Consciousness in Transition: Operational Definitions and Diagnostic Frontiers in Severe Brain Injury

Consciousness in severe acquired brain injury (sABI) sits at a tense interface between what we can measure and what we believe we are measuring. At the bedside, EEG, MRI, PET, and related diagnostic tools chart residual function, prognosis, and longitudinal change. In theoretical spheres, shifting operational definitions—drawing from neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and information theory—propose what “consciousness” is and how it should register in data. Yet, these conceptual and instrumental domains often talk past each other, leading to fragmented interpretations and uncertain judgments in critical clinical moments.This Research Topic explores that precise gap: how operational definitions shape clinical data readings, how diagnostic readings reshape theoretical definitions, and how renewed cross-disciplinary dialogue can clarify what our instruments truly reveal about awareness at the edge of recovery.Patients with sABI and coma undergo extensive neurophysiological and radiological evaluations across intensive care units, awakening centers, and rehabilitation facilities. While these tools are essential for evaluating residual brain function and guiding care, the conceptual frameworks underpinning them frequently remain compartmentalized. At the same time, while traditional neurophysiological publication volumes have plateaued, fields such as neuroinformatics, computational neuroscience, and AI have rapidly expanded—offering novel metrics and models that often lack direct clinical translation.Positioned along a continuum from subcortical structures and neuronal circuits to philosophy, physics, and evolutionary biology, consciousness appears independent of standard bodily metrics, lacking a single physical location, size, or substance. Modern physics and network neuroscience suggest regionally or sensory-mediated "micro-consciousnesses," while clinical evidence highlights the functional survival of isolated brain modules despite an absence of overt behavioral awareness. Furthermore, rapid technological leaps in AI and robotics raise new epistemological and ethical questions about how consciousness is conceptualized, measured, and defined.This collection invites interdisciplinary, forward-looking contributions that bridge the gap between clinical neurodiagnostics and theoretical models. We seek to foster a constructive dialogue between empirical diagnostics and conceptual modeling, renewing interest in consciousness studies while avoiding the replication of past approaches.We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Operational Definitions & Frameworks: Re-examining operational definitions of consciousness and disorders of consciousness (DoC) across medicine, neuroscience, biology, AI, robotics, and information theory.- Clinical Diagnostics & Neuroimaging: The role of EEG, evoked potentials, CT, MRI, PET, and novel neuroimaging approaches in reflecting or challenging conceptual definitions in real-world clinical contexts.- Markers, Metrics & Signal Analysis: Network synchronization, global workspace models, information integration, complexity measures, micro-states, and brain signal analytics.- Computational Approaches & AI: Computational neuroscience, neuroinformatics, and AI-driven analytical tools applied to consciousness and diagnostic precision.BCIs & Technological Innovations: Emerging diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, including Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) in severe brain injury.- Physics, Evolution & Fundamental Theories: Theoretical perspectives connecting consciousness with physics, evolutionary models (primary vs. complex levels), and non-centralized neural architecture.- Ethical & Epistemological Implications: Epistemological frameworks and ethical considerations regarding the definition, measurement, and treatment of consciousness in vulnerable populations (e.g., vegetative state / unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, minimally conscious state).- Communication & Translational Bridges: Experimental design in DoC research, translational frameworks connecting theoretical models to measurable clinical markers, and verbal, nonverbal, or social communication proxies. Topic editors: Simone Carozzo, Francesco Riganello, Walter Sannita Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/87362/consciousness-in-transition-operational-definitions-and-diagnostic-frontiers-in-severe-brain-injury