Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to understand the mechanisms of consciousness.

BACKGROUND: In order to elucidate mental functions that subserve human consciousness, brain activation was investigated in 12 normal, right-handed volunteers who performed tasks of selective attention, working memory, and sensorimotor coordination during the collection of multislice echoplanar functional magnetic resonance images.

HYPOTHESIS: These functions are located in (and controlled by) distinct anatomical regions that can be identified by functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques.

METHODS: In each subject, 100 10-slice data sets were acquired using a 1.5-T scanner and the blood oxygenation level dependent contrast technique. Time-series regression modeling estimated power in the magnetic resonance signal during the on/off phases of task performance. Comparison between subjects was made possible by the transformation of each data set into standard Talairach space.

RESULTS: Activation maps were based on the median value of the fundamental power quotient at each voxel. Results showed the activation of prefrontal and parasagittal cortices in both the selective attention and working memory tasks, but they also revealed activation in both insular cortices and the posterior cingulate gyri.

CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence for structures in the anterior right hemisphere and left medial frontal lobe for attentional tasks, although there appears to be an engagement of a widespread network of anterior brain structures, possibly with the inhibition of some posterior regions, during task performance. The sensorimotor coordination task showed activation regions similar to those seen in selective attention. Once learned, this task probably demands attention rather than overt conscious motor control. Clearly, the functions of attention, working memory, and sensorimotor coordination are not located in single, discrete brain areas. However, interactions and interplay between related areas were demonstrated, giving supporting evidence that complex mental operations rely on the coordinated activity of widely distributed brain regions that contribute to neural networks.