concept

neurocircuitry

Also known as: neurocircuits, brain neurocircuitry

Facts (10)

Sources
The function(s) of consciousness: an evolutionary perspective frontiersin.org Frontiers in Psychology Nov 25, 2024 8 facts
claimThe author of the article uses the term "selector circuits (SCs)" to refer to the neurocircuits responsible for producing specific phenomenal experiences, while Klein et al. (2020) refer to these same circuits as "difference makers of consciousness (DMCs)."
claimThere is no proof that the neurocircuitry responsible for generating conscious experiences co-localizes with the cortical patterns of activity associated with sensory processing and memory, suggesting consciousness could reside elsewhere (Merker, 2004; Merker, 2007; Morsella et al., 2016).
referenceThe evolution of agency, defined as the link between conscious contents and behavior, depended on neurocircuitry innovations that made memory responsive to sensations generated by consciousness, according to Lacalli (2023).
claimIdentifying a function for which consciousness is more adaptive than all possible non-conscious alternatives is currently a daunting or impossible task due to incomplete knowledge of brain function at the neurocircuitry level, a challenge related to Velmans' question.
claimOne general function of consciousness is expanding the behavioral repertoire of an individual through the gradual accumulation of neurocircuitry innovations that would not exist without consciousness.
claimThe evolution of consciousness introduced a new category of genomic assembly instructions for brain neurocircuitry, which may serve as the adaptive innovation of consciousness.
referenceLacalli (2021) provides a precise formulation of the argument that evolution acts on the specific neurocircuits responsible for producing particular phenomenal experiences.
claimNeurocircuits, referred to as SCs or DMCs, are causally responsible for selecting one phenomenal sensation or brain state over another.
Homeostasis vs Allostasis — The Urban Health Council urbanhealthcouncil.com Urban Health Council 1 fact
referenceDay, T. A. published 'Defining stress as a prelude to mapping its neurocircuitry: no help from allostasis' in Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry in 2005.
The function(s) of consciousness: an evolutionary perspective pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov PubMed Nov 26, 2024 1 fact
claimIn the context of consciousness, meaning refers to the way valence is embodied in the genomic instructions for assembling the neurocircuitry responsible for phenomenal contents, constituting an embodied form of species memory.