Scientists propose that periods of unconscious processing-during which the brain integrates information-precede brief moments of consciousness. When we watch a movie or hear an orchestra playing, it seems that we perceive images and sounds as a continuous stream of information. But a new study suggests that the brain makes information conscious only at certain moments of time, which are preceded by intervals of unconscious processing that can last up to half a second. The model, detailed in Trends in Cognitive Sciences , resolves longstanding debates about how consciousness arises and offers a new picture of how the brain becomes aware of information. Experiencing reality The question of when consciousness arises has puzzled philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists for centuries. One hypothesis proposes that consciousness is a continuous stream of percepts. "When we're riding a bike, we feel that we're moving at each moment of time," says Michael Herzog, head of the Psychophysics Laboratory at EPFL School of Life Sciences, who led the new study.
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