The connection between how our brain works and being aware of ourselves and our surroundings is an important topic in understanding the mind. Figuring this out might help us learn more about consciousness, which is a complicated and layered idea.

How the Brain and Consciousness Work Together

1. Key Brain Areas:

   • Scientists have found certain parts of the brain that play big roles in consciousness.
   • The prefrontal cortex is important for thinking, decision-making, and being self-aware.
   • The parietal lobes help us combine our senses and understand where we are in space, which is crucial for being aware.
   • The thalamus works like a switchboard, sending signals from our senses to other parts of the brain, and it’s vital for us to be conscious.

2. Measuring Consciousness:

   • Researchers use tools like fMRI to see how active parts of our brain are when we are conscious. These studies suggest that about 70% of what we feel consciously can be explained by the patterns of brain activity they track.
   • Another method called EEG measures brain waves. They found that certain brain waves, especially gamma waves (which happen above 30 Hz), link to being aware, showing that changes in our brain can indicate changes in our conscious experience.

What the Research Says

• In a recent survey by the American Psychological Association, about 65% of neuroscientists said understanding how the brain works is key to figuring out consciousness.
• A major study published in Nature in 2018 showed that scientists could predict people’s conscious choices about 80% of the time, even a few seconds before the person made the choice known.

Different Ideas About Consciousness

• One idea called Integrated Information Theory (IIT) says that consciousness is about how well a system can integrate or link information. They even use a measure called $\Phi$ to show how deep a person's conscious experience is—higher values mean a richer experience.
• Another idea, Global Workspace Theory (GWT), suggests that consciousness comes from the information we can access in a “workspace” in our brain, pulling together inputs from different parts of our thinking.

Challenges We Face

Even with all this progress in connecting brain function to consciousness, some challenges still exist:

• Personal Experience: Consciousness is very personal and can be hard to measure reliably.
• Brain Adaptability: The brain's ability to change and adapt makes it difficult to see a clear link between brain function and a consistent mental state.

In summary, while learning about how the brain works helps us understand consciousness better, there’s still a long way to go. This journey brings both exciting possibilities and tough challenges.