activity using fMRI, EEG and other technologies is revealing the circuits and activity patterns that enable consciousness. In this episode University of Cambridge Professor Andrea Luppi talks about his research on the neurochemical and neural network level underpinnings of consciousness. His integration of fMRI and brain connectome data suggest the importance of ‘gateway neuronal networks’ and ‘broadcasters’ (executive control networks) in human consciousness. We also discuss consciousness from philosophical and evolutionary perspectives.

LINKS

Professor Luppi’s profile at the University of Cambridge

https://neuroscience.cam.ac.uk/member/al857/

Recent review article on consciousness

https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S0166-2236%2824%2900087-0

Gateway regions and broadcasters

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11257694/pdf/elife-88173.pdf