No one understands how our brains work.

But, there are certainly a lot of people trying to figure it out, and this author at Neuron News is certainly swimming in this ocean of many fish.

Here we reference a new list of published books that take another stab a cracking the code of the miraculous human mind. Brief reviews are written for each book, and Neuron News is neither subscribing to nor endorsing any particular approach... however, nearly any viewpoint on the brain is worth a look-see when one has no honest clue about what is really going on (and no one can honestly say that they have a fundamental grasp of brain function... we are just not there, yet.)

In the near future, Neuron News will likely plan on picking up a copy of A Universe of Consciousness: How Matter Becomes Imagination by Gerald M. Edelman and Giulio Tononi, so we will certainly let you know what we think. But, in the mean time please feel free to browse the collection and reviews, and let Neuron News know what you think by posting comments here in the journal.

So, the science we are looking at here is a little "iffy" -- to be polite about it -- but, since we don't know everything about the brain quite yet, we really do have to keep our minds open to new ways of approaching ridiculously complicated problems. (To impart a bit of experienced wisdom, if I may: even if a method of thinking is crazy and entirely incorrect, it can certainly still lead to new and original brainstorms into potentially correct paths of inquiry!)

Slate Magazine covered a brain science "year in review" in 2007, and one interesting feature looked at neurotheology. (Yes, this is a little bit of old news now, but we're still catching up!) No matter what you believe, human beings of all faiths and background really do have some sort of "spiritual" experience that is real in the sense that we can personally feel it happening if and when it does happen. This "feeling" certainly doesn't prove that a Caucasian older gentleman with a long white beard sits up in a puffy white cloud watching over our every thought and motion, but it also doesn't mean there isn't something, evening if it's not supernatural. It might be an illusion, but it is still something to understand.

So why not directly measure brain activity of those of us homo sapiens who have excessive spiritual feelings and see if there is anything different from those of us who don't have similar experiences--or, those of us who inadvertently repress. It's all in our heads... the complex neural network in our brain is everything, and maybe it's also god... or maybe it's the most amazing connection to the "real" god that is still beyond our comprehension. Even if the science is a little loosy-goosy at this point, religion is certainly an experience of human beings, which means it is a direct experience of our brains, which means our neurons have a whole lot to do with religion.

"God Is in the Dendrites" :: Slate April 26, 2007
[ Read the Article ]

So, if these brain-chips are tinkering around with our neurons, it might be important to understand how that will affect our brain function on the whole, in particular our consciousness.

Christof Koch, at CalTech, and Nobel Laureate Francis Crick, at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and whose name is famously tagged with the double helix structure of DNA, have been working on the problem of how brain cells make us conscious for many years. This article briefly outlines their current set of ideas on the issue of the "neural correlate of consciousness" and suggests that we have cut-throat politicking going on up in our heads.

[ Read the article from Billings Gazette ]

[ Visit the Koch Lab ]

Very few humans are comfortable with the notion of dying, even those who strongly believe in the here-after (although they might not admit it). Science is still learning a great deal about how the body dies, but there are few forays into what happens after the body eternally falls asleep.

Pim van Lommel and colleagues from the Netherlands published an article in The Lancet, a British medical journal, where they describe a study on near-death experiences. They interviewed 344 revived cardiac arrest patients regarding their recent brush with death, and 18% reported some memory of an experience. Their research approach attempts to obtain more accurate accounts without relying on long-term memories.

Of course, any scientific claim regarding after-death experiences are susceptible to many potential problems and critiques, like the occurrence of false memories or the unconscious brain misinterpreting activity from its environment. The Washington Post article below does a nice job of putting the research in perspective, so you should definitely read it carefully.

Wouldn't it be nice, though, to know what will really happen to us after we close our eyes for the final time? What do you think?

[Read commentary from a reasonable skeptic in The Lancet]

If you really want to read about this to form your own opinions, read the published article: Pim van Lommel, et al., "Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands" The Lancet 358, 9298 (2001)

NOTE: I have not read this article completely, but will report back when I do for more commentary and perspective right here on Neuron News.

(NOTE: This research has not yet been published in a refereed, scientific journal. We will keep our eye out for it, and report back here when it does appear. However, BBC News and Discover Magazine have recently reported on their work.)

The motivation for this approach comes from savants, who are individuals with some developmental disorder, like autism, but also portray extraordinary artistic or mathematical skills. Somehow the brains of these special people are over-compensating for other developmental problems, allowing three-year-old autistic children to sketch stunningly realistic scenes.

Professor Snyder has apparently demonstrated that their magnetic device can improve a person's drawing skills within minutes. This is a very tantalizing and interesting idea. We should wait for the journal article to appear...

In the meantime, if you want to tap into your unconscious and creative self, why not try developing your lucid dreaming skills? This technique is still a little less scientific than we prefer to be here at DPRI, but lucidity can at least be a great experience!

[Read the article from Discover Magazine]

This article from the Washington Post summarizes a few of the current opinions in consciousness studies.

Most philosophers and scientists today firmly believe that a little controller sitting somewhere in your head directing conscious activities does not exist, as René Descartes purported in the 17th century. Consciousness somehow arises from, as is quoted here, "highly organized brain chemistry". This is somewhat understated, however, because your consciousness certainly is the result of a "highly organized" system, but there's more than just chemistry.

A few major players in consciousness thinking are quoted. Their ideas for the origins of consciousness cover the gamut from "mundane" mechanisms or it's a fundamental property of the Universe, like gravity, to the idea that consciousness is only an illusion.

Consider each carefully. You must keep in mind that your brain is a very complex system and no one yet knows the power of billions of interconnected neurons.

However, there's more to this picture: you also are understanding these words, which allows you to form your own impressions, biases, and conclusions. You will make a decision based on your personal interests and history whether or not to click on the links below. And, you will consider if you will ever return to this web site.

This example just touches the surface of the extended functions and capabilities of your brain above and beyond the more rudimentary tasks of maintaining your heart beat and breathing cycles. We often attribute these "extra" amazing properties, including your personal awareness of yourself ("I think therefore I am!"), to your consciousness.

But, what is your consciousness? Where is it located in your brain, if anywhere? How does is come to be? Does a separate consciousness even exist outside the context of your brain's neuron networks?

These very difficult questions have been debated since, well, since man become conscious!

Although it's not a first for today's scientists, Johnjoe McFadden is presenting another hypothesis for a physical correlate of consciousness. His idea centers on how electromagnetic fields resulting from synchronous electrical activity between neurons somehow feeds back to the neurons to enhance or alter their communication.

I am currently reviewing McFadden's paper and will report back once I've finished. After my initial skim I did not see any equations, graphs, or illustrative examples of computational or experimental work. This greatly concerns me as to how far McFadden's "theory" (as he claims) has moved beyond more than just a thought he came up with while singing in the shower.