Affiliation: Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition Research Unit, University of Liège, Belgium

Abstract: What is consciousness?  Despite the simplicity of asking, it seems that an answer to this question is rather complicated. Here, I will aim at drafting a functional response as to what makes us conscious by resorting to measures using medical imaging under variant states of consciousness. We will see that in typical conditions brain function is dynamic and rich of variant patterns of activity, leading to an ongoing stream of thinking. When this brain dynamism is compromised, people report changes in their thought content. I will show how departures from balanced brain states are linked to altered conscious states as seen in the lab and clinical context. Inversely, I will introduce how atypical thinking, such that of mind blanking, can provide a measurable expression of an underlying neurobiological mechanism linked to arousal fluctuations as well as bodily responses. Taken together, we will see how variant mechanisms need to be in place synergistically so that we get to experience what is like to be conscious.

Webex-Link: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/fu-berlin-en/j.php?MTID=m994383b460cf262feb51abd0cf2d1991