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Mesocircuit Mechanisms Underlying Recovery of Consciousness Following Severe Brain Injuries: Model and Predictions

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Brain Function and Responsiveness in Disorders of Consciousness

Abstract

This chapter reviews the mesocircuit hypothesis for the recovery of consciousness after severe brain injuries. Building up from a single premise that multifocal brain injuries typically produce widespread neuronal death and dysfunction, the mesocircuit model proposes a lawful circuit-level mechanism on the basis of known anatomical and physiological specializations of the corticothalamic system. The hypothesis is deeply generative of testable predictions at the mesocircuit and cellular level across multiple cerebral structures. Recent tests of some of these predictions are discussed as well as next steps in evaluating theoretical implications of the mesocircuit model.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Jerold B. Katz Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Nicholas D. Schiff MD

Authors
  1. Nicholas D. Schiff MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Psychology and Neurosurgery, University of California, L.A., Los Angeles, California, USA

    Martin M. Monti

  2. Dept of Neurosc, Ophthalmol and Genetics, University of Genova, Genova, Italy

    Walter G. Sannita

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Schiff, N.D. (2016). Mesocircuit Mechanisms Underlying Recovery of Consciousness Following Severe Brain Injuries: Model and Predictions. In: Monti, M., Sannita, W. (eds) Brain Function and Responsiveness in Disorders of Consciousness. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21425-2_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-21425-2_15

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-21424-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-21425-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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