Phase-interaction matrices of the phase relationships of different pathological states of consciousness

The complex brain dynamics that sustain conscious processes have been attempted to be explained in various ways. Over recent years, several theoretical frameworks have been proposed to explain consciousness postulating the differentiation between consciousness state (i.e., level) and content (i.e., expression). Most consciousness theories rely on the different measures such as neural synchronicity, complexity, causality and integrated information etc. To explore the theoretical perspective in the clinical aspect of loss of consciousness, several empirical (model free) measures can be applied on resting state functional MRI data. To this end, we share phase-synchronization matrices that capture the relationships between phases of blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals and have been proven to effectively describe the spatiotemporal dynamics. Ultimately, measures derived from such matrices could be used as biomarkers in clinical practice to identify the level of consciousness, predict outcomes and to form the ethical guideline for patient management.