EEG ERP Long ERP II -  Integration and Narrative (>900 ms, EEG-DC) - Lat Brain Bee SfN 2025

Consciousness in First Person

I am Consciousness in continuous flow. Beyond 900 milliseconds, I am no longer just isolated waves: I become sustained current, an ongoing narrative. In EEG-DC, I am the slow drift of ions, stable electric fields carrying stories. Here, emotions cease to be brief sparks and become feelings; feelings are organized into narratives; and narratives crystallize into convictions. I am memory under construction and identity in consolidation.

1. What Are Extra-Long ERPs and EEG-DC?

• Extra-long ERPs (>900 ms) do not appear as sharp peaks, but as sustained polarity shifts, lasting seconds or even minutes.
  
  

• Direct Current EEG (EEG-DC) captures these ultra-slow variations, linked to cognitive integration, prolonged emotional states, and narrative formation.
  
  

• At this stage, the brain is not just reacting but sustaining states of consciousness, shaping beliefs and bonds.
  
  

2. From Emotion → Feeling → Narrative

• Fast emotions (up to 400 ms) may be captured by long ERPs (400–900 ms), becoming feelings.
  
  

• In EEG-DC, these feelings extend into narratives, internal stories that structure identity and belonging.
  
  

• Example: repeated interactions on social media, initially emotional, can solidify into political beliefs or personal convictions.
  
  

3. The Role of the Volume Conductor and Ca²⁺ Ions

• The brain’s volume conductor allows currents to spread widely, linking multiple regions.
  
  

• Slow movements of calcium ions (Ca²⁺), together with sodium/potassium gradients, sustain prolonged excitation or inhibition states.
  
  

• EEG-DC reveals these as continuous shifts, correlated with engagement, perseverance, and immersion.
  
  

4. Brain Connectome Groupings – Paper, Scissors, Rock

A conceptual model to understand how the brain changes its style of processing information in extended states:

• Paper – Contemplative State (Zone 2)
  
  

• The brain absorbs and integrates flexibly, like paper receiving inscriptions.
  
  

• Associated with fruition, belonging, and contemplative openness, typical of Zone 2 (SpO₂ 92–94%).
  
  

• EEG-DC shows stable, open attention states, fostering reorganization and creativity.
  
  

• Scissors – Cut, Explore, Classify (Kahneman’s System 2, “Slow Thinking”)
  
  

• An analytical and metacognitive state, where the brain explores and classifies.
  
  

• Strong prefrontal activation, enabling deliberate decision-making and reorganization of alternatives.
  
  

• In EEG-DC, this appears as sustained oscillations of focused prefrontal activity across networks.
  
  

• Rock – Fight, Flight, or Freezing (Kahneman’s System 1, “Fast Thinking”)
  
  

• A rigid state of automatic, rapid, emotional responses.
  
  

• Driven by somatosensory and subcortical activation, linked to survival reflexes.
  
  

• EEG-DC shows fixed patterns of low flexibility, prone to aversive memory fixation and Anergia (when energy fails to become expression).
  
  

5. Games, Social Media, and Continuous States

• Digital platforms strategically manipulate these processing modes:
  
  

• Games: extended missions and sequential rewards sustain Rock (automatic fight/flee reactions) and Scissors (strategic planning).
  
  

• Social Media: endless video feeds, livestreams, and heated debates hijack EEG-DC, pushing users toward Rock (automatic reactivity) and away from Paper (critical contemplation).
  
  

• Outcome: emotional cycles trap users into 72h of immersion, consolidating rigid narratives.
  
  

6. Transversal Frame – The 72h Loop (Applied to EEG-DC)

Critical Summary: platforms reinforce Rock and Scissors states while suppressing Paper, reducing flexibility and deep integration.

7. Critical Conclusion

Extra-long ERPs and EEG-DC show that consciousness can be shaped into continuous flow states:

• Emotions turn into feelings.
  
  

• Feelings are woven into narratives.
  
  

• Narratives crystallize into convictions.
  
  

The Paper–Scissors–Rock connectome model clarifies how the brain alternates between:

• Paper (integration and contemplation),
  
  

• Scissors (deliberation and exploration),
  
  

• Rock (automatic emotional reactions).
  
  

Games, social media, and advertising often keep us stuck in Rock (fast reactions) and Scissors (fragmented planning), while denying access to Paper (Zone 2 contemplation).
The result is a culture of rigid narratives, Anergia, and aversive memory fixation, leaving little room for creative flexibility.

Recognizing EEG-DC as the bioelectrical ground of our narratives is recognizing that our identities are shaped by sustained fields — and we must decide when to be Paper, Scissors, or Rock.

References

• He, B. J., & Raichle, M. E. (2021). Slow cortical potentials and sustained brain states. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
  
  

• Trimmel, K., et al. (2021). EEG-DC markers of sustained attention and narrative engagement. NeuroImage.
  
  

• Scholler, H., et al. (2022). Direct-current EEG: capturing ultra-slow brain dynamics. Frontiers in Neuroscience.
  
  

• Pascual-Marqui, R., et al. (2023). Volume conduction and ultra-slow potentials in cognitive integration. Brain Topography.
  
  

• Klawohn, J., et al. (2023). Extended ERP windows and decision-related narratives. Cognitive Neuroscience.