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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; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4962-11.2012
Jaakko W. Långsjö
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Michael T. Alkire
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Kimmo Kaskinoro
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Hiroki Hayama
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Anu Maksimow
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Kaike K. Kaisti
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Sargo Aalto
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Riku Aantaa
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Satu K. Jääskeläinen
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Antti Revonsuo
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Harry Scheinin
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Article Information

DOI 
https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4962-11.2012
PubMed 
22492049
Published By 
Society for Neuroscience
History 
  • Received September 29, 2011
  • Revision received January 25, 2012
  • Accepted February 16, 2012
  • First published April 4, 2012.
  • Version of record published April 4, 2012.
Copyright & Usage 
Copyright © 2012 the authors 0270-6474/12/324935-09$15.00/0 This article is freely available online through the J Neurosci Open Choice option.

Author Information

  1. Jaakko W. Långsjö1,2,*,
  2. Michael T. Alkire3,*,
  3. Kimmo Kaskinoro4,
  4. Hiroki Hayama3,
  5. Anu Maksimow4,
  6. Kaike K. Kaisti1,
  7. Sargo Aalto1,
  8. Riku Aantaa4,
  9. Satu K. Jääskeläinen5,
  10. Antti Revonsuo6, and
  11. Harry Scheinin1,7,8
  1. 1Turku PET Centre, University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, FI-20521 Turku, Finland,
  2. 2Department of Anesthesiology, Seinäjoki Central Hospital, 60220 Seinäjoki, Finland,
  3. 3VA Long Beach Healthcare system (Long Beach, California, 90822), Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care and the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California-Irvine, California 92868,
  4. 4Department of Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency Care, and Pain Medicine, Turku University Hospital, FI-20521 Turku, Finland,
  5. 5Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Turku University Hospital, FI-20521 Turku, Finland,
  6. 6Department of Psychology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland and School of Humanities and Informatics, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden,
  7. 7Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland,
  8. 8Pulssi Medical Centre, 20100 Turku, Finland
View Full Text

Author contributions

  1. Author contributions: J.W.L., K.K., A.M., K.K.K., R.A., S.K.J., and H.S. designed research; J.W.L., K.K., A.M., K.K.K., and H.S. performed research; M.T.A., H.H., and S.A. analyzed data; J.W.L., M.T.A., A.R., and H.S. wrote the paper.

  2. ↵*J.W.L. and M.T.A. contributed equally to this work.

Disclosures

    • Received September 29, 2011.
    • Revision received January 25, 2012.
    • Accepted February 16, 2012.
  • This work was funded by the Academy of Finland (Research Programme on Neuroscience, NEURO, project no. 8111818), Turku University Hospital EVO-Grant no. 13323, Seinäjoki Central Hospital EVO-Grant no. 1133, The Finnish Medical Foundation, and The Paulo Foundation. Presented in part at the American Society of Anesthesiologist's annual meeting, Best abstracts of the meeting session, October 16–20, 2010, San Diego, California.

  • The authors declare no competing financial interests.

  • Correspondence should be addressed to Harry Scheinin, Turku PET Centre, University of Turku, and Turku University Hospital, P.O. Box 52, FI-20521 Turku, Finland. harry.scheinin{at}utu.fi

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Jan 2018811410
Feb 2018138324
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May 20181214223
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Feb 2019375716
Mar 2019268618
Apr 2019289538
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Feb 2020205239
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Jul 202065412
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Total 2020178660346
Jan 20211713547
Feb 2021118821
Mar 20212411646
Apr 2021176930
May 2021106552
Jun 2021134426
Jul 2021197023
Aug 2021215127
Sep 2021197923
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Jan 2023227828
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Total 2024125995288
Jan 2025144726
Feb 2025228010
Mar 202597626
Apr 202558923
May 2025106724
Jun 2025136021
Jul 202594512
Aug 2025186236
Sep 2025167324
Oct 2025186039
Nov 20252411527
Dec 20251102
Total 2025159784270
Total142667402511
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The Journal of Neuroscience: 32 (14)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 32, Issue 14
4 Apr 2012
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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

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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
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  • 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.

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