Cited by 1,246Traumatic Brain Injury ResearchTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesPhilosophy and Theoretical Science

A theoretically based index of consciousness independent of sensory processing and behavior

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Casali, Adenauer G., Gosseries, Olivia, Rosanova, Mario, Boly, Mélanie, Sarasso, Simone, Casali, Karina R., Casarotto, Silvia, Bruno, Marie-Aurélie +3 more·2013·Science Translational Medicine

Abstract

A theory-derived index of consciousness, which quantifies the complexity of the brain’s response to a stimulus, measures the level of consciousness in awake, sleeping, anesthetized, and brain-damaged subjects.

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Crossref · 10.1126/scitranslmed.3006294

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  • A reduction in the length and complexity of response to stimulation distinguished vegetative state patients from minimally conscious state patients or healthy controls.

    “One key study demonstrated a reduction in the length and complexity of response to stimulation that distinguished patients with a diagnosis of vegetative state from those in a minimally conscious state or healthy controls (Casali et al., 2013).”

    From Conscious Processing and the Global Neuronal Workspace Hypothesis (2020) · cites this paper as Casali et al., 2013

    The section ‘PCI discriminates the level of consciousness in brain-injured patients’ reports significantly lower complexity-index values in vegetative-state patients than in minimally conscious patients; the Discussion also compares those values with healthy awake subjects. Our copy does not report that the duration or length of the stimulation response itself distinguished the patient groups. Its description of a ‘short-lasting response’ concerns healthy subjects during NREM sleep, not vegetative-state patients. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Surrogate measures such as the perturbational complexity index might have originated in IIT, but their results are consistent with other theories, including GNW, which proposes that conscious processing depends on integration of differentiated processors across a network.

    “Similarly, surrogate measures, such as the perturbational complexity index that have shown promise (Casali et al., 2013), might have originated in one theory (in this case, IIT), but, as noted earlier, the results are consistent with other theories, e.g., the GNW, which also proposes that conscious processing critically depends on the integration of differentiated processors across a network.”

    From Conscious Processing and the Global Neuronal Workspace Hypothesis (2020) · cites this paper as Casali et al., 2013

  • The reduction identified by the perturbational complexity index was consistent across pathologic unconsciousness, sleep, and general anesthesia.

    “Remarkably, this reduction, identified by the perturbational complexity index, was consistent across pathologic unconsciousness, sleep, and general anesthesia.”

    From Conscious Processing and the Global Neuronal Workspace Hypothesis (2020) · cites this paper as Casali et al., 2013

  • IIT has served as a theoretical framework for the perturbational complexity index, which has been successful in differentiating levels of consciousness in physiological, pharmacological, and pathological perturbations.

    “Nevertheless, IIT has served as a theoretical framework for more practical measures, such as the perturbational complexity index, which has been successful in differentiating levels of consciousness in the setting of physiological, pharmacological, and pathological perturbations (Casali et al., 2013).”

    From Conscious Processing and the Global Neuronal Workspace Hypothesis (2020) · cites this paper as Casali et al., 2013

  • Complexity measures rely either on characterization of spontaneous brain dynamics or on quantification of patterns of interactions evoked by direct cortical perturbations.

    “Complexity measures rely either on the characterization of spontaneous brain dynamics (through the analysis of functional connectivity networks and graph theory metrics) 33,34 or on the quantification of the patterns of interactions evoked by direct cortical perturbations.35”

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Authors
Casali, A. G., Gosseries, O., Rosanova, M., Boly, M., Sarasso, S., Casali, K. R., Casarotto, S., Bruno, M.-A., Laureys, S., Tononi, G., & Massimini, M.
Affiliations
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Liège (BE)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
Corresponding author
  • Casali, Adenauer G.
  • Gosseries, Olivia
  • Boly, Mélanie
  • Massimini, Marcello
Venue
Science Translational Medicine
Published
2013-08-14
Volume
5
Issue
198
Pages
198ra105-198ra105
ISSN
  • 1946-6234 (ISSN-L)
  • 1946-6242
OpenAlex
W2102204212
Cited by
1,246
References
63
Citations by year
2026: 120 · 2025: 120 · 2024: 119 · 2023: 124 · 2022: 102 · 2021: 105 · 2020: 81 · 2019: 111 · 2018: 94 · 2017: 69 · 2016: 59 · 2015: 74 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 1
FWCI
48.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
other-oa
Locations
  • Science Translational Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ORBi (University of Liège) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • UNIFESP Institutional Repository (Universidade Federal de São Paulo) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • James S. McDonnell Foundation (ARC 06/11-340)
  • Mind Science Foundation
  • Università degli Studi di Milano (PUR 2009)
  • European Commission (FP7 ICT, ICT-2011, FP7-ICT-2011-9, 600806, FP7‐ICT‐2011)
  • Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
  • Fonds Léon Fredericq
  • Regione Lombardia
  • FP7 Information and Communication Technologies (600806)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Traumatic Brain Injury Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Philosophy and Theoretical Science
Keywords
level of consciousness, perturbational complexity index, transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS-evoked potentials, algorithmic complexity, cortical integration, information theory, vegetative state, minimally conscious state, locked-in syndrome, coma, anesthesia, midazolam, xenon, propofol, sleep, dreams
MeSH terms
Anesthetics, Brain, Consciousness, Evoked Potentials, Female, Humans, Male, Midazolam, Xenon, Propofol, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

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