COMPARATIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS:
INSIGHTS INTO THE BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE
11–16 June 2026 | Qing Cheng Mountains, Chengdu, China
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
ABOUT THE CONFERENCE
The fourth meeting in the Animal Consciousness Conferences series will focus on the comparative neuroscience of consciousness. Building on the conceptual work of previous conferences, the meeting will explore how neurobiological approaches can contribute to the study of conscious processes across species.
Conference Themes
1. How can knowledge of human consciousness inform the development of behavioral models and the study of neural mechanisms of consciousness in animals?
2. How can access to experimental methods in animals — not currently possible in humans — inform our understanding of human consciousness?
3. How can C-tests be developed into comparative behavioral and neurobiological protocols across different species?
Conference Format
The meeting is designed as an intensive interdisciplinary workshop. Each day will combine a small number of thematic talks with collaborative work in interdisciplinary groups. Participants will develop and discuss research perspectives, with the outcomes presented in plenary sessions.
First introduced at the ACC meeting in Kathmandu, this format is intended to foster deeper interaction and to facilitate collective progress on complex conceptual and experimental questions.
The conference will also contribute to the further development of the Comparative Consciousness Research Program, bringing together diverse approaches toward a more integrated understanding of the biological basis of consciousness.
The fourth meeting in the Animal Consciousness Conferences series will focus on the comparative neuroscience of consciousness. Building on the conceptual work of previous conferences, the meeting will explore how neurobiological approaches can contribute to the study of conscious processes across species.
Conference Themes
1. How can knowledge of human consciousness inform the development of behavioral models and the study of neural mechanisms of consciousness in animals?
2. How can access to experimental methods in animals — not currently possible in humans — inform our understanding of human consciousness?
3. How can C-tests be developed into comparative behavioral and neurobiological protocols across different species?
Conference Format
The meeting is designed as an intensive interdisciplinary workshop. Each day will combine a small number of thematic talks with collaborative work in interdisciplinary groups. Participants will develop and discuss research perspectives, with the outcomes presented in plenary sessions.
First introduced at the ACC meeting in Kathmandu, this format is intended to foster deeper interaction and to facilitate collective progress on complex conceptual and experimental questions.
The conference will also contribute to the further development of the Comparative Consciousness Research Program, bringing together diverse approaches toward a more integrated understanding of the biological basis of consciousness.
SPEAKERS
- Konstantin AnokhinInstitute for Advanced Brain Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Pavel BalabanInstitute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
- Iris BerentDepartment of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, USA
- Artem BesedinMoscow Center for Consciousness Studies, Department of Philosophy, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Jimo BorjiginShenzhen University of Advanced Technology,
Shenzhen, China - Tatiana ChernigovskayaInstitute for Cognitive Studies, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
- Lars ChittkaSchool of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary, University of London, London, UK
- Xu ChunInstitute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
- Martin GiurfaCenter of Neuroscience, Institute of Biology Paris Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- He ShengState Key Laboratory of Cognitive Science and Mental Health
Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China - Olga IvashkinaInstitute for Advanced Brain Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Eva JablonkaTel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Anton KuznetsovMoscow Center for Consciousness Studies, Department of Philosophy, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Tyrone Lucon-XiccatoDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology
University of Ferrara, Italy - Mu-ming PooInstitute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
- Lucia RegolinDepartment of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Ishan SinghalSussex Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
- Ksenia ToropovaInstitute for Advanced Brain Studies, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Giorgio VallortigaraCenter for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Italy
- Fabian Vergara-OvalleDepartment of Ecophysiology, Universidad Nacional Autónomade México (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico.
- Timothy BayneMonash University and Brain, Mind and Consciousness program of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Melbourne, Australia
- Neng GongInstitute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai, China
SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZER
- Konstantin Anokhin
Lomonosov Moscow State
University, Moscow
PROGRAMME
Natural Consciousness Conference
10:00 – 21:00 Arrivals, registration
Session 1 — Expanding the Battery of C-Tests
09:00 – 09:30 Opening remarks
09:30 – 10:15 Timothy Bayne
Babies, Bees, and (Bio)bots
10:15 – 11:00 Giorgio Vallortigara
The Reafferenzprinzip and Consciousness
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Sheng He
The emergence and function of consciousness
12:15 – 13:00 Eva Jablonka
Imaginative Consciousness in Animals: The Case of Mammals
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
Expanding the Battery of C-Tests
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
Expanding the Battery of C-Tests
19:00 – 21:00 Conference Opening Dinner
09:00 – 09:30 Opening remarks
09:30 – 10:15 Timothy Bayne
Babies, Bees, and (Bio)bots
10:15 – 11:00 Giorgio Vallortigara
The Reafferenzprinzip and Consciousness
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Sheng He
The emergence and function of consciousness
12:15 – 13:00 Eva Jablonka
Imaginative Consciousness in Animals: The Case of Mammals
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
Expanding the Battery of C-Tests
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
Expanding the Battery of C-Tests
19:00 – 21:00 Conference Opening Dinner
Session 2 — From C-Tests to Model Paradigms
09:30 – 10:15 Lucia Regolin
What Is It Like to Be a Newborn Chick?
10:15 – 11:00 Lars Chittka
Are Insects Blind?
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Martin Giurfa
A Fear-like State in Honey Bees?
12:15 – 13:00 Fabián Vergara Ovalle
Recognition Memory and Immediate Early Gene Expression in Octopuses: Insights and Limits for Comparative Consciousness Research
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From C-Tests to Model Paradigms
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From C-Tests to Model Paradigms
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
21:00 – 22:30 Premiere of the film "AnyMinds: In Search of Consciousness"
09:30 – 10:15 Lucia Regolin
What Is It Like to Be a Newborn Chick?
10:15 – 11:00 Lars Chittka
Are Insects Blind?
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Martin Giurfa
A Fear-like State in Honey Bees?
12:15 – 13:00 Fabián Vergara Ovalle
Recognition Memory and Immediate Early Gene Expression in Octopuses: Insights and Limits for Comparative Consciousness Research
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From C-Tests to Model Paradigms
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From C-Tests to Model Paradigms
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
21:00 – 22:30 Premiere of the film "AnyMinds: In Search of Consciousness"
Session 3 — From Human Consciousness to Animal Research
09:30 – 10:15 Iris Berent
The Building Blocks of the Self: Mind and Body
10:15 – 11:00 Pavel Balaban
Consciousness As the Music of the Brain
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Jimo Borjigin
Neural Signatures of Covert Consciousness in the Dying Brain
12:15 – 13:00 Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
The "Other" Vertebrate Mind: What Teleost Fish Can Tell Us about Consciousness
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From Human Consciousness to Animal Research
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From Human Consciousness to Animal Research
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
09:30 – 10:15 Iris Berent
The Building Blocks of the Self: Mind and Body
10:15 – 11:00 Pavel Balaban
Consciousness As the Music of the Brain
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Jimo Borjigin
Neural Signatures of Covert Consciousness in the Dying Brain
12:15 – 13:00 Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
The "Other" Vertebrate Mind: What Teleost Fish Can Tell Us about Consciousness
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From Human Consciousness to Animal Research
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From Human Consciousness to Animal Research
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
Excursion to the Panda Research Centre and Chengdu City Tour
08:00 – 13:20 Visit to the Panda Research Centre
13:30 – 15:00 Lunch
15:00 – 20:15 Chengdu City Tour
20:15 – 22:00 Dinner
08:00 – 13:20 Visit to the Panda Research Centre
13:30 – 15:00 Lunch
15:00 – 20:15 Chengdu City Tour
20:15 – 22:00 Dinner
Session 4 — From Animal Models to Consciousness Mechanisms
09:30 – 10:15 Konstantin Anokhin
From Traces of Subjective Experience to Mechanisms of Subjective Experience?
10:15 – 11:00 Olga Ivashkina
Configural and Contextual Learning: Models of Information Integration in the Conscious Brain
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Chun Xu
Hippocampal Plasticity during Trace Fear Learning
12:15 – 13:00 Ishan Singhal
Timescapes of Animal Experiences
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From Animal Models to Consciousness Mechanisms
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From Animal Models to Consciousness Mechanisms
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
09:30 – 10:15 Konstantin Anokhin
From Traces of Subjective Experience to Mechanisms of Subjective Experience?
10:15 – 11:00 Olga Ivashkina
Configural and Contextual Learning: Models of Information Integration in the Conscious Brain
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Chun Xu
Hippocampal Plasticity during Trace Fear Learning
12:15 – 13:00 Ishan Singhal
Timescapes of Animal Experiences
13:00 – 14:30 Lunch
14:30 – 16:30 Work in Breakout Groups:
From Animal Models to Consciousness Mechanisms
16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break
17:00 – 18:30 General Session:
From Animal Models to Consciousness Mechanisms
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
Session 5 — Toward a Comparative Consciousness Program
09:30 – 10:15 Neng Gong
Self-recognition in monkeys, infants, and robots
10:15 – 11:00 Mu-ming Poo
AGI and Consciousness
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Artem Besedin
A Conceptual Framework for Empirical Approaches to Animal Consciousness
12:15 – 13:00 Anton Kuznetsov
From the Facilitation Hypothesis to a Contrastive Approach for Assessing Animal Sentience
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Concluding Discussion:
Synthesis and Next Steps for the Comparative Consciousness Program
15:30 – 17:00 Informal Closing Discussion over Drinks
09:30 – 10:15 Neng Gong
Self-recognition in monkeys, infants, and robots
10:15 – 11:00 Mu-ming Poo
AGI and Consciousness
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee break
11:30 – 12:15 Artem Besedin
A Conceptual Framework for Empirical Approaches to Animal Consciousness
12:15 – 13:00 Anton Kuznetsov
From the Facilitation Hypothesis to a Contrastive Approach for Assessing Animal Sentience
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Concluding Discussion:
Synthesis and Next Steps for the Comparative Consciousness Program
15:30 – 17:00 Informal Closing Discussion over Drinks
Excursion to Mount Qingcheng and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
09:00 – 13:10 Excursion to Mount Qingcheng
A sacred mountain — the birthplace of Daoism
14:45 – 19:00 Visit to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
The world's oldest irrigation system still in use — a UNESCO World Heritage Site
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
09:00 – 13:10 Excursion to Mount Qingcheng
A sacred mountain — the birthplace of Daoism
14:45 – 19:00 Visit to the Dujiangyan Irrigation System
The world's oldest irrigation system still in use — a UNESCO World Heritage Site
19:00 – 21:00 Dinner
Departure
LOCATION
Qing Cheng Mountains
Sichuan Province, China
The Qing Cheng Mountains are located in Sichuan Province near Chengdu and are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known as one of the birthplaces of Taoism, the region is characterized by lush forests, mountain landscapes, and a long-standing tradition of harmony between nature and human life.
The area is renowned for its cultural and philosophical significance, as well as its serene natural environment. Its remote setting and rich historical context make it an ideal location for focused intellectual work and interdisciplinary exchange.
Sichuan Province, China
The Qing Cheng Mountains are located in Sichuan Province near Chengdu and are part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Known as one of the birthplaces of Taoism, the region is characterized by lush forests, mountain landscapes, and a long-standing tradition of harmony between nature and human life.
The area is renowned for its cultural and philosophical significance, as well as its serene natural environment. Its remote setting and rich historical context make it an ideal location for focused intellectual work and interdisciplinary exchange.
ACCOMMODATION DURING THE CONFERENCE
Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain Hotel
Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain Hotel
Accommodation is provided at Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain, located at the foothills of Mount Qingcheng, away from urban noise and mass tourism.
The hotel is designed in a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese architecture, with low-rise buildings, internal courtyards, and natural materials that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
The setting offers a calm and secluded environment conducive to focused work, discussions, and meaningful interaction throughout the conference.
The hotel is designed in a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese architecture, with low-rise buildings, internal courtyards, and natural materials that blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
The setting offers a calm and secluded environment conducive to focused work, discussions, and meaningful interaction throughout the conference.
CONTACTS
- Mrs. Elena Kokurina
Email: contact@anyminds.org
Natalia Bekhtereva Brain Research Foundation, St.Petersburg.
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