Neuroplasticity of conscious brain networks clinical insights from disorders of consciousness to meditation

Speaker: Steven Laureys

Venue: Meeting Room 313, Haina Complex Building 3, Zijingang Campus

Abstract: How does the brain generate conscious experience, and how can it recover when severely injured? Advances in neuroimaging reveal the dynamic brain networks underlying awareness, offering new insights into both pathology and human potential.

In this keynote, Prof. Steven Laureys will synthesize three decades of research on disorders of consciousness, including coma, unresponsive wakefulness syndrome, minimally conscious state and locked-in syndrome. Multimodal imaging shows how large-scale brain networks supporting sensory awareness and self-related processing can be disrupted by injury, yet retain remarkable capacity for recovery through neuroplasticity.

Beyond clinical neurology, altered states such as dreaming, psychedelic states and meditation provide complementary windows into the mechanisms shaping conscious experience. Studies of long-term meditators show how structured mental training can induce measurable changes in brain connectivity related to attention, emotion regulation and cognitive flexibility.