There are a multitude of unsolved mysteries when it comes to consciousness research. Consider the oft reported phenomenon of end of life lucidity in dementia patients. If dementia causes a neurological breakdown, what can explain this sudden final restoration of lucidity? Could it be the remaining neurons tapping in to the ‘collective unconscious’, or is this hypothesis a step too far?

In this short clip from an interview, Rudolph Tanzo, Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Child Neurology and Mental Retardation at Massachusetts General Hospital talks about this very issue: