Antonio DamasioSELF COMES TO MIND

Constructing the Conscious Brain (2010)

An introduction by Erik Christensen

Aalborg University Denmark

University of Jyvskyl, Finland 25th January 2011

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Central idea

The BODY is a foundation of THE CONSCIUOS MIND

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How can we observe consciousness?

Three Perspectives:

Personal introspectionObserving external behaviors

Studying brain functions

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The MIND can be conscious of

PAST & FUTURE

OBJECTS & EVENTS

BODY STATESwith degrees of

pain pleasure

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What is Mind?

MIND is

A mental stream of organized images

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IMAGES are created by MAPPINGThe brain maps

The worldThe body

And its own doings

MAPS are momentary patterns which can be experienced as

IMAGES in the MIND

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IMAGESmay have any kind of sense origin:

visual auditory tactile visceral

smell taste

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CONSCIOUS MIND = MIND + SELF

The MIND is a process:a flowing mix of images

The SELF is the KNOWER:The OWNER of the MIND

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The SELF is also a process

The SELF is present whenever we are CONSCIOUS:

The process of KNOWING

SELF adds subjectivity to the MIND

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Central idea

FEELING pervades the images

we perceive subjectively

The SELF is always felt

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Three levels of SELF:

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SELF

CORE SELF

PROTOSELF

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AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SELFis

The feeling of knowing

that I am ME and I have a MEMORY

I know that I have a past and a futureand social and cultural relations

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CORE SELFis

The feeling of knowing what happens

My organism has RELATIONSHIPS to OBJECTS and EVENTS

and I can ACT upon them

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PROTOSELFis

The feeling of knowingthat my body exists

This is a PRIMORDIAL FEELINGwhich has a valence:

a degree of pain pleasure

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Which living beings may possess an autobiographical self?

Probably

Humans, apesMarine mammals

ElephantsWolves, dogs, cats

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Music

Boccherini Cello Concerto in Bb Major (Adagio)

Listening suggestions:

Feelings evoked in your body?Movements and events in the music?Your personal knowledge, memories,

opinions, preferences?

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Central idea

FEELINGS and EMOTIONSare distinguishable processes

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EMOTIONS are complex, largely automated programs

of ACTIONS carried out in the body

FEELINGSare images of EMOTIONS:

PERCEPTIONS executed in brain maps

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vCentral idea

All feelings of emotions are complex variations on PRIMORDIAL FEELINGS

Body and brain bondin a perpetual resonant loop

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B

Brain regions of interest: Brain stem - Thalamus - Cortex

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Brain stem and Thalamus

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Thalamus connections

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Key structures in charge of implementingCONSCIOUSNESS:

Widespread Regions of CORTEX

THALAMIC NUCLEI

UPPER BRAIN STEM

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Central idea

The BRAIN STEM controls basic life functionsand is a critical contributor to CONSCIOUSNESS

Early FEELINGS generated by ongoing life eventsare primordial constituents of MIND

and indispensable components of the SELF

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1.Pineal gland2.Thalamus ( Pulvinar )3.Superior colliculus4.Inferior colliculus5.Lemniscal trigone6.Frenulum veli7.Superior medullary velum8.Median sulcus9.Gracile tubercle10.Cuneate tubercle11.Posterior intermediate sulcus12.Posteromedian sulcus13.Vagal trigone14.Hypoglossal trigone15.Striae medullares16.Facial colliculus17.Locus coeruleus18.Parabrachial recess19.Crus cerebri20.Inferior collicular brachium21.Medial geniculate body22.Lateral geniculate body23.Suoerior collicular brachium24.Habenula25.Habenular commissure

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Schematic illustrationof brainstem nuclei and connections

(Thalamus is not shown)

HypothalamusSC: Superior colliculus

PAG: Periaqueductal Grey

PBN: Parabrachial NucleusNTS: Nucleus Tractus Solitarius

AP: Area PostremaOther brain stem nuclei(regulate wakefulness and release

neurotransmitters to cortex)

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The BRAIN STEMprocesses information needed to

represent the body and control its life

The THALAMUSdisseminates signals from the BRAIN STEMto a widespread territory of the CORTEX

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What about MUSIC?

Auditory information is processed in five brain stem nuclei

before arriving at the cortex

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The auditory pathway

Cortex

Medial Geniculate NucleusInferior Colliculus

Nucleus of Lateral Lemniscus

Superior Olivary NucleusCochlear Nucleus

... plus one

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THE SUPERIOR COLLICULUSpermits integration

of visual, auditory and somatic information

before this information is forwarded to the EARLY SENSORY CORTICES for

vision, hearing and somatic sensation which produce images in the mind

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Processing of pleasant or unpleasant visual stimuli may take 500 milliseconds

before a feeling is reported by the conscious mind

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Some brain areasincluding early sensory cortices

Somatosensory

Visual

Auditory

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(3) The SUPERIOR COLLICULUS

has seven layers.The deep layers contain

superposed maps ofvisual, auditory and somatic information

(4) The INFERIOR COLLICULUS

is an important way stationfor auditory signals on the

way to the cortex

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My suggestions:

MUSIC has an immediate and direct impact

on vital body functionsdue to the connections of nuclei

in the brain stem

MUSICis immediately integrated

with vision and body sensationsdue to the connections

in the superior colliculus

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DAMASIOS APPROACH

is not to propose a definitive theory of consciousness

but to articulate a number of hypotheseswhich constitute a FRAMEWORK

for the explanation of MIND and SELFand the structures of the

CONSCIOUS BRAIN

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Thank you ... and happy new ears!

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