Conscious Modulation in Normal Sleep

ABSTRACT

The phenomenological relationship between consciousness and sleep are reviewed. Consciousness has a selfreflexive component, and while sleeping that is not working as in awakenings. The necessity of some change in narrow concepts of conscious as to be aware and self reflective as well of some aspects of Altered State of Consciousness are explained. In fact, in rapid eye movements [REM] sleep is the sleep stage in which some perception of consciousness is found self-perception in REM sleep is a common phenomenon, but to be aware of that is called lucid dreams. Also sleep paralysis produce some activation of self-awareness.

The lack of continuity between cortical areas in delta sleep stages could explain the loss of consciousness is such sleep stage, which support the idea of cortical continuity as a necessary condition for to achieve this integrative process. A question that emerges after update the knowledge about sleep and consciousness is what is the minimum degree of connectivity and activity of the central nervous system for to be conscious?

New paradigms in neurosciences like connectome and enactivation, removes reductionist approaches to the main - body issue. Enactive approach could be used as a paradigm to understand cognitive activity in three neurophysiology stages. As a proposal, it can be figured out as follows: (A) In wakefulness, the enactive phenomenon has priority to start whatever action is necessary. A biofeedback to make corrections in order to improve the motor programs, mind theory or any other active strategies; (B) In REM sleep in which there is not external stimuli. Those are generated from the sensorial nuclei in the brainstem which generates internal electrical activity that follows sensorial pathways [i.e., PGO waves] with visual and emotional targets [i.e., occipital visual cortex and amygdale complex] and probably without enactivation, but inner generating stimulation so the brain cortex is activated mainly by brainstem without any anticipatory top-down events; and (C) In delta sleep, in which there are no enactivation and no sensorial inputs, but also there is no interconnectivity in the brain cortex, which is a necessary condition for consciousness and memory.

New technical tools as functional magnetic resonance, trans-cranial magnetic stimulation, and magnetic electroencephalography have open new approaches for develop feasible hypotheses in this field.