Two researchers from the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) have developed a new theory of consciousness and have long been concerned with the nature of consciousness, the question of how and where the brain generates consciousness and whether animals also have consciousness. Consciousness as a state associated with complex cognitive operations and not as a passive basic state that occurs automatically in the waking state.
Professor Armin Zlomuzica of the Behavioral and Clinical Neuroscience Research Group at RUB and Professor Ekrem Dere, formerly of Paris Sorbonne University, now at RUB, describe their theory in the journal Behavioral Brain Research. The print version will be published on February 15, 2022, the article is available online from November 2021.
The hypotheses on which our platform theory of consciousness is based can be tested in experimental studies, is how the authors describe an advantage of their concept over alternative models. Therefore, the consciousness process in humans and animals or even in the context of artificial intelligence can be researched.
The platform theory in detail
Complex cognitive operations associated with consciousness according to platform theory are applied to mental representations that are maintained and processed; they can include perceptions, emotions, sensations, memories, ideas, and associations; Conscious cognitive operations are necessary, for example, in situations in which the learned behavior or the learned habits are no longer sufficient to cope with the situation. People don’t necessarily have to be conscious to drive or take a shower.
But when something unexpected happens, conscious cognitive actions are needed to resolve the situation. They are also needed to predict future events or problems and to develop adequate coping strategies. Importantly, conscious cognitive operations underlie adaptive and flexible behaviors that allow humans and animals to adapt to new environmental conditions.
According to the new theory, conscious cognitive actions take place on the basis of a so-called online platform, a kind of central executive that controls the subordinate platforms. Subordinate platforms can serve, for example, as media for storing knowledge or activities.
Electrical junctions between nerve cells crucial
Conscious cognitive operations are facilitated by the interaction of different neural networks. Armin Zlomuzica and Ekrem Dere consider that electrical synapses, also called gap junctions, are crucial in this context. These structures allow extremely rapid transmission of signals between nerve cells. They work much faster than chemical synapses, where communication between cells takes place through the exchange of neurotransmitters and modulators.
A possible experiment
For example, the authors propose the following experiment to test their platform theory: A person, an experimental animal or an artificial intelligence are confronted with a novel problem that can only be solved by combining two or more rules learned in a different context. Stored information and application to a new problem can only be achieved through conscious cognitive operations.
By administering pharmacological substances that block gap joints, researchers would be able to verify whether gap junctions actually play a decisive role in the processes. Gap junction blockers should inhibit performance in the experiment. Contexts in which they were learned should still be possible.
To what extent an artificial intelligence that is able to independently solve a new and complex problem for which it does not have a predefined solution algorithm can also be viewed as conscious, the authors emphasize. Several conditions would have to be met: The first would be met, for example, if it successfully proposes a strategy to combat a pandemic by autonomously recognizing, evaluating, selecting and creatively combining information from the Internet.
