New Research Challenges Long-Held Beliefs About Where Consciousness Resides in the Brain
Cambridge, UK – A growing body of evidence is prompting neuroscientists to reconsider a basic assumption about consciousness: that it originates primarily in the neocortex, the brain’s newest and most evolved region. Recent findings suggest that more ancient brain structures may be sufficient for basic conscious experience, potentially reshaping our understanding of both human and animal awareness, and impacting patient care and animal rights considerations.
For decades, prevailing theories have positioned the neocortex as the seat of consciousness. However, research highlighted by Peter Coppola, a Visiting Researcher at Cambridge Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, points to surprising capabilities in individuals and animals lacking significant portions of this brain region.
cases of children born with severely underdeveloped or missing neocortices – conditions previously thought to result in a permanent vegetative state – reveal instances of emotional response, recognition of individuals, and even enjoyment of music. These observations, documented in a 2025 study published in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106333], suggest a level of conscious experience despite the absence of a fully formed neocortex.
further bolstering this idea are decades of animal studies. Surgical removal of the neocortex in mammals – including rats, cats, and monkeys – doesn’t eliminate complex behaviors. Animals continue to exhibit playfulness, emotional responses, parental care, and even learning abilities, as demonstrated in research dating back to 1999 [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1469-8749.1999.tb00621.x] and 1975 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763425003343?via%3Dihub]. Notably,even adult animals undergoing this procedure retain these capabilities.
“Altogether, the evidence challenges the view that the cortex is necessary for consciousness, as most major theories of consciousness suggest,” Coppola writes in an article republished from The Conversation. “it truly seems that the oldest parts of the brain are enough for some basic forms of consciousness.”
While the neocortex and cerebellum appear to enhance and refine conscious experience, the research suggests that fundamental awareness may originate in the brain’s more primitive structures. This shift in outlook could have far-reaching implications,prompting a re-evaluation of current theories of consciousness,influencing how we approach patient care for individuals with severe brain injuries,and potentially broadening our understanding of consciousness in the animal kingdom.
This article is based on research originally published in the Conversation by Peter Coppola, Visiting Researcher, Cambridge Neuroscience, University of Cambridge [https://theconversation.com/major-theories-of-consciousness-may-have-been-focusing-on-the-wrong-part-of-the-brain-264609] and is republished under a Creative Commons license.