Dere Dorothea, Zlomuzica Armin, Dere Ekrem
Département UMR 8256 Adaptation Biologique et Vieillissement, Sorbonne Université, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, (IBPS), UFR des Sciences de la Vie, Campus Pierre et Marie Curie, Bâtiment B, 9 quai Saint Bernard, F-75005 Paris Cedex, France.
Faculty of Psychology, Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Bochum, Massenbergstraße 9-13, D-44787 Bochum, Germany.
Rev Neurosci. 2020 Aug 27. doi: 10.1515/revneuro-2020-0012.
The neurophysiological basis of consciousness is still unknown and one of the most challenging questions in the field of neuroscience and related disciplines. We propose that consciousness is characterized by the maintenance of mental representations of internal and external stimuli for the execution of cognitive operations. Consciousness cannot exist without working memory, and it is likely that consciousness and working memory share the same neural substrates. Here, we present a novel psychological and neurophysiological framework that explains the role of consciousness for cognition, adaptive behavior, and everyday life. A hypothetical architecture of consciousness is presented that is organized as a system of operation and storage units named platforms that are controlled by a consciousness center (central executive/online platform). Platforms maintain mental representations or contents, are entrusted with different executive functions, and operate at different levels of consciousness. The model includes conscious-mode central executive/online and mental time travel platforms and semiconscious steady-state and preconscious standby platforms. Mental representations or contents are represented by neural circuits and their support cells (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, etc.) and become conscious when neural circuits reverberate, that is, fire sequentially and continuously with relative synchronicity. Reverberatory activity in neural circuits may be initiated and maintained by pacemaker cells/neural circuit pulsars, enhanced electronic coupling via gap junctions, and unapposed hemichannel opening. The central executive/online platform controls which mental representations or contents should become conscious by recruiting pacemaker cells/neural network pulsars, the opening of hemichannels, and promoting enhanced neural circuit coupling via gap junctions.
意识的神经生理基础仍然未知，是神经科学及相关学科领域中最具挑战性的问题之一。我们提出，意识的特征在于维持内部和外部刺激的心理表征以执行认知操作。没有工作记忆，意识就无法存在，意识和工作记忆很可能共享相同的神经基质。在此，我们提出了一个新颖的心理学和神经生理学框架，用以解释意识在认知、适应性行为和日常生活中的作用。文中呈现了一种假设的意识架构，它被组织成一个由意识中心（中央执行/在线平台）控制的名为平台的操作和存储单元系统。平台维持心理表征或内容，被赋予不同的执行功能，并在不同的意识水平上运作。该模型包括意识模式的中央执行/在线和心理时间旅行平台以及半意识稳态和前意识备用平台。心理表征或内容由神经回路及其支持细胞（星形胶质细胞、少突胶质细胞等）表征，当神经回路产生回响时，即相对同步地依次连续放电时，这些表征就会变得有意识。神经回路中的回响活动可能由起搏器细胞/神经回路脉冲星启动和维持，通过缝隙连接增强电耦合，以及未配对半通道开放。中央执行/在线平台通过招募起搏器细胞/神经网络脉冲星、打开半通道以及促进通过缝隙连接增强神经回路耦合来控制哪些心理表征或内容应该变得有意识。
