If a function is to be matched to a mechanism in the brain, what would that look like? If someone is delighted, it is an experience that is made possible by some components of the brain, acting in specific ways. The same with other emotions, and then memories and feelings. So, what are these components, how do they do it? How do they separate one function from the next? How do functions act for the self? How is a function prioritized or in attention? How is a function controlled, like knowing when to speak or not? How is a function also possible like peripheral vision, or ambient sound, without being in attention?
The difficulty with what is called consciousness as a problem is because of the term. Consciousness is not a neuroscience term. Consciousness is a philosophical term, but it is not a philosophical problem. Consciousness is a neuroscience problem.
In trying to solve consciousness, the direction is not to be saying philosophical terms, like subjective experience or whatever else. But to just look into the brain, for functions and components, then to postulate from that.
What exactly is consciousness, in brain science?
Human consciousness can be defined, conceptually, as the interaction of the electrical and chemical signals, in sets — in clusters of neurons — with their features, grading those interactions into functions and experiences.
Simply, for functions to occur, electrical and chemical signals, in sets, have to interact. However, attributes for those interactions are obtained by the states of electrical and chemical signals at the time of the interactions.
So, sets of electrical signals often have momentary states or statuses at which they interact [or strike] at sets of chemical signals, which also have momentary states or statuses.
How So?
There is an article in STAT, Researchers are betting on cockroaches as the cure to elitism in neuroscience, stating that, “..how the brain uses chemical and electrical signals to process and respond to the world.” It also states that, “..neurophysiologists work to understand how the nervous system uses chemical and electrical signals to respond to different situations or begin a certain behavior.”
All functions in the brain, for human life and experiences, as established by empirically-supported neuroscience, involve electrical and chemical signals of neurons. This means that whatever can be proposed about how mental health and consciousness work, has to be within electrical and chemical signals.
Interactions and Attributes of Electrical and Chemical Impulses
Interactions of electrical and chemical impulses are obtainable across functional areas. What differentiates them, mostly, are the attributes or states that they are, at the time of the interactions.
It is the attributes that can be used to build the variations of functions, for their specificities and extents per moment. So, the memory of a table is a specific configuration of electrical and chemical signals. Then, the attention to it, is the intensity of electrical signals interaction, in that moment or the volume of the chemical signals. Then the subjectivity is variations of volume from side-to-side. Intent or control, where available, is a space of constant diameter, in some sets and so forth. There are splits of electrical signals. There are sequences of electrical signals. There are thick and thin sets of chemical signals and so on.
Interactions too can start from a side of the set. Some sets can be angular and so forth. These attributes define functions. Hence, consciousness.
Psychology Labels
Memory, emotion, feeling and regulation of internal signals can be said to be the main divisions of functions. Subdivisions include pain, thirst, appetite, thoughts, intelligence, language, delight, anger, trauma, regulation of digestion and so on.
Attributes include attention or prioritization, awareness or pre-prioritization, subjectivity, and intent.
Consciousness can be defined as those attributes acting on functions. This means that functions are always possible, but it the actions of attributes that decide when and how they work.
It the application of attributes to functions that decide consciousness.
Language
Language is a function. It is obtainable across sets of electrical and chemical signals. It is acted upon by attributes, like attention, awareness, subjectivity and intent.
Humans use language for reading, writing, listening, speaking, signing and singing. When language is used in these cases, they are either in attention [or prioritized], or in awareness [or pre-prioritized], or with subjectivity and with intent.
This is the same for emotions, feelings and regulations of internal signals.
So, if human consciousness will be compared to other mammals, then how many functions are similar and how many attributes? Then, since humans have language, humans can be said to be the highest total among others, which is equal to 1.
Now, for artificial intelligence with language, it is possible to compare the function and the attributes, within its reach to 1.
This is how to explore AI for a fraction of consciousness. This is expanded in the postulation in Conceptual Biomarkers and Theoretical Biological Factors for Psychiatric and Intelligence Nosology.
AI
Large language models [LLMs] do not have emotions or feelings. But they are good at language. It is the extent of their language capabilities that can be compared to humans.
This is the direction to proceed for LLMs, to measure them for sentience.
There is a recent [April 20, 2026] report on EdTech Innovation Hub, Google DeepMind hires its first philosopher as machine consciousness moves up the agenda, stating that, “Henry Shevlin, Associate Director at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, is joining Google DeepMind in May as a Philosopher, a role focused on machine consciousness, human-AI relationships, and AGI readiness.”
“His remit, machine consciousness, human-AI relationships, and AGI readiness, reflects how seriously DeepMind is now treating questions that were largely theoretical five years ago. The Leverhulme Centre’s MSt in AI Ethics and Society, which Shevlin co-leads, will need to absorb his reduced availability at a time when demand for AI ethics expertise in higher education is growing.”
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