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bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.09.02.745341

What is it like to be a blob? A distributed, decentred and context-sensitive neurobiology of consciousness

Skipper, J. I.·Timmermann, C.·McAlpine, R.·Jedlovszky, K.·Jaglinska, M.·Cooper, G.·Blackburne, G.
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Abstract

Consciousness is often studied by asking whether particular brain regions or systems are privileged. We tested a distributed, decentred and context-sensitive alternative using 579 consciousness-focused neuroimaging studies. Semantic clustering of titles and abstracts identified seven domains whose corrected meta-analytic maps showed limited overlap and no invariant cross-domain core. These maps occupied 18.0% of grey matter while extending across 91.0% of brain regions. After controlling for reporting topography, distributed cognitive, sensorimotor and organismic-affective maps reconstructed the residual consciousness landscape better than spatial surrogates. Organismic-affective maps contributed most, but functional contributions varied contextually across domains. Theory-associated regional loci added no additional meaningful prediction. Information carried by the functional families was both redundant and synergistic. Coactivation-network and hypergraph analyses revealed a shared network repertoire but context-dependent higher-order coalitions. These results argue against an invariant core, supporting a distributed neurobiology of consciousness in which specialised systems are weighted and combined differently across contexts.

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Skipper, J. I., Timmermann, C., McAlpine, R., Jedlovszky, K., Jaglinska, M., Cooper, G., Blackburne, G.. 2026-09-09. What is it like to be a blob? A distributed, decentred and context-sensitive neurobiology of consciousness. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.02.745341

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