Psychedelic Research

Giulio Tononi has a unique approach to consciousness research, combining formal theory with some elegant comparisons of waking consciousness and sleep. Many other researchers focus on neural correlates of consciousness (often abbreviated NCC), that is, the minimal neuronal mechanisms that create some a specific content of consciousness. Often, studies attempt to figure out what changes in the brain when we perceive one thing compared to another. But understanding the contents of consciousness isn’t the big question for me. And I am not convinced the NCC approach can uncover the mechanisms of consciousness per se and what factors change the quality of consciousness. Tononi and his colleagues investigate these broader issues and I tend to think they’re moving in the right direction.
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