This brain circuit works as a sort-of “engine for consciousness,” the researchers say, enabling conscious thought and feeling in primates.
To zero in on this brain circuit, a scientific team put macaque monkeys under anesthesia, then stimulated different parts of their brain with electrodes at a frequency of 50 Hertz. Essentially, they zapped different areas of the brain and observed how the monkeys responded. When the central lateral thalamus was stimulated, the monkeys woke up and their brain function resumed — even though they were STILL UNDER ANESTHESIA. Seconds after the scientists switched off the stimulation, the monkeys went right back to sleep.
“Science doesn’t often leave opportunity for exhilaration, but that’s what that moment was like for those of us who were in the room,” co-author Michelle Redinbaugh, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, tells Inverse.
While the study wasn't conducted on humans, Redinbaugh and her colleagues do suggest that researching the central lateral thalamus might lead to new therapies for people dealing with brain traumas, injuries, or disorders of consciousness.
An understanding of these mechanisms makes it possible to properly target damaged systems in patients with disorders of consciousness, Redinbaugh explains. That targeting, in turn, can "help them live better lives."
REVVING THE “ENGINE OF CONSCIOUSNESS”
The team recorded the neural activity of two macaques, a type of Old World monkey. Monkey brains are considered one of the closest animal models to a human brain. Importantly, the team simultaneously recorded activity across multiple areas of the brain.
"SCIENCE DOESN'T OFTEN LEAVE OPPORTUNITY FOR EXHILARATION, BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT MOMENT WAS LIKE."
They also studied the animals when they were awake, sleeping, and anesthetized. They also used a large number of small electrodes tailored to the shape of the targeted brain area and mimicked the desired activity of brain cells in the targeted area, Redinbaugh explains.
“This allowed us to directly manipulate consciousness and record changes in communication and information flow with a very high degree of spatial and temporal specificity,” Redinbaugh says.
By taking this fine-tuned approach, the research team was able to narrow down the regions of the brain involved in consciousness more specifically than other studies have done, the team says.
From the get-go, the team expected they might be able to wake animals up with this technique because past studies show brain stimulation can arouse humans and animals, as well as treat diseases like Parkinson's, dementia and multiple sclerosis. But seeing “just how powerful it was” surprised them, Redinbaugh says.
“The animal went from being deeply anesthetized to opening his eyes, looking around the room, and even reaching out for objects within only a few seconds of the stimulation turning on,” Redinbaugh describes. “Shortly after the stimulation ended, he went back into unconsciousness like nothing happened.”
The team repeated the experiment a few minutes later and saw the same result. These stunning effects suggest that there is a reciprocal relationship between two areas of the brain — the central lateral thalamus and deep cortical layers — and this relationship operates like an "engine of consciousness," Redinbaugh says.