Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Neuroscience
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Neuroscience

Advanced Search

Submit a Manuscript
  • HOME
  • CONTENT
    • Early Release
    • Featured
    • Current Issue
    • Issue Archive
    • Collections
    • Podcast
  • ALERTS
  • FOR AUTHORS
    • Information for Authors
    • Fees
    • Journal Clubs
    • eLetters
    • Submit
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • ABOUT
    • Overview
    • Advertise
    • For the Media
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Feedback
  • SUBSCRIBE
PreviousNext
Articles, Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive

Returning from Oblivion: Imaging the Neural Core of Consciousness

Jaakko W. Långsjö, Michael T. Alkire, Kimmo Kaskinoro, Hiroki Hayama, Anu Maksimow, Kaike K. Kaisti, Sargo Aalto, Riku Aantaa, Satu K. Jääskeläinen, Antti Revonsuo and Harry Scheinin
Journal of Neuroscience 4 April 2012, 32 (14) 4935-4943; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4962-11.2012
Jaakko W. Långsjö
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Michael T. Alkire
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kimmo Kaskinoro
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Hiroki Hayama
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Anu Maksimow
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Kaike K. Kaisti
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sargo Aalto
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Riku Aantaa
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Satu K. Jääskeläinen
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Antti Revonsuo
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Harry Scheinin
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges of modern neuroscience is to discover the neural mechanisms of consciousness and to explain how they produce the conscious state. We sought the underlying neural substrate of human consciousness by manipulating the level of consciousness in volunteers with anesthetic agents and visualizing the resultant changes in brain activity using regional cerebral blood flow imaging with positron emission tomography. Study design and methodology were chosen to dissociate the state-related changes in consciousness from the effects of the anesthetic drugs. We found the emergence of consciousness, as assessed with a motor response to a spoken command, to be associated with the activation of a core network involving subcortical and limbic regions that become functionally coupled with parts of frontal and inferior parietal cortices upon awakening from unconsciousness. The neural core of consciousness thus involves forebrain arousal acting to link motor intentions originating in posterior sensory integration regions with motor action control arising in more anterior brain regions. These findings reveal the clearest picture yet of the minimal neural correlates required for a conscious state to emerge.

This article is freely available online through the J Neurosci Open Choice option.

View Full Text
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Neuroscience: 32 (14)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 32, Issue 14
4 Apr 2012
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Advertising (PDF)
  • Ed Board (PDF)
Email

Thank you for sharing this Journal of Neuroscience article.

NOTE: We request your email address only to inform the recipient that it was you who recommended this article, and that it is not junk mail. We do not retain these email addresses.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Returning from Oblivion: Imaging the Neural Core of Consciousness
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from Journal of Neuroscience
(Your Name) thought you would be interested in this article in Journal of Neuroscience.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Print
View Full Page PDF
Citation Tools
Returning from Oblivion: Imaging the Neural Core of Consciousness
Jaakko W. Långsjö, Michael T. Alkire, Kimmo Kaskinoro, Hiroki Hayama, Anu Maksimow, Kaike K. Kaisti, Sargo Aalto, Riku Aantaa, Satu K. Jääskeläinen, Antti Revonsuo, Harry Scheinin
Journal of Neuroscience 4 April 2012, 32 (14) 4935-4943; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4962-11.2012

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Respond to this article
Request Permissions
Share
Returning from Oblivion: Imaging the Neural Core of Consciousness
Jaakko W. Långsjö, Michael T. Alkire, Kimmo Kaskinoro, Hiroki Hayama, Anu Maksimow, Kaike K. Kaisti, Sargo Aalto, Riku Aantaa, Satu K. Jääskeläinen, Antti Revonsuo, Harry Scheinin
Journal of Neuroscience 4 April 2012, 32 (14) 4935-4943; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4962-11.2012
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Introduction
    • Materials and Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • eLetters
  • PDF

Responses to this article

Respond to this article

Jump to comment:

  • Near death experiences
    Ali H Bardy
    Published on: 04 June 2012
  • vasovagal syncope
    joel c. bernard
    Published on: 09 April 2012
  • Published on: (4 June 2012)
    Page navigation anchor for Near death experiences
    Near death experiences
    • Ali H Bardy, neurologist

    In the discussion of their article on near death experiences (NDE) van Lommel et al (2001) write that ".. with lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE, the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that consciousness and memories are localized in the brain should be discussed. How could a clear consciousness outside one's body be experienced at the moment that the brain no longer functions during a period of clin...

    Show More

    In the discussion of their article on near death experiences (NDE) van Lommel et al (2001) write that ".. with lack of evidence for any other theories for NDE, the thus far assumed, but never proven, concept that consciousness and memories are localized in the brain should be discussed. How could a clear consciousness outside one's body be experienced at the moment that the brain no longer functions during a period of clinical death with flat EEG?"

    The excellent study by Langsjo and others provides a physiological. explanation. Flat cortical EEG does not indicate loss of brain function. This supports my comment (Bardy 2002) to the article by van Lommel et al. (2001). There is no need to assume that consciousness is not localised in the brain. Spiritual and parapsychological explanations are unnecessary.

    References

    van Lommel P, van Wees R, Meyers V, Elfferich I (2001) Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands. Lancet 358: 2039-2045.

    Bardy AH (2002) Near death experiences. Lancet 359: 2116.

    Conflict of Interest:

    None

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.
  • Published on: (9 April 2012)
    Page navigation anchor for vasovagal syncope
    vasovagal syncope
    • joel c. bernard, writer

    Similar results might be obtained from study of persons with vasovagal syncope (vvs). (I have very occasional episodes of vvs associated with swallowing.)

    The initial feeling of awakening after vvs is almost indescribable, and different from the feeling of awakening from sleep. The first stage is an extraordinary feeling of well-being, almost of euphoria, quickly followed by the return of normal consciousness. I...

    Show More

    Similar results might be obtained from study of persons with vasovagal syncope (vvs). (I have very occasional episodes of vvs associated with swallowing.)

    The initial feeling of awakening after vvs is almost indescribable, and different from the feeling of awakening from sleep. The first stage is an extraordinary feeling of well-being, almost of euphoria, quickly followed by the return of normal consciousness. I have wondered whether the euphoric feeling is caused by the initial return of blood flow to the more primitive centers of the brain, before returning to the cortex.

    I'm not a scientist, and know nothing about brain physiology. ...

    Conflict of Interest:

    None declared

    Show Less
    Competing Interests: None declared.

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

Articles

  • Choice Behavior Guided by Learned, But Not Innate, Taste Aversion Recruits the Orbitofrontal Cortex
  • Maturation of Spontaneous Firing Properties after Hearing Onset in Rat Auditory Nerve Fibers: Spontaneous Rates, Refractoriness, and Interfiber Correlations
  • Insulin Treatment Prevents Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Injury with Restored Neurobehavioral Function in Models of HIV/AIDS Neurodegeneration
Show more Articles

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive

  • Episodic Reinstatement in the Medial Temporal Lobe
  • Musical Expertise Induces Audiovisual Integration of Abstract Congruency Rules
  • The Laminar Development of Direction Selectivity in Ferret Visual Cortex
Show more Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
  • Home
  • Alerts
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Facebook
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on Twitter
  • Follow Society for Neuroscience on LinkedIn
  • Visit Society for Neuroscience on Youtube
  • Follow our RSS feeds

Content

  • Early Release
  • Current Issue
  • Issue Archive
  • Collections

Information

  • For Authors
  • For Advertisers
  • For the Media
  • For Subscribers

About

  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
(JNeurosci logo)
(SfN logo)

Copyright © 2023 by the Society for Neuroscience.
JNeurosci Online ISSN: 1529-2401

The ideas and opinions expressed in JNeurosci do not necessarily reflect those of SfN or the JNeurosci Editorial Board. Publication of an advertisement or other product mention in JNeurosci should not be construed as an endorsement of the manufacturer’s claims. SfN does not assume any responsibility for any injury and/or damage to persons or property arising from or related to any use of any material contained in JNeurosci.