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Chis-Ciure R, Melloni L, Northoff G. A measure centrality index for systematic empirical comparison of consciousness theories. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 161:105670. [PMID: 38615851 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Consciousness science is marred by disparate constructs and methodologies, making it challenging to systematically compare theories. This foundational crisis casts doubts on the scientific character of the field itself. Addressing it, we propose a framework for systematically comparing consciousness theories by introducing a novel inter-theory classification interface, the Measure Centrality Index (MCI). Recognizing its gradient distribution, the MCI assesses the degree of importance a specific empirical measure has for a given consciousness theory. We apply the MCI to probe how the empirical measures of the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNW), Integrated Information Theory (IIT), and Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) would fare within the context of the other two. We demonstrate that direct comparison of IIT, GNW, and TTC is meaningful and valid for some measures like Lempel-Ziv Complexity (LZC), Autocorrelation Window (ACW), and possibly Mutual Information (MI). In contrast, it is problematic for others like the anatomical and physiological neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) due to their MCI-based differential weightings within the structure of the theories. In sum, we introduce and provide proof-of-principle of a novel systematic method for direct inter-theory empirical comparisons, thereby addressing isolated evolution of theories and confirmatory bias issues in the state-of-the-art neuroscience of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Chis-Ciure
- New York University (NYU), New York, USA; International Center for Neuroscience and Ethics (CINET), Tatiana Foundation, Madrid, Spain; Wolfram Physics Project, USA.
| | - Lucia Melloni
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Georg Northoff
- University of Ottawa, Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada
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Wolman A, Çatal Y, Klar P, Steffener J, Northoff G. Repertoire of timescales in uni - and transmodal regions mediate working memory capacity. Neuroimage 2024; 291:120602. [PMID: 38579900 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Working memory (WM) describes the dynamic process of maintenance and manipulation of information over a certain time delay. Neuronally, WM recruits a distributed network of cortical regions like the visual and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as the subcortical hippocampus. How the input dynamics and subsequent neural dynamics impact WM remains unclear though. To answer this question, we combined the analysis of behavioral WM capacity with measuring neural dynamics through task-related power spectrum changes, e.g., median frequency (MF) in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We show that the processing of the input dynamics, e.g., the task structure's specific timescale, leads to changes in the unimodal visual cortex's corresponding timescale which also relates to working memory capacity. While the more transmodal hippocampus relates to working memory capacity through its balance across multiple timescales or frequencies. In conclusion, we here show the relevance of both input dynamics and different neural timescales for WM capacity in uni - and transmodal regions like visual cortex and hippocampus for the subject's WM performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelika Wolman
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, 136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada; Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Philipp Klar
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Jason Steffener
- Interdisciplinary School of Health Science, University of Ottawa, 200 Lees Ave, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
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Ibanez A, Northoff G. Intrinsic timescales and predictive allostatic interoception in brain health and disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 157:105510. [PMID: 38104789 PMCID: PMC11184903 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
The cognitive neuroscience of brain diseases faces challenges in understanding the complex relationship between brain structure and function, the heterogeneity of brain phenotypes, and the lack of dimensional and transnosological explanations. This perspective offers a framework combining the predictive coding theory of allostatic interoceptive overload (PAIO) and the intrinsic neural timescales (INT) theory to provide a more dynamic understanding of brain health in psychiatry and neurology. PAIO integrates allostasis and interoception to assess the interaction between internal patterns and environmental stressors, while INT shows that different brain regions operate on different intrinsic timescales. The allostatic overload can be understood as a failure of INT, which involves a breakdown of proper temporal integration and segregation. This can lead to dimensional disbalances between exteroceptive/interoceptive inputs across brain and whole-body levels (cardiometabolic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, immune). This approach offers new insights, presenting novel perspectives on brain spatiotemporal hierarchies and interactions. By integrating these theories, the paper opens innovative paths for studying brain health dynamics, which can inform future research in brain health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustin Ibanez
- Global Brain Health Institute (GBHI), University of California San Francisco (UCSF), CA, USA; Latin American Brain Health (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago, Chile; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China; Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China; Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
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Klar P, Çatal Y, Fogel S, Jocham G, Langner R, Owen AM, Northoff G. Auditory inputs modulate intrinsic neuronal timescales during sleep. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1180. [PMID: 37985812 PMCID: PMC10661171 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05566-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have demonstrated that intrinsic neuronal timescales (INT) undergo modulation by external stimulation during consciousness. It remains unclear if INT keep the ability for significant stimulus-induced modulation during primary unconscious states, such as sleep. This fMRI analysis addresses this question via a dataset that comprises an awake resting-state plus rest and stimulus states during sleep. We analyzed INT measured via temporal autocorrelation supported by median frequency (MF) in the frequency-domain. Our results were replicated using a biophysical model. There were two main findings: (1) INT prolonged while MF decreased from the awake resting-state to the N2 resting-state, and (2) INT shortened while MF increased during the auditory stimulus in sleep. The biophysical model supported these results by demonstrating prolonged INT in slowed neuronal populations that simulate the sleep resting-state compared to an awake state. Conversely, under sine wave input simulating the stimulus state during sleep, the model's regions yielded shortened INT that returned to the awake resting-state level. Our results highlight that INT preserve reactivity to stimuli in states of unconsciousness like sleep, enhancing our understanding of unconscious brain dynamics and their reactivity to stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Klar
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Room 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Stuart Fogel
- Sleep Unit, University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, K1Z 7K4, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Gerhard Jocham
- Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Adrian M Owen
- Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology and Psychology, Western University, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa, Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Room 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China
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Huang Z. Temporospatial Nestedness in Consciousness: An Updated Perspective on the Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness. ENTROPY (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 25:1074. [PMID: 37510023 PMCID: PMC10378228 DOI: 10.3390/e25071074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Time and space are fundamental elements that permeate the fabric of nature, and their significance in relation to neural activity and consciousness remains a compelling yet unexplored area of research. The Temporospatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) provides a framework that links time, space, neural activity, and consciousness, shedding light on the intricate relationships among these dimensions. In this review, I revisit the fundamental concepts and mechanisms proposed by the TTC, with a particular focus on the central concept of temporospatial nestedness. I propose an extension of temporospatial nestedness by incorporating the nested relationship between the temporal circuit and functional geometry of the brain. To further unravel the complexities of temporospatial nestedness, future research directions should emphasize the characterization of functional geometry and the temporal circuit across multiple spatial and temporal scales. Investigating the links between these scales will yield a more comprehensive understanding of how spatial organization and temporal dynamics contribute to conscious states. This integrative approach holds the potential to uncover novel insights into the neural basis of consciousness and reshape our understanding of the world-brain dynamic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zirui Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA;
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Northoff G, Klar P, Bein M, Safron A. As without, so within: how the brain's temporo-spatial alignment to the environment shapes consciousness. Interface Focus 2023; 13:20220076. [PMID: 37065263 PMCID: PMC10102730 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2022.0076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Consciousness is constituted by a structure that includes contents as foreground and the environment as background. This structural relation between the experiential foreground and background presupposes a relationship between the brain and the environment, often neglected in theories of consciousness. The temporo-spatial theory of consciousness addresses the brain-environment relation by a concept labelled 'temporo-spatial alignment'. Briefly, temporo-spatial alignment refers to the brain's neuronal activity's interaction with and adaption to interoceptive bodily and exteroceptive environmental stimuli, including their symmetry as key for consciousness. Combining theory and empirical data, this article attempts to demonstrate the yet unclear neuro-phenomenal mechanisms of temporo-spatial alignment. First, we suggest three neuronal layers of the brain's temporo-spatial alignment to the environment. These neuronal layers span across a continuum from longer to shorter timescales. (i) The background layer comprises longer and more powerful timescales mediating topographic-dynamic similarities between different subjects' brains. (ii) The intermediate layer includes a mixture of medium-scaled timescales allowing for stochastic matching between environmental inputs and neuronal activity through the brain's intrinsic neuronal timescales and temporal receptive windows. (iii) The foreground layer comprises shorter and less powerful timescales for neuronal entrainment of stimuli temporal onset through neuronal phase shifting and resetting. Second, we elaborate on how the three neuronal layers of temporo-spatial alignment correspond to their respective phenomenal layers of consciousness. (i) The inter-subjectively shared contextual background of consciousness. (ii) An intermediate layer that mediates the relationship between different contents of consciousness. (iii) A foreground layer that includes specific fast-changing contents of consciousness. Overall, temporo-spatial alignment may provide a mechanism whose different neuronal layers modulate corresponding phenomenal layers of consciousness. Temporo-spatial alignment can provide a bridging principle for linking physical-energetic (free energy), dynamic (symmetry), neuronal (three layers of distinct time-space scales) and phenomenal (form featured by background-intermediate-foreground) mechanisms of consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, TheRoyal's Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1Z 7K4
- Mental Health Centre, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310053, People's Republic of China
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310053, People's Republic of China
| | - Philipp Klar
- Medical Faculty, C. & O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Magnus Bein
- Department of Biology and Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Quebec, Canada H3A 0G4
| | - Adam Safron
- Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies, Santa Monica, CA 90403, USA
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Klar P, Çatal Y, Langner R, Huang Z, Northoff G. Scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography and task alignment decline from conscious to unconscious states. Commun Biol 2023; 6:499. [PMID: 37161021 PMCID: PMC10170069 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04879-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Scale-free physiological processes are ubiquitous in the human organism. Resting-state functional MRI studies observed the loss of scale-free dynamics under anesthesia. In contrast, the modulation of scale-free dynamics during task-related activity remains an open question. We investigate scale-free dynamics in the cerebral cortex's unimodal periphery and transmodal core topography in rest and task states during three conscious levels (awake, sedation, and anesthesia) complemented by computational modelling (Stuart-Landau model). The empirical findings demonstrate that the loss of the brain's intrinsic scale-free dynamics in the core-periphery topography during anesthesia, where pink noise transforms into white noise, disrupts the brain's neuronal alignment with the task's temporal structure. The computational model shows that the stimuli's scale-free dynamics, namely pink noise distinguishes from brown and white noise, also modulate task-related activity. Together, we provide evidence for two mechanisms of consciousness, temporo-spatial nestedness and alignment, suggested by the Temporo-Spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Klar
- Medical Faculty, C. & O. Vogt-Institute for Brain Research, Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Yasir Çatal
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Robert Langner
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Zirui Huang
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Georg Northoff
- The Royal's Institute of Mental Health Research & University of Ottawa. Brain and Mind Research Institute, Centre for Neural Dynamics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, 145 Carling Avenue, Rm. 6435, Ottawa, ON, K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, Hangzhou Normal University, Tianmu Road 305, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310013, China
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