Biomaterial Database

Consciousness and the outside world: is there anyone listening? 2022

Darren Hight, and Jamie Sleigh

Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

Sedated patients have graded levels of consciousness and perceptual connection with the outside world. Disconnection is associated with widespread changes in the electroencephalogram, whereas full unconsciousness is linked with decreased activity specifically in the deep midline regions of the brain. These findings can be interpreted within the predictive coding model of consciousness as differences in model generation vs discrepancy detection. Anaesthetists should be cognisant that apparently unresponsive patients might still have some ongoing partially disconnected consciousness activity.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D001921	Brain	The part of CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM that is contained within the skull (CRANIUM). Arising from the NEURAL TUBE, the embryonic brain is comprised of three major parts including PROSENCEPHALON (the forebrain); MESENCEPHALON (the midbrain); and RHOMBENCEPHALON (the hindbrain). The developed brain consists of CEREBRUM; CEREBELLUM; and other structures in the BRAIN STEM.	Encephalon
D003243	Consciousness	Sense of awareness of self and of the environment.	Consciousnesses
D004569	Electroencephalography	Recording of electric currents developed in the brain by means of electrodes applied to the scalp, to the surface of the brain, or placed within the substance of the brain.	EEG,Electroencephalogram,Electroencephalograms
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001307	Auditory Perception	The process whereby auditory stimuli are selected, organized, and interpreted by the organism.	Auditory Processing,Perception, Auditory,Processing, Auditory
D014474	Unconsciousness	Loss of the ability to maintain awareness of self and environment combined with markedly reduced responsiveness to environmental stimuli. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp344-5)	Consciousness, Loss of,Unconscious State,Loss of Consciousness,State, Unconscious,Unconscious States