Resting State fMRI as A Tool for the Study of Consciousness
Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2019, Vol 13, Issue 5
Abstract
Consciousness constitutes a complex concept. Its clinical and phenomenological definitions are commonly under debate. Resting- State functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging has contributed to the understanding of different cognitive processes by providing neural mechanisms underlying specific functions. Resting State acquisitions has shown an important role of Resting State networks both in different mental state and consciousness alterations as those disorders of consciousness observed in neurological pathologies and specific states as drug-induced hallucinations and traumatic brain injury. This evidence situates the complex focus of this article, the consciousness, as an accurate balance between activity and connectivity of regions and neural networks.The mere effort to provide an acute definition of consciousness constitutes a major challenge in neurosciences and the conventional characterizations of this concept are currently under strong debate. Nevertheless, several approaches have been developed in order to answer the main question of how the subjective experience emerges. Diverging models, from complex psychological explanations to the denial of any relevance of the consciousness, limiting it strictly to an epiphenomenon of the disposition to act have been discussed in the scientific community . The clinical characterization of this complex concept often considers two main axes. In the first place, arousal is a quantitative approach by which a subject is described as asleep or awake. On the other hand, awareness is a qualitative approach related to the content of the subjective experience. This differentiation has influenced the research-oriented to look for neural correlates of consciousness [1,2]. Figure 1 shows the interacción between these complementary axes, exhibiting examples of conditions in each quadrant. Nevertheless, the balance between arousal and awareness is a poor approach to human conscious experience. There are a lot of clinical and nonclinical scenarios in which consciousness is under a temporary or permanent modification. For example, specific mental states as the exhibited in meditation have been studied and brain activity and connectivity changes related to the onset of meditative activity have been identified [3-5].Figure 1: Consciousness as the complex clinical expression of arousal and awareness. Vertical axis representing awareness show lower level at the bottom and higher level at the top. Horizontal axis representing shows lower level at the left and higher level of arousal at the right side. Examples exhibited in each quadrant are no exhaustive, because much more options may be found in the clinical progression of arousal and awareness in both directions.
Authors and Affiliations
Tomás Labbé Atenas, Javiera Venegas Bustos
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP587587
- DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2019.13.002469
- Views 173
- Downloads 0
Emerging Infectious Disease and Transfusion Medicine: Time to take Action with Proactive Measures
One of the concerns throughout the history of transfusion medicine has been the transmission of infectious diseases through the transfusion of allogeneic blood. Since the identification of post transfusion hepatitis in t...
The Factor Assay of Indicators of Physical and Functional Preparation of Basketball Players 18-25 Years Old
The problem of physiological study of non-traditional means of coaching attracts a lot of scientists’ attention in recent years. This is due to the need to provide a maximum development of certain muscle groups and direc...
Acetic-Acid Iontophoresis and Ultrasound Effectiveness onCalcifying Tendonitis of the Elbow
Calcifying tendonitis (CT) is the deposit of hydroxyapatite within tendons. CT is multifactorial and it could affect the rotator cuff, Achilles, patella, forearm extensors biceps brachi and tibialis posterior tendons. Th...
The Use of Mindfulness Practices to Relieve Symptoms of Anxiety and Migraine Headaches
Intellectually gifted students have emotional intensity and mental processing that is outside of the norm for their age group and they often manifest anxiety about school and have difficulties in peer interaction. This a...
A Rare Case of Spontaneous Pneumopericardium
Pneumopericardium is defined as a collection of air or gas in the pericardial cavity, its causes are usually secondary to trauma or mechanical ventilation, but spontaneous cases are very rare [1]. A 54-year-old man prese...