concept

synergistic workspace

Also known as: synergistic workspace architecture

Facts (16)

Sources

A Synergistic Workspace for Human Consciousness Revealed by ... elifesciences.org eLife 16 facts

claimThe criteria for identifying gateways, broadcasters, and the synergistic workspace are based on network and information-theoretic tools applicable to various neuroimaging datasets.

claimIncreases in integrated information during anaesthesia appear to coincide with broadcaster nodes of the synergistic workspace.

referenceThe article 'A Synergistic Workspace for Human Consciousness Revealed by...' (DOI 10.7554/eLife.88173) was published in 2023 by Luppi et al. and is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

claimLoss of consciousness due to general anaesthesia or disorders of consciousness corresponds to a diminished ability of the synergistic workspace to integrate information, which is restored upon recovery.

claimThe synergistic workspace architecture accounts for both information types and the directionality of information flow, particularly in datasets with higher temporal resolution.

claimThe synergy-Φ-redundancy (SAPHIRE) architecture posits the existence of a “synergistic workspace” of brain regions characterized by highly synergistic global interactions, which are composed of prefrontal and parietal cortices critical for higher cognitive functions.

claimRegions showing consistent decreases in ΦR during loss of consciousness were primarily members of the global synergistic workspace, specifically the default mode network (bilateral precuneus and medial prefrontal cortex) and bilateral inferior parietal cortex, with involvement of left temporal cortices.

claimThe breakdown of Default Mode Network (DMN) connectivity within the synergistic workspace is associated with a failure to integrate an individual's self-narrative into the stream of consciousness, a concept originally described by William James.

claimTime-resolved extensions of the synergistic workspace framework, such as those developed by Varley and colleagues, may clarify the dynamics of the synergistic workspace when combined with high temporal resolution neuroimaging like magnetoencephalography or electroencephalography.

claimBrain regions that allow information to access the synergistic workspace exhibit widely distributed synergistic functional interactions.

claimThe synergistic workspace in the SAPHIRE architecture is functionally decomposed into gateways, which bring information from localized modules into the workspace, and broadcasters, which disseminate multiple copies of workspace information back to low-level regions.

claimA broadcaster is defined as a region within the synergistic workspace that exhibits strong synergistic interactions and a high participation coefficient for redundant interactions.

claimThe synergistic workspace is identified as brain regions where synergy predominates, which are involved in high-level cognitive functions and anatomically coincide with transmodal association cortices at the confluence of multiple information streams.

claimThe authors define 'gateways' as brain regions that mediate access to the synergistic workspace and are functionally connected with multiple modules within networks of synergistic interactions.

claimThe loss of consciousness across anaesthesia and disorders of consciousness corresponds to anterior-posterior disconnection between default mode network nodes that act as gateways into the synergistic workspace.

claimThe existence of a synergistic workspace and the three processing stages of gathering, integration, and broadcasting are hypothesized to emerge from a trade-off between performance and robustness inherent to distributed systems.