A neural Global Workspace model for conscious attention

Considerable progress is being made in interdisciplinary efforts to develop a general theory of the neural correlates of consciousness. Developments of Baars' Global Workspace theory over the past decade are examples of this progress. Integrating experimental data and models from cognitive psychology, AI and neuroscience, we present a neurocognitive model in which consciousness is defined as a global integration and dissemination system-nested in a large-scale, distributed array of specialized bioprocessors-which controls the allocation of the processing resources of the central nervous system. It is posited that this global control is effected via cortical 'gating' of a strategic thalamic nucleus. The basic circuitry of this neural system is reasonably well understood and can be modeled, to a first approximation, employing neural network principles. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.