Mechanisms of Consciousness

Abstract

Understanding mechanisms of consciousness is a neuroscientific challenge with potential important medical applications. Mechanisms of conscious state should be distinguished from those of conscious access. Regarding conscious state, arousal is a necessary condition for consciousness but it is not a sufficient one. A network of frontal and parietal heteromodal associative areas is also implicated in the emergence of awareness. The same network is necessary for conscious access to given information by the subject as well. Our understanding of consciousness mechanisms allows us to identify, prognosticate and stimulate reappearance of consciousness in a non-conscious patient. © 2014 Société de réanimation de langue française (SRLF) and Springer-Verlag.