#Consciousness

A growing wave of interdisciplinary research suggests that consciousness may emerge from a dynamic loop among the brain, the body, and the surrounding world—not simply from neural activity inside the skull. This body-brain-environment perspective challenges the long-held view that awareness resides exclusively in the head and invites readers to rethink everyday experiences of thinking, feeling, and deciding. For Thai readers, where mindfulness, community, and family play central roles in daily life, the idea has immediate resonance: awareness may unfold through physical sensation, social interaction, and the spaces we inhabit as much as through brain signals alone.

Every day, Thais and people across the world experience the magical yet mysterious transformation from the depths of sleep to waking consciousness—a process that remarkably shapes our mood, alertness, and even safety. A groundbreaking new study published in Current Biology by the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the University of Lausanne has, for the first time, mapped this journey in striking detail. Using over 1,000 awakenings recorded second by second with high-density EEG technology, the international research team has unraveled the choreography of the awakening brain, offering tantalizing clues to why some mornings we feel energetic and others groggy—and new hope for millions struggling with sleep disorders.

A boy born with hydranencephaly, a condition that leaves most of the cerebral cortex absent, displays clear signs of consciousness and emotion. A Mind Matters News feature published on June 1 highlights the life of a pseudonymously named child, “Joey,” whose behavior challenges long-held beliefs about what makes us aware. The story urges scientists to reexamine central theories of consciousness in light of real-world evidence.

Modern neuroscience largely links consciousness to the cerebral cortex, the brain’s outer layer responsible for memory, perception, and thought. Prominent theories such as Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Workspace Theory (GWT) argue that consciousness emerges from complex cortical activity. Without a cortex, these models contend, consciousness should be impossible.

A remarkable case of a boy born without the cerebral hemispheres traditionally thought necessary for self-awareness is forcing scientists to reconsider longstanding beliefs about the nature of human consciousness, according to a provocative new account published on June 1 by Mind Matters News (mindmatters.ai). The report details the life and case notes of a child pseudonymously called “Joey,” who, despite being born with hydranencephaly—a devastating condition that obliterates most of the cerebral cortex—demonstrated clear signs of consciousness and a rich range of emotions, fundamentally challenging many of neuroscience’s most prominent theories.

The puzzle of consciousness—the sensation of being aware—remains unsolved after a high-profile test of leading theories published in Nature. International teams under the Cogitate Consortium conducted rigorous experiments, but neither GNWT nor IIT claimed victory. The study reinforces how challenging it is to connect brain activity with subjective experience.

Thai readers may recall Buddhist concepts of mind (จิตใจ) and awareness (สติ), which echo science’s long quest to bridge biology and personal experience. The recent results underscore a global truth: even with advanced brain science, the origins of conscious perception stay elusive.

The scientific quest to unravel consciousness—the fundamental mystery of how our brains generate the feeling of subjective experience—remains as enigmatic as ever, following a much-anticipated head-to-head study of leading theories recently published in the journal Nature. Despite marshalling the efforts of global neuroscientists under the Cogitate Consortium and conducting rigorous experiments, neither of the two dominant theories of consciousness could claim victory, leaving the origins of conscious perception as one of science’s most perplexing puzzles (PsyPost).

A May 2025 study in Communications Psychology sheds light on dream recall, revealing factors such as sleep patterns, daytime mind wandering, and personal traits that boost dream remembering. The findings offer timely insights for Thai readers navigating busy urban life and evolving sleep routines.

In Thailand, dreams are often viewed through a cultural lens as omens or messages. Science treats dreams as a window into brain activity during sleep. The study helps explain why some people recall more details than others and what that reveals about memory, consciousness, and mental health.

Scientific curiosity about dreams has captured the human imagination for centuries, yet neuroscientists have only recently started to unravel why some people vividly recall their dreams while others wake up with no memory at all. As reported in May 2025 in a new study published in Communications Psychology, researchers have identified multiple factors—ranging from sleep patterns to personality traits—that influence an individual’s ability to remember dreams, offering fresh insights with both global and Thai relevance (Medscape).

A new study on out-of-body experiences (OBEs) rekindles the debate over whether consciousness resides solely in the brain or could extend beyond the body. Published in Frontiers in Psychology in April 2025, the research draws from in-depth interviews with ten individuals who describe awareness drifting outside their bodies, challenging conventional brain-centered views. Descriptive references point to the study’s nuanced accounts and their implications for neuroscience and philosophy.

The findings matter beyond theory. For Thai readers, OBEs intersect with Buddhist and local spiritual traditions that speak of consciousness, spirit, or subtle states beyond ordinary perception. In Thailand, conversations about วิญญาณ (spirit or consciousness) often blend cultural beliefs with scientific inquiry, creating a unique arena for discussing how mind and body connect.

A new scientific study detailing the enigmatic phenomenon of out-of-body experiences (OBEs) is sparking fresh debate on a long-standing question: Does consciousness reside entirely inside the brain, or could it exist somewhere beyond our physical bodies? Published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology in April 2025, the research offers a rare look into the lived accounts of individuals who claim to have experienced their awareness drifting outside their bodies, challenging conventional, brain-centric views of human consciousness (yahoo.com).

A new study reveals that the psychedelic compound DMT changes brain activity by requiring less energy to move between mental states. Published findings in Communications Biology offer fresh insight into how altered consciousness emerges, with potential implications for mental health research in Thailand and beyond. Research coverage from reputable outlets notes this work helps explain how rapid, transient experiences under DMT unfold.

Researchers, largely from the Penn Lifespan Informatics & Neuroimaging Center at the University of Pennsylvania, studied 20 healthy adults. Each person completed two sessions, two weeks apart: one with intravenous DMT and one with a placebo. During 28-minute sessions, researchers used functional MRI and EEG to monitor brain activity while participants described the intensity of their experiences in real time.

A groundbreaking new study reveals that the psychedelic compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine—better known as DMT—profoundly changes the brain’s activity by reducing the “control energy” needed to shift between mental states, opening a fresh window into the biological mechanisms of altered consciousness. The findings, recently published in Communications Biology, not only enhance scientific understanding of psychedelics but could hold long-term implications for mental health research in Thailand and around the world (psypost.org).

As interest in psychedelic-assisted therapies grows globally and regionally, including in Thailand’s academic and healthcare circles, this innovative research stands out for mapping the moment-to-moment changes in brain network flexibility experienced under DMT—a compound central to indigenous Amazonian practices and increasingly, to scientific study. In contrast to many other psychedelics, DMT’s extremely short duration—inducing intense hallucinations and altered states for roughly 20 minutes—provides researchers the unique opportunity to capture the entire experience in real time using advanced brain imaging tools.

A groundbreaking study published in Nature has delivered unexpected results in the scientific quest for understanding consciousness, challenging two of the most prominent theories about its origins and offering fresh insights with potential to reshape clinical neuroscience worldwide. The findings reveal that neither Integrated Information Theory (IIT) nor Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT)—the cornerstones of modern consciousness research—can fully account for how human conscious experience arises, redirecting scientific focus to the brain’s sensory areas and raising critical implications for patient care and brain injury diagnosis (Neuroscience News).

A major sleep study has shown that lucid dreaming is not merely a vivid REM dream, but a distinct state of consciousness with unique brain activity. Published in a leading neuroscience journal, the findings deepen our understanding of the mind and hint at practical applications for cognitive growth and mental health—potentially extending beyond sleep.

Lucid dreaming—the experience of being aware within a dream and often guiding its events—has long fascinated researchers and the public. In Thailand, where dream interpretation blends folklore and spirituality, lucid dreaming holds particular cultural resonance. For years, scientists considered lucid dreaming as part of REM sleep, characterized by high brain activity and vivid imagery. The new international study challenges this view and broadens the scope of consciousness research.

A recent Nature study reshapes thinking on consciousness by challenging the two leading theories and focusing attention on the brain’s sensory regions. The work, conducted with a large, diverse group of participants and led by researchers from a major research institution, suggests that neither Integrated Information Theory (IIT) nor Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) alone can fully explain conscious experience. The findings emphasize sensory processing as a core driver of awareness, with important implications for patient care and brain-injury diagnosis in Thailand and beyond.

A new study has revealed that lucid dreaming is not simply a vivid form of REM sleep, but constitutes an entirely unique state of consciousness—one with neurological hallmarks that set it apart from both waking and ordinary dreaming. This major breakthrough in sleep science, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, offers tantalising implications for understanding the human mind and may one day help people harness more of their cognitive potential—even outside of sleep.

A landmark international study narrows the field in the search for where consciousness arises in the brain, yet it stops short of declaring a final answer. Hundreds of participants across multiple laboratories tested the two leading theories—Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT)—using advanced brain imaging. The results offer important directions for medicine and philosophy, including potential improvements in how Thai doctors assess patients with disorders of consciousness.

A new era in the scientific quest to pinpoint where consciousness arises in the brain has arrived with the publication of an unprecedented collaborative study, revealing tantalizing clues—but offering no final answers. International neuroscientists, working with the backing of major institutions, have tested the top two competing theories about consciousness using sophisticated brain imaging across hundreds of participants, uncovering emerging insights with far-reaching implications for clinical medicine and philosophical understanding.

In a development that could rewrite neuroscience textbooks, researchers have identified a specific brain region believed to be central to human consciousness, offering new hope for brain injury patients and transforming how medicine, law, and education understand the mind. This groundbreaking discovery, led by an international team of neuroscientists and reported in a recent Earth.com article, marks a critical step in unraveling one of science’s deepest mysteries: where and how consciousness arises in the human brain Earth.com.

Researchers have identified a specific brain area that appears crucial to conscious experience, a finding that could influence medical care for brain injuries and reshape discussions in medicine, law, and education. The study, conducted by an international group of neuroscientists, represents a meaningful advance in understanding how awareness emerges in the human brain. Data from leading research institutions shows that consciousness may hinge on a region at the back of the brain, the posterior cerebral cortex, rather than solely on the frontal areas once thought central.

A recent collaboration between Chinese and French neuroscientists has produced groundbreaking findings on the neural mechanisms underlying consciousness, signaling potential advances in how the human mind is understood and how altered states of awareness might be approached in medical settings. This research, as reported by the South China Morning Post, has captured the global scientific community’s attention by illuminating the intricate neural networks believed to govern conscious experience, and it raises important implications for the future of neuroscience, medicine, and even philosophy.

A collaboration between Chinese and French neuroscientists has yielded fresh insights into how consciousness arises in the brain. Using advanced imaging and neurotechnologies, researchers traced the networks active during awake, unconscious, and altered states. Their work identifies neural patterns that distinguish conscious from unconscious processing, offering a more nuanced map of where awareness originates in the brain. The findings, highlighted by the South China Morning Post, signal potential advances in diagnosing disorders of consciousness and guiding treatment strategies.

A joint team of Chinese and French researchers has produced the most detailed map yet of the claustrum, a thin brain region long shrouded in mystery. The study in Cell, published on April 3, uses single-cell spatial transcriptomics to chart the claustrum in the crab-eating macaque and reveals its complex connections with the cortex and hippocampus. The researchers highlight evolutionary differences between primates and rodents, suggesting that brain evolution may shape consciousness. According to the study, this atlas provides a molecular framework for exploring how the claustrum contributes to cognition and awareness.

A team of Chinese and French researchers has produced the most detailed blueprint yet of the mysterious claustrum region in primate brains, a scientific advance that could help unravel the biological roots of consciousness and reframe our understanding of mental health and awareness. Published in the prestigious journal “Cell”, the April 3 study charts the intricate landscape of the crab-eating macaque’s claustrum—a tiny strip of tissue in the brain historically overshadowed by more prominent regions, but now emerging as a prime suspect in the quest to decode the essence of conscious experience (source).