The study simulated neural activity in a toy model of an artificial brain during a visual stimulus and then replayed the recorded signals to degrade the computation by eliminating counterfactual activity. This paradoxical finding—where the replay did not affect ongoing neural dynamics yet disrupted the computational structure—challenges the view that consciousness emerges from computation in either artificial or biological systems.
Experimental motivation: From voltage clamp to consciousness.
Model Type: Spiking neural network; Synapse
Region(s) or Organism(s): Thalamus; Visual cortex
Cell Type(s):
Currents:
Receptors:
Genes:
Transmitters:
Model Concept(s): Action Potentials; Activity Patterns; Short-term Synaptic Plasticity; Simplified Models; Synaptic Plasticity
Simulation Environment: NEURON
Implementer(s): Gidon, Albert [agidon20 at gmail.com]
References:
Gidon A, Aru J, Larkum ME. (2025). Does neural computation feel like something? Frontiers in neuroscience. 19 [PubMed]