Brain stem may orchestrate basics of consciousness

From cognews:

Last February, Swedish neuroscientist Bjorn Merker described how the surprising capabilities of children suffering from hydranencephaly spur a provocative proposal: Elementary awareness, which he regards as an ability to integrate sensations from the environment with one's immediate goals and feelings in order to guide behavior, springs from the brain stem. The latter also preserves hearing in someone without a cortex. If he's right, virtually all vertebrates belong to the "primary consciousness" club. Moreover, medical definitions of brain death as a lack of cortical activity would face a serious challenge.