Abstract
Consciousness is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon defying scientific explanation. Part of the reason why this is the case is due to its subjective nature. In our previous computational experiments, to avoid such a subjective trap, we took a strategy to investigate objective necessary conditions of consciousness. Our basic hypothesis was that predictive internal dynamics serves as such a condition. This is in line with theories of consciousness that treat retention (memory), protention (anticipation), and primary impression as the tripartite temporal structure of consciousness. To test our hypothesis, we analyzed publicly available sleep and awake electroencephalogram (EEG) data. Our results show that EEG signals from awake or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep states have more predictable dynamics compared to those from slow-wave sleep (SWS). Since awakeness and REM sleep are associated with conscious states and SWS with unconscious or less consciousness states, these results support our hypothesis. The results suggest an intricate relationship among prediction, consciousness, and time, with potential applications to time perception and neurorobotics.
Highlights
Consciousness is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon defying scientific explanation
In this article, we analyzed publicly available EEG data from sleep and awake states to measure the predictability of the signals under conscious and unconscious (SWS) conditions
We found that the predictability of EEG signals correlated with the degree of consciousness
Summary
Consciousness is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon defying scientific explanation. There are temporal mechanisms at all scales, from fast and slow synaptic dynamics (Markram et al, 1997; Bi and Poo, 1998) to recurrent long-range projections among cortical and subcortical brain regions (Felleman and Van Essen, 1991; Douglas et al, 1995), and long-term plasticity that form the basis of organismal memory (Artola and Singer, 1987). Many of these temporal properties can potentially contribute to consciousness, but in this work we will investigate the relationship between predictive dynamics and conscious states. We will focus on the predictive aspect of conscious states
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