States of Consciousness Experimental Insights into Meditation, Wakin
In this accessible overview of current knowledge, an expert team of editors and authors describe experimental approaches to consciousness. These approaches are shedding light on some of the hitherto unknown aspects of the distinct states of human con
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Brain Rate as an Indicator of the Level of Consciousness Nada Pop-Jordanova
Abstract As a general activation of the mind, mental arousal characterizes the level of consciousness, irrespective of its content. Recently, a parameter called the brain rate (expressing the mean frequency of brain rhythms) has been introduced. It appears that the brain rate, which is equal to an EEG spectrum weighted frequency, can serve as a diagnostic indicator of general mental activation (level of consciousness) and serve in addition to heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature as a standard indicator of general bodily activation. Empirically, it has been shown that brain rate measurements can be used to discriminate between the groups of under-arousal and over-arousal disorders, and to assess attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, inner arousal, and the quality of sleep, as well as to indicate the IQ changes caused by some environmental toxins. Brain rate is also suitable for revealing the patterns of sensitivity/rigidity in the EEG spectrum, including frequency bands related to the permeability of corresponding neuronal circuits, based on which individually adapted biofeedback protocols can be specified.
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Introduction
The cerebral cortex is, without doubt, the most complex structure formed during evolution. Moreover, it represents the ultimate physical substrate from whose activity human consciousness emerges. A number of definitions and proposals concerning the nature of consciousness have been discussed, identifying it as: subjective experience or awareness or wakefulness or the executive control system of the mind. In medicine (e.g. anesthesiology) consciousness is simply regarded as wakefulness and is assessed using the Glasgow coma scale, by observing a patient’s alertness and responsiveness.
N. Pop-Jordanova (*) Department of Psychophysiology, Paediatric Clinic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Skopje, Vodnjanska 17, Republic of Macedonia D. Cvetkovic and I. Cosic (eds.), States of Consciousness, The Frontiers Collection, DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-18047-7_8, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
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N. Pop-Jordanova
Summarizing, the standard definition of consciousness as awareness of self and the surroundings can be inferred. The states of consciousness concern subjective experience, which may imply three sorts or characteristics of states (Chalmers 2000): (a) being conscious, (b) the background state of consciousness, and (c) the contents of consciousness. The first characteristic of a state is just that it is conscious as opposed to not being conscious. The related neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) are specific systems in the brain whose activity is the direct cause of the state of conscious experience, so that consciousness appears to be a property of the activity of these neural areas. The background state of consciousness is an overall characteristic and is also related directly to the NCC. The person is awake, asleep, dreaming, under hypnosis, etc. The background state of consciousness may
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