Khaberni - Consciousness is one of the most mysterious phenomena in neuroscience, but a new scientific perspective offers a different explanation for how it forms in the brain, linking memory, perception, and future prediction in a single integrated neural process.
In a theoretical study published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine introduced a new view that the same neural circuits responsible for remembering the past also allow us to perceive the present and imagine the future, suggesting that consciousness is not a direct reflection of external reality, but a product of a continuous "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 earlier.
Dr. Andrew Podson, a professor of neuroscience at Boston University and the lead researcher in the study, says 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 at the level of fractions of a second, as all depend on the same simulation mechanisms."
The study points to a pivotal role for the "default mode network" in the brain, alongside the frontoparietal control networks and the salience network, all of which are neurological systems known for their role in memory, planning, and imagination. According to the researchers, these networks not only retrieve memories but also form the neural basis of conscious experience itself.
This view is in line with what is known as the "memory theory of consciousness," previously proposed by Podson, which assumes that our decisions, actions, and conscious perceptions are nothing but a conscious recall of processes that immediately preceded them unconsciously.
The scientists believe that this new understanding explains the basic purpose of consciousness, represented in utilizing past experiences to understand the present 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 approach does not conflict with prevailing theories about consciousness, such as the "global neuronal workspace theory" or the "predictive processing theory"; rather, it complements them, noting that each theory might 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 reinforces the idea that our consciousness of the world is not a mirror of it, but a story that the brain continuously rewrites.
