How do you test for consciousness? The answer should apply to how you test for mental health. If someone is upset and, in the process, forgets to do something important, what led to the forgetfulness? How is this similar to someone in another state of consciousness, simply unaware of other things?
It is possible for an individual to be in an unresponsive state, but brain activity can be measured for [those correlated with consciousness. How is any brain activity that is related to consciousness different from those of mental health? The problem of consciousness is the problem of the mind, which is the basis for mental health or disorder.
There is a recent [July 29, 2025] news feature in Nature, How to detect consciousness in people, animals and maybe even AI, stating that, “The first layer — the assessments that are routinely done in clinics — involves observing external behaviours. For example, a clinician might ask the person to squeeze their hand twice, or call the person’s name to see whether they turn their head towards the sound. The ability to follow such commands indicates consciousness. For a person who can hear and understand verbal commands but doesn’t respond to these tests, the second layer would involve observing what’s happening in their brain after receiving such a command.”
“Assessing consciousness in those who fail such tests would require peeling the third layer of the onion: Using fMRI, the experiment helped to detect covert consciousness in four out of eight people who had shown no other signs of understanding language. There’s a fourth, even more elusive layer of consciousness, it might be possible for an unresponsive person to remain conscious even when their brain is completely cut off from the outside world, unable to receive or process images, sounds, smells, touch, or any other sensory input. The experience could be similar to dreaming, for example, or lying down in a completely dark and silent room, unable to move or feel your body.”
“Although scientists agree there’s a lot of room for improvement, many see the development of consciousness tests that rely on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) as one of the field’s most significant advancements.”
“Scientists disagree on what consciousness really is, even in people. But many describe it as having an inner life or a subjective experience. That makes it inherently private: an individual can be certain only about their own consciousness. One issue is that non-human animals can’t communicate their subjective experiences.”
“Scientists are now calling for serious thought about whether some biological materials, such as brain organoids, could become conscious, as well as what machine consciousness might look like. Some AI systems, such as large language models (LLMs), can respond promptly if asked whether they are conscious. But strings of machine text cannot be taken as evidence of consciousness, researchers say, because LLMs are trained using algorithms that are designed to mimic human responses.”
EEG and fMRI
What is the difference between the brain activity for consciousness and those that are not for consciousness? If the answer is about fMRI location or EEG waves, what is the certainty that both [activities-properties] are not interchangeable or that one cannot be in a different location? If someone tells another person suddenly, that look, and the person looks, without thinking or the intention to look, would that be considered to be done with conscious awareness?
While simple tests for consciousness, like squeezing the hand or turning in the direction of a sound, may correlate with responsiveness, there is no indication that they may not also be done without intent, even while the instruction is present. As long as there is a possibility to get the same result without conscious awareness, so to speak, then the basis of those as tests for consciousness, are weak.
If consciousness is defined as subjective experience or inner life, what are the components within the brain for subjective experience or for an inner life? What is the mechanism? The search for answers on consciousness must follow the definition. What is the available model of subjective experience that can be used to standardize what is meant by consciousness?
Questions are not tests for consciousness. Brain activity is not simply measures for consciousness. The direction of progress is to seek what components directly mechanize consciousness and how. Then, if parallels are present in animals, and if there is any parallel with AI. AI uses language, which is an instructional element for human consciousness. Language use or processing is a fraction of the whole in consciousness. That fraction can be compared to what AI has. It does not mean that AI has feelings or emotions, but that AI uses language [comparable with the fraction that language is, in human consciousness].
To Measure Consciousness
Divide by functions and attributes. Functions are memory, feelings, emotions, and regulations of internal senses. Attributes grade the functions and are: attention, less than attention, awareness, subjectivity, and intent. These are labels for simplicity, since the brain has components and mechanisms, not these labels. The collection of attributes on functions makes them conscious. So, every function [or its subdivision] has attributes that grade it. The total number of attributes [or consciousness] of all functions, at any instance, is 1. However, some functions [among the whole] have more attributes at the moment than others. The higher the measure of attributes on a function, the higher its array among all, for consciousness.
Language is a subdivision of memory. When it is used — speaking, listening, reading, writing, singing, signing — it could be in attention or less, then it could use intent and be subjective. So, regardless of state, checks on consciousness can be based on the attributes that occur when seeking out the consciousness of functions, per instance, for an individual. Brain activity may support the evidence, but this template may provide what to seek, including for animal sentience.
Electrical and chemical signals of neurons can be theorized to be the core components of human consciousness and mental health. Conceptually, their interactions result in functions, and their attributes grade the functions. While AI is becoming central to mental health therapy, a measure of mind for mental health can serve consciousness as well.
There is a recent [August 6, 2025] news in Axios, Illinois blocks AI from being your therapist, stating that, “Illinois is taking steps to regulate AI, this time with mental health care. As AI becomes more advanced and integrated into everyday life, with some people even relying on it for companionship, mental health professionals in the state have pushed for regulation on programs that could mirror therapy.”
“Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources (WOPR) Act into law last week, putting Illinois at the forefront of states placing legal boundaries around AI behavioral health care. WOPR prohibits any AI-driven app or service from providing mental health and therapeutic decision-making, such as diagnosing a user. Violations could result in a $10,000 fine by the state’s regulatory agency. Therapists can use AI for administrative tasks, however, such as note taking and planning.”
This article was written for WHN by David Stephen, who currently does research in conceptual brain science with a focus on the electrical and chemical signals for how they mechanize the human mind, with implications for mental health, disorders, neurotechnology, consciousness, learning, artificial intelligence, and nurture. He was a visiting scholar in medical entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL. He did computer vision research at Rovira i Virgili University, Tarragona.
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