Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain by Antonio Damasio - review Consciousness has become a hot topic for brain scientists. Once, we were content to leave the interminable mind/brain problem to philosophers and theologians. Speculation remained a CLM – a career-limiting move — for ambitious young researchers. No longer. Neuroscientists, especially those of us trained in the Anglo-American tradition, tend to be as mechanically materialist as was "Darwin's bulldog", Thomas Huxley, in the 19th century, when he remarked that mind is to brain as the whistle is to the steam train – a mere epiphenomenon. Consciousness is a term with multiple meanings. For biologists though, consciousness, if not an accidental epiphenomenon, must be an evolved property with a function of some benefit to its possessor. It is these issues that Antonio Damasio, a neurologist now based in California, has wrestled with in a series of books over the past two decades. This, briefly summarised, is the latest version of Damasio's theory.
A mind of one's own Soul Dust: the Magic of Consciousness Nicholas HumphreyQuercus, 288pp, £25 Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain Antonio DamasioWilliam Heinemann, 384pp, £25 The republic of letters is in thrall to an unprecedented scientism. These beliefs are based on elementary errors. These pseudo-disciplines are flourishing in academe and are covered extensively in the popular press, in articles usually accompanied by a brain scan (described by the writer Matt Crawford as a "fast-acting solvent of critical faculties"). There are more cautious writers, but even for them the attraction of biologism seems irresistible. The theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey's Soul Dust: the Magic of Consciousness is extremely ambitious. The idea of consciousness as a "show" is ultimately derived from the bankrupt representational theory of the mind - a notion that things are present to us by virtue of being "represented" or "modelled" in the brain.
Mind Hacks Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain by Antonio Damasio - review Consciousness has become a hot topic for brain scientists. Once, we were content to leave the interminable mind/brain problem to philosophers and theologians. Speculation remained a CLM – a career-limiting move — for ambitious young researchers. No longer. Neuroscientists, especially those of us trained in the Anglo-American tradition, tend to be as mechanically materialist as was "Darwin's bulldog", Thomas Huxley, in the 19th century, when he remarked that mind is to brain as the whistle is to the steam train – a mere epiphenomenon. Consciousness is a term with multiple meanings. For biologists though, consciousness, if not an accidental epiphenomenon, must be an evolved property with a function of some benefit to its possessor. It is these issues that Antonio Damasio, a neurologist now based in California, has wrestled with in a series of books over the past two decades. This, briefly summarised, is the latest version of Damasio's theory.
Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience : A transcriptomic analysis of type I-III neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis Abstract The activity of neurons in the anterolateral cell group of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTALG) plays a critical role in anxiety- and stress-related behaviors. Histochemical studies have suggested that multiple distinct neuronal phenotypes exist in the BNSTALG. Consistent with this observation, the physiological properties of BNSTALG neurons are also heterogeneous, and three distinct cell types can be defined (Types I–III) based primarily on their expression of four key membrane currents, namely Ih, IA, IT, and IK(IR). Significantly, all four channels are multimeric proteins and can comprise of more than one pore-forming α subunit. Hence, differential expression of α subunits may further diversify the neuronal population. An unbiased hierarchical cluster analysis followed by discriminant function analysis revealed that a positive correlation exists between the physiological and genetic phenotype of BNSTALG neurons. Keywords Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Sleep Helps Us Remember What We Need To Sleep Helps Us Remember What We Need To. The jury is back and the verdict is in. The long-term storage of memories occurs during sleep. It's not just a passive process of forgetting--in which useless or trivial short-term memories fade into obscurity. Memory storage during sleep is an active process. Several researchers have shown that neuronal representations of memories are reactivated during sleep, as if the brain were replaying a recording. The brain constructs and reorganizes its circuits while we sleep. The pivotal question is, This past week, a significant study caught my eye, one that can help us eventually answer that question. Sleep researcher Jan Born. In this study, a team of researchers led by Jan Born of the University of Lübeck set up two experiments to test memory. In both groups, half the volunteers were told immediately following the learning tasks that they would be tested in 10 hours. For More Information: I. F. F. Sleep photo credit.
Theta Wave Brain Synchronization This is a replication of a Theta wave entrainment rhythm first created by scientists in the 1960s to lull patients into a deep, colorful, creative dream state. Listen to it for 10 minutes, longer if you can. The longer it plays, the deeper you’ll go. How It Works The human brain produces different levels of electrical activity depending on the amount of information it is processing. Throughout the day, the brain lingers between four different types of brainwave patterns: Beta (12 -30 Hz): the normal, awake consciousness associated with busy tasksAlpha (8 – 12 Hz): the relaxed and reflective state, like those induced by closing the eyes during waking hoursTheta (4 – 7 Hz): a very relaxed state associated with meditation and some sleep statesDelta (3 and under Hz): deep, dreamless sleep Theta waves (at around 4 to 7 Hz) are the sweet spot for many brain functions.
The Roots of Consciousness: Theory, The Biological Perspective The Biological Perspective In the Introduction, I discussed the evolution of organized matter from the photon through particles, atoms and molecules to living cells which begin to differentiate in structure and function forming a wide variety of tissues and organs that play a specialized function in the human body. It is reasonable to assume all these levels of organization including the whole human being play a role in shaping consciousness. The Nervous System Neuron cells are the principle units of the nervous system. The process by which pulses transmit across the neural membrane is electrochemical. Multi-Polar Neuron Bipolar Neurons Neurons are stimulated to fire by either sensory receptors or other neurons. If the post-synaptic membrane is stimulated by an inhibiting neurotransmitter its firing threshold will become higher. Neuron cell body with synapses from other neurons The nervous system itself is quite complex and may be divided into several different structures. Serotonin
Review of Galantamine: the Lucid Dreaming Pill | The Dream Studies Portal So you’re considering the red pill… Galantamine has emerged as THE lucid dreaming pill. This natural supplement has been used for centuries in China as a memory enhancer, and was even noted by the ancient Greeks for its powerful mind-inducing effects. Now we know that galantamine indirectly promotes dreaming sleep as well as lucid dreaming, which is the art of becoming self-aware in your dreams. There’s a lot of hype about galantamine, so I want to cover the basics about how it works on the brain, the studies that have proven its effectiveness, and my personal recommendations for experimentation with this safe and natural supplement. I also want to be brutally honest about some of the mild psychological and physical side effects as well. Want to cut to the chase? Galantamine & Memory red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) Galantamine is found in the natural world in many plant sources, including the common daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus). How Galantamine Works On your Brain Laberge’s results?
Dreams: Night School The Dream Robbers What happens when a rat stops dreaming ? In 2004, researchers at the University of Wisconsin at Madison decided to find out. Their method was simple, if a bit devilish. Step 1: Strand a rat in a tub of water. In this uncomfortable position, the rat is able to rest and eventually fall asleep. Step 2: After several mostly dreamless nights, the creature is subjected to a virtual decathlon of physical ordeals designed to test its survival behaviors. The dream-deprived rats flubbed each of the tasks. The surprise came during Step 3. What Dreams Are Made Of Dreaming is so basic to human existence, it's astonishing we don't understand it better. Later came the idea that dreams are the cognitive echoes of our efforts to work out conflicting emotions. "There's nothing closer to a consensus on the purpose and function of dreaming than there's ever been," says Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard psychologist and editor of the forthcoming . A Theater of Threats Dreams may do the same thing.