Abstracts

Rationale: We investigate the possibility that consciousness occurs in discrete chunks or frames by examining the repetitive instants when brain EEG analytic power approaches zero, thus acting as shutter for a cinematographic theory of consciousness. Methods: We compare the frequency of putative chunks of consciousness reported in earlier behavioral literature with the frequency of deep analytic power minima in both (1) mathematically generated power-law noise and (2) intracranial EEG recorded from conscious and unconscious human subjects. 30 sec segments of EEG recordings were studied in four subjects with refractory epilepsy who underwent intracranial, subdural, 8x8 64 contact grid recordings to localize epileptic seizures. Conscious EEG segments were taken during time periods when the subjects were alert and awake, and the EEG was free of seizures or epileptiform discharges. Unconscious EEG was obtained from the immediate post-ictal period following generalized tonic-clonic convulsive seizures. Results: A good fit is observed between the behavioral measurements and both sorts of analytic power measurements. Conclusions: We hypothesize that the episodic nature of the analytic power generated by the brain (a) arises from underlying physical or mathematical laws rather than from any specifically biological process, but nevertheless (b) constrains consciousness to occur in discrete chunks or cinematographic frames.