Oct 28, 2020 05:04 AM
(This post was last modified: Oct 28, 2020 05:08 AM by C C.)
http://nautil.us/blog/are-the-brains-ele...sciousness
EXCERPTS: . . .Neuronal correlates of consciousness are the parts of the brain thought to be required for consciousness to occur. [...] If we peer deeply into the brain, in other words, what we’ll find is that electrochemical synapse firings—produced by neurons of various types—are responsible for, as Christof Koch puts it, the feeling of life itself, consciousness.
But what if there’s more to the story? What if the electromagnetic fields generated by, but which are not identical to, the neuroanatomy of the brain, are in fact the primary seat of consciousness? [...] Some neuroscientists have long considered the brain’s oscillating electromagnetic fields to be interesting but merely “epiphenomenal” features of the brain—like a train whistle on a steam-powered locomotive. Electromagnetic fields may just be noise that doesn’t affect the workings of the brain. Koch still seems to lean this way.
“While at this early stage of the exploration of the brain it would be foolish to categorically rule out any physical process,” he told me, “as an electrophysiologist I’m less enthused about ascribing specific functions to specific frequency bands, let alone experience...” He thinks the extent to which oscillations affect neuronal firing patterns remains an open question. “Consider the sounds the beating heart makes,” he said. “These can be picked up by a stethoscope and can be used to diagnose cardiac conditions. However, there is no evidence that the body exploits these sounds for any function.”
I asked Wolfgang Klimesch [...] what he thought about Koch’s view on electromagnetic fields. ... “With respect to Christof’s view that they are too weak in order to play a role for higher brain functions, he is right if one looks at only one oscillation of the field,” he said. “The critical point is the interplay and sync between oscillations. Even if each oscillator is weak, sync between them can induce a strong and very selective force.”
One of Koch’s collaborators, György Buszaki was fairly clear as far back as 2004 in terms of where he stood on this debate, highlighting various functions that the brain’s electromagnetic fields perform, including linking different areas of the brain together, facilitating synaptic changes, and creating and consolidating memory. So Buzsaki accepts that these fields have functional roles and are not like the sounds of a beating heart or a locomotive whistle.
Pascal Fries [...] also supports a functional role for the brain’s fields ... Perhaps the most compelling recent research in favor of the functional role of electromagnetic fields can be found in a 2019 paper from Dominique Durand’s team at Case Western Reserve University... (MORE - details)
RELATED: Electromagnetic theories of consciousness ...... 10 Things an Electromagnetic Field Can Do to Your Brain
EXCERPTS: . . .Neuronal correlates of consciousness are the parts of the brain thought to be required for consciousness to occur. [...] If we peer deeply into the brain, in other words, what we’ll find is that electrochemical synapse firings—produced by neurons of various types—are responsible for, as Christof Koch puts it, the feeling of life itself, consciousness.
But what if there’s more to the story? What if the electromagnetic fields generated by, but which are not identical to, the neuroanatomy of the brain, are in fact the primary seat of consciousness? [...] Some neuroscientists have long considered the brain’s oscillating electromagnetic fields to be interesting but merely “epiphenomenal” features of the brain—like a train whistle on a steam-powered locomotive. Electromagnetic fields may just be noise that doesn’t affect the workings of the brain. Koch still seems to lean this way.
“While at this early stage of the exploration of the brain it would be foolish to categorically rule out any physical process,” he told me, “as an electrophysiologist I’m less enthused about ascribing specific functions to specific frequency bands, let alone experience...” He thinks the extent to which oscillations affect neuronal firing patterns remains an open question. “Consider the sounds the beating heart makes,” he said. “These can be picked up by a stethoscope and can be used to diagnose cardiac conditions. However, there is no evidence that the body exploits these sounds for any function.”
I asked Wolfgang Klimesch [...] what he thought about Koch’s view on electromagnetic fields. ... “With respect to Christof’s view that they are too weak in order to play a role for higher brain functions, he is right if one looks at only one oscillation of the field,” he said. “The critical point is the interplay and sync between oscillations. Even if each oscillator is weak, sync between them can induce a strong and very selective force.”
One of Koch’s collaborators, György Buszaki was fairly clear as far back as 2004 in terms of where he stood on this debate, highlighting various functions that the brain’s electromagnetic fields perform, including linking different areas of the brain together, facilitating synaptic changes, and creating and consolidating memory. So Buzsaki accepts that these fields have functional roles and are not like the sounds of a beating heart or a locomotive whistle.
Pascal Fries [...] also supports a functional role for the brain’s fields ... Perhaps the most compelling recent research in favor of the functional role of electromagnetic fields can be found in a 2019 paper from Dominique Durand’s team at Case Western Reserve University... (MORE - details)
RELATED: Electromagnetic theories of consciousness ...... 10 Things an Electromagnetic Field Can Do to Your Brain
