ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2022
Are we really unconscious in "unconscious" states? Common assumptions revisited.
Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- An experimental study of the effect of neuromuscular blockade on EEG-based measures of awareness.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Hemispherotomy leads to persistent sleep-like slow waves in the isolated cortex of awake humans.PLoS biology · 2025Article
- Noradrenaline and acetylcholine shape functional connectivity organization of NREM substages: An empirical and simulation study.PLoS computational biology · 2025Article
- A repeated awakening study exploring the capacity of complexity measures to capture dreaming during propofol sedation.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Does Cognitive Load Affect Measures of Consciousness?Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Exploring effects of anesthesia on complexity, differentiation, and integrated information in rat EEG.Neuroscience of consciousness · 2024Article
- Article
- Altered brain dynamics index levels of arousal in complete locked-in syndrome.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Paradoxical pharmacological dissociations result from drugs that enhance delta oscillations but preserve consciousness.Communications biology · 2023Review
- Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: Are They Nonconscious, Unconscious, or Subconscious? Expanding the Discussion.Brain sciences · 2023Article
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5 authors.
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Abstract
In the field of consciousness science, there is a tradition to categorize certain states such as slow-wave non-REM sleep and deep general anesthesia as "unconscious". While this categorization seems reasonable at first glance, careful investigations have revealed that it is not so simple. Given that (1) behavioral signs of (un-)consciousness can be unreliable, (2) subjective reports of (un-)consciousness can be unreliable, and, (3) states presumed to be unconscious are not always devoid of reported experience, there are reasons to reexamine our traditional assumptions about "states of unconsciousness". While these issues are not novel, and may be partly semantic, they have implications both for scientific progress and clinical practice. We suggest that focusing on approaches that provide a more pragmatic and nuanced characterization of different experimental conditions may promote clarity in the field going forward, and help us build stronger foundations for future studies.
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