scholarly journals Human Development XI: The Structure of the Cerebral Cortex. Are There Really Modules in the Brain?

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 1922-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyge Dahl Hermansen ◽  
Søren Ventegodt ◽  
Isack Kandel
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Biological Information ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Primary Sensory Cortex ◽  
Sensory Maps ◽  
The World ◽  
The Brain ◽  
The Universe

The structure of human consciousness is thought to be closely connected to the structure of cerebral cortex. One of the most appreciated concepts in this regard is the Szanthagothei model of a modular building of neo-cortex. The modules are believed to organize brain activity pretty much like a computer. We looked at examples in the literature and argue that there is no significant evidence that supports Szanthagothei's model. We discuss the use of the limited genetic information, the corticocortical afferents termination and the columns in primary sensory cortex as arguments for the existence of the cortex-module. Further, we discuss the results of experiments with Luminization Microscopy (LM) colouration of myalinized fibres, in which vertical bundles of afferent/efferent fibres that could support the cortex module are identified. We conclude that sensory maps seem not to be an expression for simple specific connectivity, but rather to be functional defined. We also conclude that evidence for the existence of the postulated module or column does not exist in the discussed material. This opens up for an important discussion of the brain as functionally directed by biological information (information-directed self-organisation), and for consciousness being closely linked to the structure of the universe at large. Consciousness is thus not a local phenomena limited to the brain, but a much more global phenomena connected to the wholeness of the world.

Transfer of consciousness. Considering its possibility or fantasy from the religious and scientific perspectives

DIALOGO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-200
Author(s):  
Tudor-Cosmin Ciocan ◽  
Any Docu Axelerad ◽  
Maria CIOCAN ◽  
Alina Zorina Stroe ◽  
Silviu Docu Axelerad ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Eternal Life ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Religious Believer ◽  
Actual Knowledge ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The World ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Human Feature ◽  
The Brain

Ancient beliefs such as astral projection, human possession, abduction and other similar are not only universal, taught by all religions, but also used as premises for core believes/expectations, such as after-life, eternal damnation, reincarnation, and many others. Transferring Consciousness to a Synthetic Body is also a feature of interest in our actual knowledge, both religious as for science. If immortality were an option, would you take it into consideration more seriously? Most people would probably dismiss the question since immortality isn’t a real deal to contract. But what if having eternal life was a possibility in today’s world? The possibility of the transfer of human consciousness to a synthetic body can soon become a reality, and it could help the world for the better. Thus, until recently, the subject was mostly proposed by religion(s) and saw as a spiritual [thus, not ‘materially real’ or ‘forthwith accomplishable’] proposal therefore not really fully engaged or trust if not a religious believer. Now, technology is evolving, and so are we. The world has come to a point where artificial intelligence is breaking the boundaries of our perception of human consciousness and intelligence. And with this so is our understanding about the ancient question ‘who are we?’ concerning consciousness and how this human feature sticks to our body or it can become an entity beyond the material flesh. Without being exhaustive with the theme's development [leaving enough room for further investigations], we would like to take it for a spin and see how and where the religious and neuroscience realms intersect with it for a global, perhaps holistic understanding. Developments in neurotechnology favor the brain to broaden its physical control further the restraints of the human body. Accordingly, it is achievable to both acquire and provide information from and to the brain and also to organize feedback processes in which a person's thoughts can influence the activity of a computer or reversely.

Consciousness Emanates from the Neuronal Network of Coordination, A Fact Endorsed by Preserved Consciousness in Focal Ischemic Infarctions

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-25
Author(s):  
Dr. Sohail Adnan ◽  
Dr. Mubasher Shah ◽  
Dr. Syed Fahim Shah ◽  
Dr. Fahad Naim ◽  
Dr. Akhtar Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Network ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Difficult Problem ◽  
Altered Consciousness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Consciousness Disorder ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain

Background: Consciousness has remained a difficult problem for the scientists to explore its relationship to the brain activity. This is the first paper that presents the significance of focal areas of the cerebral cortex for consciousness. Objectives: To determine if consciousness is produced by the activity of the whole brain or one of its focal areas. Methods: We have performed a prospective cross-sectional study in eighty patients of acute ischemic stroke. The neurovascular territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) was sectioned into four similar areas. The association of any of these focal areas to consciousness was observed after their dysfunction with ischemic strokes. Results: Of the eighty patients, 57.5 % were males and 42.5 % were females. Mean age was 63 years ± 7 SD. The righthanded patients were 90 % (72) of the whole sample. Focal areas of the right MCA were generally less prone to consciousness disorder. Average statistics of the focal infarctions of the right MCA showed no tendency for consciousness disorder on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) [Mean GCS of all focal areas; 14.5, SD; 0.71, 95 % CI; 14.27 to 14.72, P= 0.0000004]. Altered consciousness with focal infarctions of the territory of left MCA was also less likely [Mean GCS of all focal areas; 14.2, SD; 1.01, 95 % CI; 13.88 to 14.51, P= 0.0004]. Conclusion: Consciousness is not determined by the activity of a focal area of the cerebral cortex. Perhaps, we get our consciousness from the activity of “Neuronal Network of Coordination”.

Coherent Electrical Activity Between Vibrissa Sensory Areas of Cerebellum and Neocortex Is Enhanced During Free Whisking

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 2137-2148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean M. O'Connor ◽  
Rune W. Berg ◽  
David Kleinfeld
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Activity ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Brain Areas ◽  
Low Coherence ◽  
Primary Sensory Cortex ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Local Field Potential Lfp

We tested if coherent signaling between the sensory vibrissa areas of cerebellum and neocortex in rats was enhanced as they whisked in air. Whisking was accompanied by 5- to 15-Hz oscillations in the mystatial electromyogram, a measure of vibrissa position, and by 5- to 20-Hz oscillations in the differentially recorded local field potential (∇LFP) within the vibrissa area of cerebellum and within the ∇LFP of primary sensory cortex. We observed that only 10% of the activity in either cerebellum or sensory neocortex was significantly phase-locked to rhythmic motion of the vibrissae; the extent of this modulation is in agreement with the results from previous single-unit measurements in sensory neocortex. In addition, we found that 40% of the activity in the vibrissa areas of cerebellum and neocortex was significantly coherent during periods of whisking. The relatively high level of coherence between these two brain areas, in comparison with their relatively low coherence with whisking per se, implies that the vibrissa areas of cerebellum and neocortex communicate in a manner that is incommensurate with whisking. To the extent that the vibrissa areas of cerebellum and neocortex communicate over the same frequency band as that used by whisking, these areas must multiplex electrical activity that is internal to the brain with activity that is that phase-locked to vibrissa sensory input.

scholarly journals Cortical mechanisms of action selection: the affordance competition hypothesis

2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1485) ◽  
pp. 1585-1599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Cisek
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Competition Hypothesis ◽  
The World ◽  
Neurophysiological Data ◽  
Single Response ◽  
The Brain

At every moment, the natural world presents animals with two fundamental pragmatic problems: selection between actions that are currently possible and specification of the parameters or metrics of those actions. It is commonly suggested that the brain addresses these by first constructing representations of the world on which to build knowledge and make a decision, and then by computing and executing an action plan. However, neurophysiological data argue against this serial viewpoint. In contrast, it is proposed here that the brain processes sensory information to specify, in parallel, several potential actions that are currently available. These potential actions compete against each other for further processing, while information is collected to bias this competition until a single response is selected. The hypothesis suggests that the dorsal visual system specifies actions which compete against each other within the fronto-parietal cortex, while a variety of biasing influences are provided by prefrontal regions and the basal ganglia. A computational model is described, which illustrates how this competition may take place in the cerebral cortex. Simulations of the model capture qualitative features of neurophysiological data and reproduce various behavioural phenomena.

Parietal and Occipital Lobe Syndromes

2020 ◽  
pp. 136-148
Author(s):  
Shahzadi Malhotra
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Human Brain ◽  
Human Body ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Occipital Lobes ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Complex Organ

The human brain is the most important as well as the most complex organ in the human body. From previous chapters, we by now know that the cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that functions to make human beings unique. Distinctly human traits including higher thought, language, and human consciousness as well as the ability to think, reason, and imagine all originate in the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is the outermost portion that can be divided into the four lobes of the brain. Each bump on the surface of the brain is known as a gyrus, while each groove is known as a sulcus. In this chapter, the authors discuss the parietal and occipital lobes of the cortex. It then highlights their functional issues.

Schleiermacher and the Problem of Divine Immediacy

1968 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 499-512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Religion ◽  
Religious Faith ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Religious Feeling ◽  
The World ◽  
Human Understanding ◽  
Rational Reflection ◽  
The Universe

A problem which was widely recognised during Schleiermacher's life, and one which I think is not yet satisfactorily solved, concerned the integration of feeling and concepts within human consciousness. Within the domain of philosophy of religion it may be phrased as follows: How does religious feeling relate to rational reflection such that each complements and enriches the other? Schleiermacher was convinced that religion never originates in human understanding or autonomy and that one's understanding of the world is not necessarily dependent on religious faith. But he was equally convinced that reflection and religion ought to enjoy a harmony which reflects the harmony of the universe, and this ideal motivated his continuous attempt to construct a complementary philosophy and theology. His hope was to show that ‘understanding and feeling… remain distinct, but they touch each other and form a galvanic pile.… The innermost life of the spirit consists in the galvanic action thus produced in the feeling of the understanding and the understanding of the feeling, during which, however, the two poles always remain deflected from each other.’

scholarly journals Learning to see in 3D with two eyes: the role of experience, plasticity and neurochemistry

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 12-17
Author(s):  
Betina Ip ◽  
Holly Bridge
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
Binocular Vision ◽  
Early Experience ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Computational Power ◽  
The World ◽  
Accurate Performance ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Binocular Depth

Humans, along with other predators, have forward-facing eyes which restrict the area of the world that can be seen when compared to animals with eyes on the side of the head. Why would we sacrifice this panoramic vision? The answer is the very precise ability that having two eyes with overlapping and slightly different viewpoints provides to determine fine differences in depth. While interpreting this type of ‘binocular depth’ appears effortless, the precise calculations necessary for perceiving binocular depth require significant computational power in the cerebral cortex and the fine tuning of neurochemical interactions. This processing occurs in the visual regions of the brain and must be honed through early experience for accurate performance. By considering each stage of binocular processing and the neurochemical interactions required for integrating signals from the two eyes, we can begin to understand how the inherent ability of the brain to learn might help us when binocular vision goes wrong.

scholarly journals Thalamocortical spectral transmission relies on balanced input strengths

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Saponati ◽  
Jordi Garcia-Ojalvo ◽  
Enrico Cataldo ◽  
Alberto Mazzoni
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Information ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Sensory Cortex ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Spectral Transmission ◽  
Sensory Transmission ◽  
Thalamocortical Connections ◽  
Primary Sensory Cortex ◽  
Spiking Network ◽  
The Brain

AbstractThe thalamus is a key element of sensory transmission in the brain, as all sensory information is processed by the thalamus before reaching the cortex. The thalamus is known to gate and select sensory streams through a modulation of its internal activity in which spindle oscillations play a preponderant role, but the mechanism underlying this process is not completely understood. In particular, how do thalamocortical connections convey stimulus-driven information selectively over the background of thalamic internally generated activity (such as spindle oscillations)? Here we investigate this issue with a spiking network model of connectivity between thalamus and primary sensory cortex reproducing the local field potential of both areas. We found two features of the thalamocortical dynamics that filter out spindle oscillations: i) spindle oscillations are weaker in neurons projecting to the cortex, ii) the resonance dynamics of cortical networks selectively blocks frequency in the range encompassing spindle oscillations. This latter mechanism depends on the balance of the strength of thalamocortical connections toward excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the cortex. Our results pave the way toward an integrated understanding of the sensory streams traveling between the periphery and the cortex.

Real Brains and Model Brains

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Penrose ◽  
Martin Gardner
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Cortex ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Cerebral Hemispheres ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Surface Layers ◽  
Alan Turing ◽  
The World ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Brain

Inside our heads is a magnificent structure that controls our actions and somehow evokes an awareness of the world around. Yet, as Alan Turing once put it, it resembles nothing so much as a bowl of cold porridge! It is hard to see how an object of such unpromising appearance can achieve the miracles that we know it to be capable of. Closer examination, however, begins to reveal the brain as having a much more intricate structure and sophisticated organization. The large convoluted (and most porridge-like) portion on top is referred to as the cerebrum. It is divided cleanly down the middle into left and right cerebral hemispheres, and considerably less cleanly front and back into the frontal lobe and three other lobes: the parietal, temporal and occipital. Further down, and at the back lies a rather smaller, somewhat spherical portion of the brain - perhaps resembling two balls of wool - the cerebellum. Deep inside, and somewhat hidden under the cerebrum, lie a number of curious and complicated-looking different structures: the pons and medulla (including the reticular formation, a region that will concern us later) which constitute the brain-stem, the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, corpus callosum, and many other strange and oddly named constructions. The part that human beings feel that they should be proudest of is the cerebrum - for that is not only the largest part of the human brain, but it is also larger, in its proportion of the brain as a whole, in man than in other animals. (The cerebellum is also larger in man than in most other animals.) The cerebrum and cerebellum have comparatively thin outer surface layers of grey matter and larger inner regions of white matter. These regions of grey matter are referred to as, respectively, the cerebral cortex and the cerebellar cortex. The grey matter is where various kinds of computational task appear to be performed, while the white matter consists of long nerve fibres carrying signals from one part of the brain to another. Various parts of the cerebral cortex are associated with very specific functions.

Play’s Nature

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas S. Henricks
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Bodily Movement ◽  
Physical Play ◽  
The World ◽  
The Brain

This chapter examines the link between play and nature, or more specifically, the human body. Our feats of thinking, feeling, and acting depend profoundly on structures of the body and the brain. Decisions to play are conditioned by our physical forms. Feelings about what we are doing—registered as sensations and emotions—arise from long-established physical processes. And we move through the world only as our bodies permit. Understanding play means understanding these physical processes. In that context, the chapter focuses on the consequences of play for physiology. It reviews studies of bodily movement, brain activity, consciousness, and affect in both humans and animals. It also explores animal play, classic theories of physical play, the role of the organism in play, play as an expression of surplus resources, and the role of brain in play.

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