Creation of knowledge & meaning manifested via cortical singularities in cognition: Towards a methodology to understand intentionality and critical behavior in neural correlates of awareness

As part of the developing body of research about neural correlates of higher cognitive functions and awareness we have recently reported that the creation of knowledge and meaning could be manifested via Cortical Singularities. In this work we present new neurophysiological evidence of the hypothesized cognitive cycle in the emergence of awareness when a presumable meaningful stimuli is presented to an animal. This stimulus is manifested in the neocortex, as the creation of the knowledge necessary for intentional behavior and decision making. The results are interpreted through the concept of Pragmatic Information, which is complementary to the Shannon Entropy Index. We identify large-scale synchronization across broad frequency band as potential manifestation of the ‘aha’ effect, indicating the construction of knowledge and meaning from input sensory data and leading to awareness experience.

For many years, since Baars (1988) explicitly formulated it, contrastive analysis has been the key methodological approach in experimental studies of consciousness. When certain properly chosen psychological experimental setups (allowing an invariant target stimulus either to be consciusly experienced or not) were combined with brain-imaging methods, contrastive analysis became a quite powerful tool of research (Crick, 1994; Koch, 2004). By subtracting markers of brain processes recorded in the conditions without conscious experience of the target from the markers recorded in the conditions where the same target is consciously experienced it was believed that the markers of neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) can be obtained. However, as it turned out in the subsequent theoretical and experimental analysis, the picture is not so clear and simple (Bachmann, 2000, 2009; Miller, 2007; Aru et al., 2012; de Graaf et al., 2012). For example, when in the invariant conditions of independent variables a masked visual stimulus was consciously perceived or not (consciousness of the target standed as a dependent variable), NCC which were measured as a spectral perturbation of EEG was present already before stimulus presentation (Aru and Bachmann, 2009). Thus, the neural correlate of consciousness of a stimulus was present earlier than the stimulus itself was presented. Now, a reader must not get excited here because instead of some paranormal explanations brain-science based explanations can be comfortably used. In order to overcome the conceptual crisis hitting the traditional contrastive analysis based NCC research it was suggested that unconscious prerequisite processes (NCCpr) emerging as a result of contrastive analysis of brain-process markers of consciousness and similarly unconscious consequent processes (NCCco) must be differentiated from the constitutive processes directly associated with conscious experience (Aru et al., 2012; de Graaf et al., 2012). Thus, new experimental approaches were in need to avoid the trap of distilling prerequisite, direct, and consequent processes as mutually confounded and empirically inseparable. Despite some first attempts in this direction (Aru and Bachmann, 2015), the specialist landscape in this domain has remained obscure and no breakthrough solutions have been in sight. Moreover, there seems to be a number of additional uncertainties when we try to disentangle the various sub-types of NCC. Even NCCpr and NCCco are not unitary in terms of their theoretical meaning and associated neural processes. First, as the contents on which the perceptual report is founded can be selective, the markers of unused conscious contents may be erroneously neglected as markers of unconscious processes. They actually belong to consciousness level processes, but related to contents of consciousness qualitatively different from the ones specified by NCC. Second, in measuring NCC we must be able to disentangle contributions of the general consciousness enabling mechanisms and the selective contents representing mechanisms because their markers can be different and thus confused. In what follows I will substantiate these two issues.

Two neural correlates of consciousness

This paper proposes a discussion about the creation and construction of knowledge through the phenomenological way of searching for meaning. Individuals continuously deal with creating meanings of their own lives. Each individual follows a unique way in order to create and construct meaning in any situation. The ability of learning that can be defined as a natural and inner intention of becoming self in the world can improve individual’s learning. The learner, as a meaning maker, creates new knowledge of the whole life process. Constructing the meaning of a phenomenon is the individual’s self-inquiry. Descriptions of concepts continuously change and new meanings of concepts are acquired. Self-inquiry about life can be described as the individual’s self-learning. Creation and construction of new knowledge corresponds with the individual’s ability of learning. Learning improves the capability of the individual as a self-creator and develops phenomenological understanding of life. Creation and construction of new knowledge is also concerned with individual’s learning ability, creative capability, freedom, subjectivity, way of thinking and perception of a phenomenon.

The Art of Encephalography to Understand and Discriminate Higher Cognitive Functions Visualizing Big Data on Brain Imaging Using Brain Dynamics Movies

'Self' and the Problem of Consciousness

The analysis of CSCL needs to offer actionable insights about how knowledge construction between learners is built, facilitated and/or constrained, with the overall aim to help support knowledge (co-)construction. To address this, the present study demonstrates how network analysis - in a form of diffusion-based visual and quantitative information exchange metrics - can be effectively employed to: 1. visually map the learner networks of information exchange, 2. identify and define student roles in the collaborative process, and 3. test the association between information exchange metrics and performance. The analysis is based on a dataset of a course with a CSCL module (n = 129 students). For each student, we calculated the centrality indices that reflect the roles played in information exchange, range of influence, and connectivity. Students’ roles were analysed employing unsupervised clustering techniques to identify groups that share similar characteristics in regard to their emerging roles in the information exchange process. The results of this study have proved that diffusion-based visual and quantitative metrics can be effectively employed and are valuable methods to visually map the student networks of information exchange as well as to detect and define students’ roles in the collaborative learning process. Furthermore, the results demonstrated a positive and statistically significant association between diffusion metrics and academic performance.

This thesis' scope is that of researches on teaching knowledge, regarding work as the context in which the mobilization and construction of this knowledge takes place, based on experiences of academic development and professional performance. It is an investigation of knowledge present in teaching activity acquired during literacy instruction, the stage on basic education most vulnerable to student's academic failure. The research seeks to understand the appropriation/objectification processes and the creation of knowledge into the teacher's practice through an ethnographical approach, which is applied in participatory observation, interviews, document's analysis and pictures. Which knowledge is mobilized by the teacher during her work with the children? Which elements contribute or influence the construction of teacher knowledge? How does she act with the absence of knowledge? Trying to answer these questions, the research presents two important dimensions into the construction of knowledge. A historical/dialogical dimension that highlights how knowledge is appropriated and objectified along the development history and professional performance, by means of dialogue with: a) the different experiences lived by the educator; b) professional partners with whom the teacher has the opportunity of establishing exchanges; c) the children with whom she works; d) the theoretical and pedagogical materials used up in class preparation. As the teacher listens the solicitations, needs and possibilities of her students, she gives meaning to the teaching task of reading and writing. The second dimension of teaching knowledge to be considered is it's creative dimension. Even submitted to the limitation of daily work this activity can not be characterized as reproductive. On the contrary, as she faces the challenges of the literacy teaching task, the teacher reorganizes what she knows, searches new knowledge and uses different resources to create different forms of intervention into the pedagogical process. Such dimension can be identified by the following aspects: classroom management, diversity attendance at the process and activities related to literacy teaching. Finally, the research points to the emphasis given by public policies to teachers' development which tends to occur at superposed programs, which attend different professional segments in distinct projects. Moreover, the investments on teacher's development are not articulated with the necessary improvements to the work's objective conditions at schools, evidencing how, at the investigated school, the precariousness of these conditions impede the possibilities of a collective work development, able to offer a better teaching quality to suburban children to whom school is the main source of access to systematized knowledge.

Communities of Practice (CoPs) in organisation science are often described as ‘the shop floor of human capital’ where learning and knowledge creation which underpins innovation evolves. Adopting the Bristol area geocaching community as a case study, this paper draws on the ‘practice turn’ in contemporary social theory to study the everyday interaction of the community members in their situated practice. Taking the geocaching community and their practice as a collective unit of analysis, the study employed the qualitative methods of ethnographic interviewing, participant observation and content analysis of archival internet forum logs of members to extend our understanding of the performative processes of social learning and knowledge creations in CoPs. A conceptual framework showing how the interactions among actors and their artefacts and reflexivity in practice could lead to learning and knowledge creation that stimulates innovation in a CoP is presented as a modest attempt to improve our understanding of the dynamics of a CoP renewal and sustainability.

The present study attempts to examine the effects of group awareness on knowledge construction and further surveys in what ways the different group awareness types support the collaboration in CSCL. In this quasi‐experimental study, we adopted a self‐developed group awareness tool that could display cognitive, social and behavioral group awareness in an authentic semester‐long class with 93 undergraduates involved in. Using a mixed research method, we explored the effects of group awareness on knowledge construction by comparing the characteristics and behavioral patterns of knowledge construction between GA (with the GA tool) and NA (without the GA tool) classes and further examined the different role of three group awareness types in supporting collaboration through interviews. The content analysis indicated that GA groups centered their collaboration on negotiating meaning or constructing new knowledge (C3) and conducted more higher‐level knowledge construction behaviors (C4 & C5) while in NA groups, sharing and comparing information (C1) appeared to be the most frequent behavior. The sequential analysis showed two distinctive sequential patterns, C4→C5 and C5→C4 in GA class and C2→C4 in NA class. The interview revealed that students thought cognitive and social group awareness played a major role in supporting their collaboration while unexpectedly, the behavioral group awareness was of little use. Finally, pedagogical implications were suggested. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Successful knowledge construction is regarded essential for both individuals' learning and high‐quality collaboration in CSCL. Since students collaborating in CSCL environments lack necessary perception of peers and the group, they encounter more difficulties in building new knowledge. Some researchers proposed that group awareness might be helpful for students constructing knowledge because it could provide necessary information about group members and the group needed for successful knowledge construction. However, there is little empirical study exploring the effects of group awareness on knowledge construction. What this paper adds Reveal the positive effects of group awareness on knowledge construction by comparing the characteristics and behavior patterns of knowledge construction in GA and NA classes. Indicate the distinct role the three group awareness types play in supporting knowledge construction. Unpack the mechanism of cognitive and social group awareness supporting the knowledge construction. Implications for practice and/or policy Provide a starting place for adopting group awareness to improve learners' knowledge construction in CSCL. Based on the mechanism of group awareness, it might bring new ideas to designers and teachers to develop more kinds of GA tools or to better utilize it in real class. Teachers and curriculum designers may need to design and implement instructional programs to guide students pay equal emphasis on self and group members' participation.

Obesity is one of the most challenging problems in human health and is recognized as an important risk factor for many chronic diseases. It remains unclear how the neural systems (e.g., the mesolimbic “reward” and the prefrontal “control” neural systems) are correlated with patients’ executive function (EF), conceptualized as the integration of “cool” EF and “hot” EF. “Cool” EF refers to relatively abstract, non-affective operations such as inhibitory control and mental flexibility. “Hot” EF refers to motivationally significant affective operations such as affective decision-making. We tried to find the correlation between structural and functional neuroimaging indices and EF in obese patients. The study population comprised seventeen patients with obesity (seven males and 10 females, BMI = 37.99 ± 5.40, age = 31.82 ± 8.75 year-old) preparing to undergo bariatric surgery. We used noninvasive diffusion tensor imaging, generalized q-sampling imaging, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural correlations between structural and functional neuroimaging indices and EF performances in patients with obesity. We reported that many brain areas are correlated to the patients’ EF performances. More interestingly, some correlations may implicate the possible associations of EF and the incentive motivational effects of food. The neural correlation between the left precuneus and middle occipital gyrus and inhibitory control may suggest that patients with a better ability to detect appetitive food may have worse inhibitory control. Also, the neural correlation between the superior frontal blade and affective decision-making may suggest that patients’ affective decision-making may be associated with the incentive motivational effects of food. Our results provide evidence suggesting neural correlates of EF in patients with obesity.

A variety of neural signals have been measured as correlates to consciousness. In particular, late current sinks in layer 1, distributed activity across the cortex, and feedback processing have all been implicated. What are the physiological underpinnings of these signals? What computational role do they play in the brain? Why do they correlate to consciousness? This thesis begins to answer these questions by focusing on the pyramidal neuron. As the primary communicator of long-range feedforward and feedback signals in the cortex, the pyramidal neuron is set up to play an important role in establishing distributed representations. Additionally, the dendritic extent, reaching layer 1, is well situated to receive feedback inputs and contribute to current sinks in the upper layers. An investigation of pyramidal neuron physiology is therefore necessary to understand how the brain creates, and potentially uses, the neural correlates of consciousness. An important part of this thesis will be in establishing the computational role that dendritic physiology plays. In order to do this, a combined experimental and modeling approach is used. This thesis beings with single-cell experiments in layer 5 and layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. In both cases, dendritic nonlinearities are characterized and found to be integral regulators of neural output. Particular attention is paid to calcium spikes and NMDA spikes, which both exist in the apical dendrites, considerable distances from the spike initiation zone. These experiments are then used to create detailed multicompartmental models. These models are used to test hypothesis regarding spatial distribution of membrane channels, to quantify the effects of certain experimental manipulations, and to establish the computational properties of the single cell. We find that the pyramidal neuron physiology can carry out a coincidence detection mechanism. Further abstraction of these models reveals potential mechanisms for spike time control, frequency modulation, and tuning. Finally, a set of experiments are carried out to establish the effect of long-range feedback inputs onto the pyramidal neuron. A final discussion then explores a potential way in which the physiology of pyramidal neurons can establish distributed representations, and contribute to consciousness.

This review article highlights state-of-the-art functional neuroimaging studies and demonstrates the novel use of music as a tool for the study of human auditory brain structure and function. Music is a unique auditory stimulus with properties that make it a compelling tool with which to study both human behavior and, more specifically, the neural elements involved in the processing of sound. Functional neuroimaging techniques represent a modern and powerful method of investigation into neural structure and functional correlates in the living organism. These methods have demonstrated a close relationship between the neural processing of music and language, both syntactically and semantically. Greater neural activity and increased volume of gray matter in Heschl's gyrus has been associated with musical aptitude. Activation of Broca's area, a region traditionally considered to subserve language, is important in interpreting whether a note is on or off key. The planum temporale shows asymmetries that are associated with the phenomenon of perfect pitch. Functional imaging studies have also demonstrated activation of primitive emotional centers such as ventral striatum, midbrain, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, and ventral medial prefrontal cortex in listeners of moving musical passages. In addition, studies of melody and rhythm perception have elucidated mechanisms of hemispheric specialization. These studies show the power of music and functional neuroimaging to provide singularly useful tools for the study of brain structure and function.

Changing the Exchange

Brief hospital course (BHC) summaries are clinical documents that summarize a patient's hospital stay. While large language models (LLMs) depict remarkable capabilities in automating real-world tasks, their capabilities for healthcare applications such as synthesizing BHCs from clinical notes have not been shown. We introduce a novel preprocessed dataset, the MIMIC-IV-BHC, encapsulating clinical note and BHC pairs to adapt LLMs for BHC synthesis. Furthermore, we introduce a benchmark of the summarization performance of 2 general-purpose LLMs and 3 healthcare-adapted LLMs. Using clinical notes as input, we apply prompting-based (using in-context learning) and fine-tuning-based adaptation strategies to 3 open-source LLMs (Clinical-T5-Large, Llama2-13B, and FLAN-UL2) and 2 proprietary LLMs (Generative Pre-trained Transformer [GPT]-3.5 and GPT-4). We evaluate these LLMs across multiple context-length inputs using natural language similarity metrics. We further conduct a clinical study with 5 clinicians, comparing clinician-written and LLM-generated BHCs across 30 samples, focusing on their potential to enhance clinical decision-making through improved summary quality. We compare reader preferences for the original and LLM-generated summary using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. We further request optional qualitative feedback from clinicians to gain deeper insights into their preferences, and we present the frequency of common themes arising from these comments. The Llama2-13B fine-tuned LLM outperforms other domain-adapted models given quantitative evaluation metrics of Bilingual Evaluation Understudy (BLEU) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT)-Score. GPT-4 with in-context learning shows more robustness to increasing context lengths of clinical note inputs than fine-tuned Llama2-13B. Despite comparable quantitative metrics, the reader study depicts a significant preference for summaries generated by GPT-4 with in-context learning compared to both Llama2-13B fine-tuned summaries and the original summaries (P<.001), highlighting the need for qualitative clinical evaluation. We release a foundational clinically relevant dataset, the MIMIC-IV-BHC, and present an open-source benchmark of LLM performance in BHC synthesis from clinical notes. We observe high-quality summarization performance for both in-context proprietary and fine-tuned open-source LLMs using both quantitative metrics and a qualitative clinical reader study. Our research effectively integrates elements from the data assimilation pipeline: our methods use (1) clinical data sources to integrate, (2) data translation, and (3) knowledge creation, while our evaluation strategy paves the way for (4) deployment.