The experiment used a rare “adversarial collaboration” model, bringing together scientists with opposing views to test two major theories of consciousness: integrated information theory (IIT) and global neuronal workspace theory (GNWT). Put simply, IIT says consciousness arises when information in the brain is deeply connected, especially in the back of the brain. A long-time proponent of IIT, Koch coauthored the new study. Does consciousness live in the prefrontal cortex, the front part of the brain involved in thinking, decision-making, and reasoning, as GNWT claims? “Here the evidence is decidedly in favor of the posterior cortex,” Koch says.