Khaberni - Consciousness is one of the most mysterious phenomena in neuroscience, but a new scientific perspective offers a different explanation for how it forms inside the brain, linking memory, perception, and future prediction in one integrated neural process.
In a theoretical study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, researchers from the School of Medicine at Boston University present a new view suggesting that the same neural circuits responsible for remembering the past enable us to perceive the present and imagine the future, meaning that consciousness is not a direct reflection of external reality, but a product of an ongoing “simulation” process within the brain.
The researchers explain that the common sensation that we perceive the world in its current moment is actually a "neural illusion". Due to the time delay in processing sensory signals, what we consider direct perception of the present is in reality a “conscious memory” of what unconscious mechanisms processed fractions of a second before.
Dr. Andrew Budson, a professor of neuroscience at Boston University and the lead researcher in the study, states that the brain continuously builds the best possible estimate of the past, present, and future simultaneously, adding: "There is no strict boundary between perception and memory on a milliseconds level, all rely on the same simulation mechanisms."
The study points to a pivotal role of what is known as the "default mode network" in the brain, alongside the frontoparietal control networks and the salience network, all of which are neural systems known for their roles in memory, planning, and imagining. According to the researchers, these networks are not only involved in retrieving memories, but they also form the neural basis for the conscious experience itself.
This view aligns with what is known as the "Memory Theory of Consciousness," previously proposed by Budson, which posits that our decisions, actions, and conscious perceptions are merely conscious recollections of unconscious processes that preceded them immediately.
The scientists believe this new understanding explains the fundamental purpose of consciousness, represented in using past experiences to comprehend the current moment, imagine future scenarios, and make more effective decisions. According to the theory, consciousness is not confined to a specific brain region but is linked to the activity of the entire cerebral cortex, as it is the fundamental structure for explicit memory.
Integration with other theories
The researchers affirm that this proposal does not conflict with prevailing theories about consciousness, such as the "Global Workspace Theory" or the "Predictive Processing Theory"; rather, it complements them, indicating that each theory may describe a different aspect of the same phenomenon.
This vision opens new horizons for understanding disorders of consciousness and memory, such as dementia and brain injuries, and it reinforces the idea that our consciousness of the world is not a mirror of it, but a story that the brain continuously rewrites.
