Consciousness

AuthorHouse

Contents

Question 1. What Is Consciousness?.........................................1Question 2. What Are Dimensions And Fractals?..............................8Question 3. What Are Dynamics?.............................................17Question 4. Why do we have a brain?........................................25Question 5. How Did Consciousness Evolve?..................................31Question 6. How Do We Wake Up From Anesthesia?.............................43Question 7. Where Is Consciousness?........................................52Question 8. How Do We Sense Two Things At Once?............................60Question 9. Return to Flatland with a Honey Spoon?.........................69Question 10. How Is Consciousness Related To The Soul?.....................83Question 11. Whatever next?................................................90

Chapter One

What Is Consciousness?

Consciousness is the mental state we enjoy after arousal from a dreamless sleep, or those irritating periods between naps. The definitions used above are not meant to be flippant, but any attempt to describe the differences between consciousness, awareness, self-awareness and cognition, is beyond the scope of this book and could easily fill another one!

We have approached the subject of ordinary, everyday consciousness without worrying about the nuances mentioned above. The main problem with studying consciousness is that it is private. Blood pressure, pulse and temperature are measurable directly, but with consciousness, the signs are indirect, or second-hand. A popular scenario amongst the students of consciousness is the imaginary laboratory Zombie. Based upon the Voodoo Zombie of the Caribbean, but produced more hygienically than the Zombies of Haiti, the Zombie behaves like a normal person in every way except that he is not conscious of anything. The point is that it is almost impossible to distinguish LabZom from a Lab Tech using regular physiological metrics.

Instead of trying to measure consciousness directly, therefore, investigators look for correlates. These are measurable signs, specifically linked to the conscious state at the time of their collection. Neural correlates are the nerve tracts or areas of the brain which are active during consciousness. Local areas of active brain cells induce an increase in regional blood flow, the better to deliver extra oxygen and glucose, and remove carbon dioxide and heat. These active areas show up preferentially on certain scans, which then highlight the part of the brain that was active during the activity under investigation.

Access to nerve tracts is difficult, and scans are slow when it comes to understanding brain activity which may start and finish within 1/3rd of a second. We have concentrated upon the dynamics of the brain's electrical activity because measurements may be made non-invasively, and there is no significant delay in recordings. To try and make more sense of these changes, we went back to the very beginnings of nerve evolution and followed the dynamical clues up to the present day.

Regarding the big picture of consciousness study, some regard the brain parts as instruments in an orchestra; when played in harmonious synchrony, consciousness emerges, like music. The brain may be likened to a person in deep water; coordinated movements result in staying awake and in the swim, while thrashing about leads to sinking and oblivion. Some liken brain attractors to dishes that are swirling around on plate-spinners' poles. Consciousness results when sufficient spinning plates are in motion at the same time.

Is consciousness a thing, a process or an event? Who has the right to define it? At meetings on consciousness, most of the participants seem to be philosophers, followed by psychologists, neuroscientists, physicists and a handful of physicians. To keep up with the research, a student must be conversant with the hardest aspects of each discipline. I have read philosophical articles which I do not begin to understand. Some philosophers probably have trouble with some aspects of nonlinear dynamics. It would seem, therefore, that we require the skills of a, Neurophilosophicalmathematic obiologicalquantumnonlineardynamicaltheologian.

If nothing else, specialist language makes it hard for the uninitiated to understand what is going on. Here is an example from philosopher David Chalmers' excellent book, The Conscious Mind. In Search of a Fundamental Theory, writing on Strong Metaphysical Necessity:

"The two-dimensional analysis just discussed establishes that an invocation of Kripkean a posteriori necessity has no force against the argument from supervenience."

Moving to life sciences, Professor Walter Freeman, a towering figure in the dynamics of brain physiology, has this to say about the Hilbert Transform (HT):

"In summary, the HT gives analytic state variables that reveal cinematographic frames of cortical activity, with abrupt onset by phase resetting in the beta or gamma carrier wave [sup.SDx(t)], resynchronization [sup.Re(t)] of the new carrier wave [sup.[omega](t)], emergence and stabilization [sup.De(t)] of its spatial AM pattern [A.sup.2](t) then massive increase in power output [A.sup.2](t). A cluster of points in [sup.n]-space represents a brain state; a trajectory represents a state transition. The vector, [sup.[A.sup.2](t)], serves as both a state variable and an order parameter."

The quotes cited above are in no way intended to disparage the precise and economical language of these experts, but illustrate the difficulties for the man in the street who also yearns to understand how his own mind works.

And yet we all experience consciousness; we live in the answer to the problem. It is beginning to seem as though the way that neurons produce consciousness may be completely counterintuitive. The obvious answers have failed to satisfy; the low hanging fruit has gone. We may have to look in unexpected places, not because the usual answers are not well thought out, but because some of the features of the problem seem to be outside the realm of ordinary three-dimensional (3D) space and time. If the percept of the horse which you look at is not a physical object existing in physical space, it cannot be expected to have a physical location within the three pounds of pulsating neural tissue which resides between your ears. If the percept does not exist in physical space, surely, it must exist in non-physical space.

The time may have come to accept the impeccable logic of Mr. Sherlock Holmes. He addresses Watson in frustration: "You will not apply my precept," he said, shaking his head, "How often have I told you that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?" The "improbable" truth is that consciousness must exist in non-physical space.

Our research has concentrated on brain dynamics because access to dynamics is possible easily and non-invasively through the intact skull. Dynamical processes unfold in a strange non-physical space and consciousness is so closely linked to dynamical brain changes that we believe that this is the kind of space in which consciousness must reside.

In our research, we have studiously avoided paranormal phenomena. These are supposed phenomena which defy the laws of physics as we know them. They include telekinesis, extra sensory perception, clairvoyance, telepathy and levitation. We think everyday consciousness is quite strange enough without trying to explain extraordinary claims; for the same reasons, we have ignored tunnels of light, out of body experiences and near-death experiences.

Regarding the juxtaposition of consciousness and the soul, we heed the words of Pope John Paul II: "... However, the doctrine of faith invariably affirms that man's spiritual soul is created directly by God ..." Most definitions of the soul involve the immaterial part of a person, and include some reference to consciousness. Much consciousness research, including ours, suggests that consciousness itself is immaterial in spite of the fact that it appears to be a derivative of a normally working physical brain.

The similarities between the soul in life and consciousness, are so striking that a comparison is demanded. If an area of common ground exists at the bottom of the chasm which separates science from religion, the observers would be bigots indeed, who did not want to examine it, whichever side of the divide they reside on. It is the question of the immortality of the soul which is quite beyond the realm of science as we know it, to address.

The last meeting on consciousness which I attended included only three anesthesiologists. This is a pity because whatever else consciousness is, it is about brain physiology, and the study of physiology involves the study of change. Nobody sees more changes in human brain physiology than anesthesiologists, who, between them, deliver about 50,000,000 anesthetics per year worldwide.

Induction of anesthesia and return of consciousness, under the controlled conditions of the operating room, represent a wonderful laboratory in which to study consciousness. To detect the crucial brain changes necessary for consciousness against the noisy background of neuronal machinery requires minute attention to the boundary conditions. These are the unique changes that occur at the loss and return of consciousness. Electrical changes in the brain, which may be measured easily and non-invasively, are collected within milliseconds of a mental event. We will make the argument that consciousness is not confined to a location in everyday physical space, therefore, the techniques which concentrate on the timing of correlates, rather than their location, may be more pertinent. We are able to study boundary conditions at induction of anesthesia and return of consciousness, but we should look closely at other parameter changes also.

The human brain must function in several comfort zones simultaneously before consciousness is possible. For example, the brain temperature must be between ~ 28-44 C, glucose levels >50mg/dl must prevail, and the arterial oxygen level (PaO2) must be >25 mmHg. Sub narcotic levels of carbon dioxide must be present (PaCO2 < ~120 mmHg), and there must be an adequate blood flow.

Unlike light from distant galaxies or tracks left by sub-atomic particles, which may be publicly viewed by Big Science, consciousness is private. Contemporaneous signs of consciousness may be observed using the fMRI or the Electroencephalogram (EEG), but consciousness itself is not observable from the outside. However close the correlations may be, it must be remembered that correlations are associations, and not necessarily explanations or causal events.

The 20th century was noted for its reductionism approach to science. Everything possible was reduced to the lowest common denominator at the molecular or subatomic level if it was to be properly understood. Individual brain cells might be considered in this way when studying metabolic changes; for example, each brain cell burns glucose in oxygen and produces smoke, or CO2, and heat; however, the main brain cells, the neurons, are more like on/off switches. They signal their business by becoming depolarized and sending an impulse down their axons. This happens at the cellular level. Complex brain functions are achieved by the interaction of neurons, and not just by their cumulative action, as is the case for an endocrine gland producing hormones, or an exocrine gland producing secretions. Having reduced the cellular mechanism to the atomic level we find that brain function is only comprehensible at a higher level of organization.

We have concentrated on neurodynamics. Dynamics are the set of rules under which a system operates. The dynamics of a system dictate how the supplied energy is dissipated. The brain is a dissipative organ, it dissipates energy. To examine a brain by trying to place a probe into each neuron would obviously kill it; fortunately, during the normal working of the brain, millions of cells may fire synchronously and the electric currents generated travel through the brain tissue to its surface, where they may be recorded, or more commonly, recordings may be made from the surface of the scalp.

We have striven to make this book as non technical as possible, and to avoid formulae and equations. We compensate for these omissions by freely using metaphors, allegories and drawings.

In summary; consciousness is a state of awareness associated with the activity of groups of brain neurons. The mechanism by which this occurs is mysterious. The time has come to think outside the box if further progress is to be made in understanding the link between warm squishy neurons operating in total darkness, and the conscious appreciation of the clear bright light of a frosty morning, which is derived from those same brain cells.

Question 2.

What Are Dimensions And Fractals?

We started by measuring the brainwaves (EEG) of toads, catfish and frogs, because specimens were easily obtainable on the farm where I live. When we analyzed the data from the catfish, we found a dimensional estimate of the EEG attractor of 2.4 while the frog had an estimate of 3.4. This could be an important clue. What did it mean? It was time to refresh our memories regarding dimensions and elementary dynamics.

Between my face and my computer screen, I imagine a point in space. Where is it exactly? I am sitting in my study on a farm in North Texas. I know I am located about 1/3rd of the way between the equator and the North Pole. Many trips to London remind me that the flight is about 1/4 of the way around the globe. Our spherical planet is divided into 360 degrees, so 1/4 of the way around should be about 90, and 1/3rd of the way up from the equator should be about 30. In our everyday 3D physical space, this zero dimensional (0D) point, or coordinate, would be described by the intersection of longitude (North /South line), latitude (East/ West line) and height above sea level.

I now pinpoint myself on Google Earth to get the answer in degrees, minutes and seconds:

33 04' 55.50" N 97 10' 03.39" W Elevation 663 ft.

Because our everyday existence is in 3D physical space, it takes three measurements to locate the point I was looking at.

A point, or co-ordinate describes a position in space and has zero dimensions. (0D). It has no size. If the 0D point moves, it describes a 1D line. An imaginary ant walking the line has only one degree of freedom. It cannot walk from side to side or up and down, only backwards and forwards.

In dynamics, a line that is equidistant from a center point is a circle and is still 1D. The ant is still restricted in its movements. (Some topologists and geometers consider a circle to be 2D, but in dynamics, the content of the circle is generally ignored.) If the circle encompasses a flat disc, it describes the boundary of a flat 2D plane. A 2D object has length and width, which gives the hypothetical ant two degrees of freedom. It can now move from side to side as well as backwards and forwards. A 2D plane that is given height becomes a solid object which is 3D (figure 1).

Notice that at these low dimensions, the rules are the same for physical space as they are for non-physical, or mathematical space. If the line was one yard long, and went to make up the sides of a square and then a cube, the progression of metrics would be as follows:

1. line: 3 feet long

2. square: 9 square feet

3. cube: 27 cubic feet

Progression through dimensions involves an exponential increase in size, while the number of dimensions themselves increases linearly. This is because the numbers which define the dimensions are exponents. Dimensional changes may be quite subtle. By covering one eye as you look across a room, the view changes from 3D to 2D. This is a definite change but not always easy to spot. Four physical dimensions cannot be depicted accurately in everyday physical space, but it is possible to reconstruct the shadow of a 4D object.

In the natural world, things are a bit more complicated. Take a piece of paper and screw it into a tight wad. You have crumpled and compacted a "2D" sheet to form a "3D" ball. In fractal geometry there are non integer dimensions, (not whole numbers); for example, the wadded paper is about 2.75D.

One of the first demonstrations of fractals, or fractions of a dimension, came with the Koch Snowflake (figure 2).

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Consciousnessby Peter T. Walling Kenneth N. Hicks Copyright © 2009 by Peter T. Walling & Kenneth N. Hicks. Excerpted by permission.
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