What does consciousness mean? How do we know if a human being in a coma is conscious and perceives what they say? Are there different levels of consciousness and how can consciousness be manipulated pharmacologically? Can you read thoughts with a brain scanner?

These issues can be highlighted philosophically, clinically or with modern brain imaging techniques. In the lecture we will look at how to clinically assess the consciousness of a human being in a coma and the latest brain scanning techniques for illuminating consciousness are reviewed. The lecture will also address the latest findings in the use of the so-called ' consciousness-expanding ' substances, for example in the Psilocybin, the active substance in magic mushrooms. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in the therapeutic possibilities of this type of psychoactive substance.