Consciousness as a research problem in cognitive neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience attempts to integrate the neural and psychological levels of description. Such integration has to take consciousness into account, for conscious phenomena seem to form an important level of organization in the brain. This article reviews the theoretical basis of research on consciousness in cognitive neuroscience. A true "science of consciousness" is currently emerging within cognitive neuroscience, showing that empirical research can throw light on the nature of consciousness. However, it remains unclear whether it is possible to explain the deepest philosophical problem: Why should a neural system such as our brain have any sort of subjective consciousness in the first place?