Cognitive Neuroscience of Consciousness

Semester & Location:	Summer 2024 Session 3 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Summer Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Neuroscience; Psychology
Prerequisite(s):	One course in neuroscience, physiological psychology, biological psychology, or cognitive psychology at university level.
Faculty Members:	Elvira Fischer current students please use the Canvas Inbox to contact your faculty
Time & Place:	See course schedule below Classroom: N7-C25

Course Description

This course introduces the main theoretical models and the empirical methods employed to explain and measure consciousness. Students are offered the opportunity to learn about the neurobiological mechanisms possibly underlying the emergence of consciousness and to grasp why science also needs to embrace conceptual and philosophical levels of analysis. The course outlines the multi-faceted nature of consciousness by discussing different aspects of the phenomenon in normal as well as abnormal conditions. Students are encouraged throughout the course to actively participate in discussions and to critically think regarding the current state of knowledge about how the brain relates to the mind.

 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Appreciate the multi-faceted nature of consciousness
• Identify the conceptual and methodological problems in studying consciousness
• Discuss some of the key approaches to studying consciousness
• Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of current methodologies
• Trace the neurobiological mechanisms possibly underlying the emergence of consciousness

 

The following topics will be covered during the course:

• Theme 1: Framing Consciousness
  • What is consciousness?
  • Levels & dimensions of consciousness
  • Qualia & Theory of mind
  • The hard vs. the easy problem

• Theme 2: Theoretical Approaches
  
  • Neurobiological Theories (1): HOTs, GWTs
  • Neurobiological Theories (2): IIT, re-entry/PP theories
  • Attention, learning and affect theories (1) 
  • Attention, learning and affect theories (2) 

• Theme 3: Methodological Challenges
  • Objective and Subjective assessments of consciousness
  • Neural correlate of consciousness & Neuroimaging
  • Temporal binding, binocular rivalry, and consciousness perception
  • Indicators of consciousness & AI

• Theme 4: Consciousness Applied (Special Topics)
  
  • Infant & Non-human consciousness 
  • Altered states of consciousness

Faculty

Dr. Elvira Fischer Undergraduate degree from UCLA in psychobiology and a MSc and PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tuebingen/Germany. My background is in visual neuroscience, auditory neuroscience, neuroimaging, psychophysics, eye-tracking and physiological and behavioral measures.  Currently a senior manager/ R&D team lead at Oticon.  I work with a team of engineers developing signal processing algorithms for hearing aids, trying to facilitate auditory processing and auditory perception.

Reading List

Koch C. What Is Consciousness? Sci Am. 2018 May 15;318(6):60-64. doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0618-60. PMID: 29949559.

Bayne T, Hohwy J, Owen AM. Are There Levels of Consciousness? Trends Cogn Sci. 2016 Jun;20(6):405-413. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2016.03.009. Epub 2016 Apr 18. PMID: 27101880.

Huang Z, Mashour GA, Hudetz AG. Functional geometry of the cortex encodes dimensions of consciousness. Nat Commun. 2023 Jan 5;14(1):72. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35764-7. PMID: 36604428; PMCID: PMC9814511.

Grossberg S. Towards solving the hard problem of consciousness: The varieties of brain resonances and the conscious experiences that they support. Neural Netw. 2017 Mar;87:38-95. doi: 10.1016/j.neunet.2016.11.003. Epub 2016 Dec 6. PMID: 28088645.

Skokowski P. Sensing Qualia. Front Syst Neurosci. 2022 Mar 11;16:795405. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2022.795405. PMID: 35359622; PMCID: PMC8962373.

Dennett DC. Facing up to the hard question of consciousness. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2018 Sep 19;373(1755):20170342. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2017.0342. PMID: 30061456; PMCID: PMC6074080.

Hunt T, Schooler JW. The Easy Part of the Hard Problem: A Resonance Theory of Consciousness. Front Hum Neurosci. 2019 Oct 31;13:378. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00378. Erratum in: Front Hum Neurosci. 2020 Sep 04;14:596409. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.596409. PMID: 31736728; PMCID: PMC6834646.

Baars BJ. Global workspace theory of consciousness: toward a cognitive neuroscience of human experience. Prog Brain Res. 2005;150:45-53. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(05)50004-9. PMID: 16186014.

Seth AK, Bayne T. Theories of consciousness. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2022 Jul;23(7):439-452. doi: 10.1038/s41583-022-00587-4. Epub 2022 May 3. PMID: 35505255.

Balduzzi D, Tononi G. Qualia: the geometry of integrated information. PLoS Comput Biol. 2009 Aug;5(8):e1000462. doi: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000462. Epub 2009 Aug 14. PMID: 19680424; PMCID: PMC2713405.

Edelman GM, Gally JA. Reentry: a key mechanism for integration of brain function. Front Integr Neurosci. 2013 Aug 27;7:63. doi: 10.3389/fnint.2013.00063. PMID: 23986665; PMCID: PMC3753453.

Tononi G. An information integration theory of consciousness. BMC Neurosci. 2004 Nov 2;5:42. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-5-42. PMID: 15522121; PMCID: PMC543470.

Edelman G. Consciousness: the remembered present. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2001 Apr;929:111-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2001.tb05711.x. PMID: 11349421.

Graziano MSA. A conceptual framework for consciousness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 May 3;119(18):e2116933119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2116933119. Epub 2022 Apr 29. PMID: 35486693; PMCID: PMC9170028.

Bosse T, Jonker CM, Treur J. Formalization of Damasio's theory of emotion, feeling and core consciousness. Conscious Cogn. 2008 Mar;17(1):94-113. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2007.06.006. Epub 2007 Aug 8. PMID: 17689980.

Seth AK, Dienes Z, Cleeremans A, Overgaard M, Pessoa L. Measuring consciousness: relating behavioural and neurophysiological approaches. Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Aug;12(8):314-21. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2008.04.008. Epub 2008 Jul 5. PMID: 18606562; PMCID: PMC2767381.

Simione L, Raffone A, Kirov R, Overgaard M, Berkovich-Ohana A, Cleeremans A. Editorial: Methodological issues in consciousness research. Front Psychol. 2023 Jun 6;14:1217732. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1217732. PMID: 37346419; PMCID: PMC10280984.

Aru J, Bachmann T, Singer W, Melloni L. Distilling the neural correlates of consciousness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2012 Feb;36(2):737-46. doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.12.003. Epub 2011 Dec 17. PMID: 22192881.

Atkinson AP, Thomas MS, Cleeremans A. Consciousness: mapping the theoretical landscape. Trends Cogn Sci. 2000 Oct 1;4(10):372-382. doi: 10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01533-3. PMID: 11025280.

Crick F, Koch C. A framework for consciousness. Nat Neurosci. 2003 Feb;6(2):119-26. doi: 10.1038/nn0203-119. PMID: 12555104.

Zeki S. The disunity of consciousness. Prog Brain Res. 2008;168:11-8. doi: 10.1016/S0079-6123(07)68002-9. PMID: 18166382.

Leopold DA, Logothetis NK. Activity changes in early visual cortex reflect monkeys' percepts during binocular rivalry. Nature. 1996 Feb 8;379(6565):549-53. doi: 10.1038/379549a0. PMID: 8596635.

Pennartz CMA, Farisco M, Evers K. Indicators and Criteria of Consciousness in Animals and Intelligent Machines: An Inside-Out Approach. Front Syst Neurosci. 2019 Jul 16;13:25. doi: 10.3389/fnsys.2019.00025. PMID: 31379521; PMCID: PMC6660257.

 

Approach to Teaching

Classes will be composed of various teaching methods, e.g. discussions, teamwork, presentations and exercises. Classes will not take form of long lectures but will rather aim to create an interactive space where students can share ideas and thoughts on how the body relates to the mind.  Classes should offer a safe environment in which all students feel welcome. 

Expectations of the Students

Class attendance is mandatory. During this course engaged participation will be expected and is crucial for achieving a positive learning outcome. Students are encouraged to reflect critically on the various topics and the current knowledge in the field of consciousness. Students should be prepared to provide feedback and/or prepare questions for each other after discussions, workshops and presentations. 

The schedule will list reading materials for each class. It is expected that students are prepared by having read and reflected on the material beforehand. Being prepared ensures a better understanding of the topic and creates a possibility for thorough discussions and for a better process and overall outcome. 

Evaluation

Form	How	Percentage
Participation and Engagement	Individual	20 %
Reflection Podcast	Group	20 %
Poster Presentation	Individual	20%
Poster	Group Submission	20 %
Research Proposal	Individual	20%

Participation and Engagement

Preparation, attendance, and engagement in classes and field studies is important because it shows that you are taking responsibility for your own learning. Your participation and engagement grade will be calculated based on your ability to meet the following criteria:

• You attend the class meeting/field study/guest lecture having done the day’s reading.
• You are engaged throughout our class meeting/field study/guest lecture and demonstrate this by prompting discussion and/or responding to your peers by linking comments, asking questions, and drawing connections between readings and themes.
• You listen attentively and respectfully to others (and you avoid dominating or silencing others).
• You offer more than just personal opinion or anecdote – that is, you root your comments in the text we are discussing (e.g., “this reminds me of p. 76 where the authors indicate X”) and link ideas and comments with content from past reading assignments.
• You work collaboratively with people to achieve learning goals when you are placed in a small group.

 

Academic Accommodations

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter on the first days of class. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support academicsupport@dis.dk

Class room policies

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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Image credit: Most brain activity is "background noise" — and that's upending our understanding of consciousness | Salon.com