Altered states of consciousness in epilepsy: a DTI study of the brain

2016 ◽  
Vol 127 (8) ◽  
pp. 667-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Xie ◽  
Wu Xing ◽  
Xiaoyi Wang ◽  
Weihua Liao ◽  
Wei Shi
Keyword(s):  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
The Brain

scholarly journals EEG microstate dynamics indicate a U-shaped path to propofol-induced loss of consciousness

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiorenzo Artoni ◽  
Julien Maillard ◽  
Juliane Britz ◽  
Martin Seeber ◽  
Christopher Lysakowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Altered States ◽  
Stream Of Consciousness ◽  
Sequence Complexity ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Brain States ◽  
The Brain

It is commonly believed that the stream of consciousness is not continuous but parsed into transient brain states manifesting themselves as discrete spatiotemporal patterns of global neuronal activity. Electroencephalographical (EEG) microstates are proposed as the neurophysiological correlates of these transiently stable brain states that last for fractions of seconds. To further understand the link between EEG microstate dynamics and consciousness, we continuously recorded high-density EEG in 23 surgical patients from their awake state to unconsciousness, induced by step-wise increasing concentrations of the intravenous anesthetic propofol. Besides the conventional parameters of microstate dynamics, we introduce a new method that estimates the complexity of microstate sequences. The brain activity under the surgical anesthesia showed a decreased sequence complexity of the stereotypical microstates, which became sparser and longer-lasting. However, we observed an initial increase in microstates' temporal dynamics and complexity with increasing depth of sedation leading to a distinctive U-shape that may be linked to the paradoxical excitation induced by moderate levels of propofol. Our results support the idea that the brain is in a metastable state under normal conditions, balancing between order and chaos in order to flexibly switch from one state to another. The temporal dynamics of EEG microstates indicate changes of this critical balance between stability and transition that lead to altered states of consciousness.

Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Blackmore
Keyword(s):  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
Short Introduction ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Brain Science ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
The World ◽  
Construction Of Self ◽  
The Brain

Consciousness is ‘the last great mystery for science’. How can a physical brain create our experience of the world? What creates our identity? Do we really have free will? Could consciousness itself be an illusion? Exciting new developments in brain science are continuing these debates, and the field has now expanded to include biologists, neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers. Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction clarifies the potentially confusing arguments, and the major theories, whilst also outlining the amazing pace of neuroscience discoveries. Covering areas such as construction of self in the brain, mechanisms of attention, neural correlates of consciousness, and physiology of altered states of consciousness, it highlights the latest findings.

Sadomasochism as a path to altered states of consciousness

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Ambler ◽  
Ellen M. Lee ◽  
Kathryn R. Klement ◽  
Tonio Loewald ◽  
Brad J. Sagarin
Keyword(s):  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
States Of Consciousness

Virtual Unreality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Video Games ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Interactive Video ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Visual Systems

This chapter explores altered states of consciousness in interactive video games and virtual reality applications. First, a brief overview of advances in the sound and graphics of video games is provided, which has led to ever-more immersive capabilities within the medium. Following this, a variety of games that represent states of intoxication, drug use, and hallucinations are discussed, in order to reveal how these states are portrayed with the aid of sound and music, and for what purpose. An alternative trajectory in games is also explored, as various synaesthetic titles are reviewed, which provide high-adrenaline experiences for ravers, and simulate dreams, meditation, or psychedelic states. Through the analysis of these, and building upon the previous chapters of Inner Sound, this chapter presents a conceptual model for ‘Altered States of Consciousness Simulations’: interactive audio-visual systems that represent altered states with regards to the sensory components of the experience.

Synaesthetic Overdrive

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Weinel
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Visual Media ◽  
Altered States Of Consciousness ◽  
Altered States ◽  
Visual Music ◽  
Background Theory ◽  
States Of Consciousness ◽  
Feature Films ◽  
Expanded Cinema ◽  
Improved Accuracy

This chapter discusses altered states of consciousness in audio-visual media, such as films, psychedelic light shows, and VJ performances. First, some background theory is introduced, explaining the main categories of film sound, and what research tells us regarding the way in which sound influences the perception of visual images and vice versa. Following this background section, a tour is provided through various films that represent altered states of consciousness, including surrealist movies, ‘trance films’, and Hollywood feature films. These demonstrate a progression, where more recent movies are able to make use of digital audio and visual effects to represent the subjective experience of altered states with improved accuracy. Meanwhile, beyond the traditional confines of the cinema, ‘expanded cinema’ works such as visual music, psychedelic light shows, and VJ performances have provided increasingly sophisticated synaesthetic experiences, which are designed to transform the consciousness of their audience.

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