Functional network antagonism through the prism of theories of consciousness

The brainʼs spontaneous activity changes across states of consciousness. A particular consciousness-mediated brain configuration is the antagonistic relationship between the default mode network (encompassing mainly midline cortical regions) and frontoparietal areas (DMN anticorrelations). Functional anticorrelations especially have been shown to be important for behavior and consciousness, as they are absent or substantially reduced in early developmental stages, states of anesthesia, and disorders of consciousness. To date, though, theories of consciousness do not frame the anticorrelations in a comprehensive manner. Here, by tackling their biological origins, we suggest that neural inhibition is the underlying mechanism which mediates the emerging architecture of the fMRI anticorrelations. We go on to propose that neural inhibition reflects the process of functional segregation, namely the capacity of the brain to show selectivity in the areas which will be functionally connected. We then see how this view of segregation is met in the Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT, inhibition) and the Integrated Information Theory (IIT, differentiation) and propose that the anticorrelations can be considered as the quantifiable counterpart of these theoretical notions. We believe that this stance on functional anticorrelations will shed more light on what inter-network antagonism means for consciousness, and will open discussions about pragmatic quantifications of theoretical notions within consciousness research.