What is the nature of consciousness and how does it arise in the human brain?

The nature of consciousness is complex and continues to be studied by researchers from many different fields. It is generally thought to be an emergent type of experience that arises from the conscious brain’s self-structure and the integration of sensory input and cognitive processing. As information comes in from our senses, neurons in the brain connect and integrate this input to create complex, conscious experiences. That is, conscious experience involves the perception and processing of sensory information, as well as the interpretation and integration of this information into a coherent mental state. Neuroscience has recently revealed how this process occurs at the level of the neural circuitry, but the exact nature of consciousness still remains unclear.