Mystery of human consciousness illuminated: Primitive consciousness emerges first as you awaken from anesthesia

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - 12:31 in Psychology & Sociology

Primitive consciousness emerges first as you awaken from anesthesia. Awakening from anesthesia is often associated with an initial phase of delirious struggle before the full restoration of awareness and orientation to one’s surroundings. Scientists now know why this may occur: primitive consciousness emerges first. The emergence of consciousness was found to be associated with activations of deep, primitive brain structures rather than the evolutionary younger neocortex. These results may represent an important step forward in the scientific explanation of human consciousness.

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