A Brief Overview of Funding in the Field of Consciousness Appendix
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Theoretical Models of Consciousness: a Scoping Review
brain sciences Review Theoretical Models of Consciousness: A Scoping Review Davide Sattin 1,2,*, Francesca Giulia Magnani 1, Laura Bartesaghi 1, Milena Caputo 1, Andrea Veronica Fittipaldo 3, Martina Cacciatore 1, Mario Picozzi 4 and Matilde Leonardi 1 1 Neurology, Public Health, Disability Unit—Scientific Department, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133 Milan, Italy; [email protected] (F.G.M.); [email protected] (L.B.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (M.C.); [email protected] (M.L.) 2 Experimental Medicine and Medical Humanities-PhD Program, Biotechnology and Life Sciences Department and Center for Clinical Ethics, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy 3 Oncology Department, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research IRCCS, 20156 Milan, Italy; veronicaandrea.fi[email protected] 4 Center for Clinical Ethics, Biotechnology and Life Sciences Department, Insubria University, 21100 Varese, Italy; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +39-02-2394-2709 Abstract: The amount of knowledge on human consciousness has created a multitude of viewpoints and it is difficult to compare and synthesize all the recent scientific perspectives. Indeed, there are many definitions of consciousness and multiple approaches to study the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC). Therefore, the main aim of this article is to collect data on the various theories of consciousness published between 2007–2017 and to synthesize them to provide a general overview of this topic. To describe each theory, we developed a thematic grid called the dimensional model, which qualitatively and quantitatively analyzes how each article, related to one specific theory, debates/analyzes a specific issue. -
VINCENNES-SAINT-DENIS UFR Arts, Philosophie, Esthétique
UNIVERSITE PARIS 8 – VINCENNES-SAINT-DENIS U.F.R Arts, philosophie, esthétique Ecole doctorale : Esthétique, Sciences et Technologies des Arts THESE pour obtenir le grade de DOCTEUR DE L'UNIVERSITE PARIS 8 Discipline : Esthétique, Sciences et Technologies des Arts spécialité Images Numériques présentée et soutenue publiquement par CHANHTHABOUTDY Somphout le 18 novembre 2015 Vanité interactive : recherche et expérimentation artistique _______ Directrice de thèse : Marie-Hélène TRAMUS _______ JURY M. Gilles METHEL, Professeur Université Toulouse 2 Mme Chu-Yin CHEN, Professeure Université Paris 8 Mme Marie-Hélène TRAMUS, Professeure émérite Université Paris 8 Pascal Ruiz, Artiste multimédia 1 2 Résumé Vanité interactive : recherche et expérimentation artistique Ce travail se positionne dans le domaine de l'interactivité sensorielle, de la 3D temps réel et des arts visuels. Cette étude artistique et technique s’inscrit directement dans une recherche entamée depuis des années, sur la question de la représentation sublimée de la mort, qui se retrouve pleinement transfiguré dans l’emblème de la Vanité et sur la recherche de nouvelles façons d’entretenir un dialogue en rétroaction avec l’œuvre. Sur le point artistique, la recherche analyse le processus de création, qui a mené de la représentation sublimée de la mort en vidéo, à la réalisation et l’expérimentation de Vanité au sein de tableaux virtuels interactifs et immersifs. Cette analyse apporte des réponses aux questionnements envers la signification des intentions liées à la création et l’utilisation de Vanité en 3D dans des installations conversationnelles. Elle met en lumière les enjeux de ce procédé innovant par rapport à l’histoire de la Vanité depuis son apparition. -
Biomedical Sciences 2 DRAFT 9/13/16
1 1 Report of the SEAB Task Force on Biomedical Sciences 2 DRAFT 9/13/16 3 Executive Summary 4 Progress in the biomedical sciences has crucial implications for the Nation’s health, security, 5 and competitiveness. Advances in biomedicine depend increasingly upon integrating many other 6 disciplines---most importantly, the physical and data sciences and engineering---with the 7 biological sciences. Unfortunately, the scientific responsibilities of the various federal agencies 8 are imperfectly aligned with that multidisciplinary need. Novel biomedical technologies could be 9 developed far more efficiently and strategically by enhanced inter-agency cooperation. The 10 Department of Energy’s mission-driven basic research capabilities make it an especially promising 11 partner for increased collaboration with NIH, the nation’s lead agency for biomedical research; 12 conversely, the NIH is well-positioned to expand its relationships with DOE. Particular DOE 13 capabilities of interest include instrumentation, materials, modeling and simulation, and data 14 science, which will find application in many areas of biomedical research, including cancer, 15 neurosciences, microbiology, and cell biology; the analysis of massive heterogeneous clinical and 16 genetic data; radiology and radiobiology; and biodefense. 17 To capitalize on these opportunities we recommend that the two agencies work together 18 more closely and in more strategic ways to A) define joint research programs in the most fertile 19 areas of biomedical research and applicable technologies; B) create organizational and funding 20 mechanisms that bring diverse researchers together and cross-train young people; C) secure 21 funding for one or more joint research units and/or user facilities; D) better inform OMB, 22 Congress, and the public about the importance of, and potential for, enhanced DOE-NIH 23 collaboration. -
Mind Byte” Series Disperses Particles from the Consciousness Documentary “The Deeper You Go”
STORY LLC CONTACT 11TH STORY LLC FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tel: 414.301.1102 or 2 [email protected] November 4, 2014 “MIND BYTE” SERIES DISPERSES PARTICLES FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS DOCUMENTARY “THE DEEPER YOU GO” “Mind Byte” an ongoing series of one minute interview clips to promote the 2015 release of “The Deeper You Go” launched with controversial biologist Rupert Sheldrake. In “The Deeper You Go” Milwaukee filmmakers Lora Nigro and Kevin Rutkowski, reunited with Los Angeles cinematographer Vincent Gaudes, interviewed keynote speakers on the fly at The Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference organized and sponsored by The Center for Consciousness Studies; University of Arizona this April. Setting up camp in the hotel courtyard where the conference was held, they shot guerilla style with one HD camcorder and boom microphone but seized a hotel storage closet for the makeshift indoor shots. Known luminaries and TED talkers Deepak Chopra, Susan Blackmore, David Chalmers, Dan Dennett, Stuart Hameroff, John Searle, Stanislas Dehaene and NY Times best selling author Eben Alexander, Proof of Heaven are among the rock star line up. The Sneak Preview demo introduced this September captured the ensuing debate in quick point-counter point edits, suggesting that the sharpest minds in the field don’t agree much on the nature of mind. “Consciousness” the film’s featured soundtrack single also became available web-wide. Nigro and Rutkowski’s background as recording artists, whose lyrical explorations of the meaning of existence, provides a context for their interest in the subject. Consciousness is fundamental to our reality. Once the domain of religion, the study of human consciousness has exploded in the last decades, making headway in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, philosophy and other disciplines. -
14 Consciousness in the Universe an Updated Review of the “Orch
“9x6” b2237 Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach FA Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach R. R. Poznanski, J. A. Tuszynski and T. E. Feinberg Copyright © 2016 World Scientific, Singapore. 14 CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNIVERSE AN UPDATED REVIEW OF THE “ORCH OR” THEORY Stuart R. Hameroff,* and Roger Penrose† * Anesthesiology and Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, Banner-University Medical Center The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA † Mathematical Institute and Wadham College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Abstract The nature of consciousness, the mechanism by which it occurs in the brain, and its ultimate place in the universe are unknown. We proposed in the mid 1990’s that consciousness depends on biologically “orchestrated” coherent quantum processes in collections of microtubules within brain neurons, that these quantum processes correlate with, and regulate, neuronal synaptic and membrane activity, and that the continuous Schrödinger evolution of each such process terminates in accordance with the specific Diósi–Penrose (DP) scheme of “ objective reduction” (“OR”) of the quantum state. This orchestrated OR activity (“Orch OR”) is taken to result in moments of conscious awareness and/or choice. The DP form of OR is related to the fundamentals of quantum mechanics and space–time geometry, so Orch OR suggests that there is a connection between the brain’s biomolecular processes and the basic structure of the universe. Here we review Orch OR in light of criticisms and developments in quantum biology, neuroscience, physics and cosmology. We also introduce novel suggestions of (1) beat frequencies of faster Orch OR microtubule dynamics (e.g. megahertz) as a possible source 517 bb2237_Ch-14.indd2237_Ch-14.indd 551717 44/15/2016/15/2016 112:31:372:31:37 PPMM FA b2237 Biophysics of Consciousness: A Foundational Approach “9x6” 518 S. -
"Orchestrated Objective Reduction"(Orch OR)
Orchestrated Objective Reduction of Quantum Coherence in Brain Microtubules: The "Orch OR" Model for Consciousness Stuart Hameroff & Roger Penrose, In: Toward a Science of Consciousness - The First Tucson Discussions and Debates, eds. Hameroff, S.R., Kaszniak, A.W. and Scott, A.C., Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 507-540 (1996) Stuart Hameroff and Roger Penrose ABSTRACT Features of consciousness difficult to understand in terms of conventional neuroscience have evoked application of quantum theory, which describes the fundamental behavior of matter and energy. In this paper we propose that aspects of quantum theory (e.g. quantum coherence) and of a newly proposed physical phenomenon of quantum wave function "self-collapse"(objective reduction: OR -Penrose, 1994) are essential for consciousness, and occur in cytoskeletal microtubules and other structures within each of the brain's neurons. The particular characteristics of microtubules suitable for quantum effects include their crystal-like lattice structure, hollow inner core, organization of cell function and capacity for information processing. We envisage that conformational states of microtubule subunits (tubulins) are coupled to internal quantum events, and cooperatively interact (compute) with other tubulins. We further assume that macroscopic coherent superposition of quantum-coupled tubulin conformational states occurs throughout significant brain volumes and provides the global binding essential to consciousness. We equate the emergence of the microtubule quantum coherence with pre-conscious processing which grows (for up to 500 milliseconds) until the mass-energy difference among the separated states of tubulins reaches a threshold related to quantum gravity. According to the arguments for OR put forth in Penrose (1994), superpositioned states each have their own space-time geometries. -
Nord Brain Stimulation in Psychiatry
Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists Chapter title: Brain stimulation in psychiatry Name: Dr Camilla L Nord Affiliation: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge Email: [email protected] Phone: 01223767481 Address: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF 1 Brain stimulation in psychiatry One of the best examples of translation from neuroscience to psychiatric treatment is brain stimulation, an array of techniques aimed at modulating the activity and/or plasticity of particular brain structures. Brain stimulation is not new: as far back as ancient Rome, the physician Scribonius Largus wrote of electrical stimulation to relieve migraine (although he employed a torpedo fish, a species of electric ray). Today, a number of invasive and non- invasive brain stimulation techniques show efficacy in treating psychiatric disorders. What these distinct approaches have in common is their ability to target specific neural regions more directly than traditional pharmacological or psychological approaches (see Figure 1). This capacity to influence the very circuits implicated in neuroscience studies has contributed to some transformative discoveries, but has faced key translational challenges, including response variability and inadequate placebos. 1. Non-invasive brain stimulation There are two chief forms of non-invasive brain stimulation: transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). TMS uses brief, high-current pulses to induce a magnetic field, indirectly activating neurons, and causing an increase or decrease in brain activity in a localised target region1. There is substantial evidence that repetitive high-frequency TMS pulses over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) are effective for major depressive disorder2, purportedly by restoring activity in the L-DLPFC, a commonly-described source of aberrant activation in neuroimaging studies in depression (often, but not always, showing hypoactivation)3. -
Chapter 5 the "Quantum Soul": a Scientific Hypothesis
Chapter 5 The "Quantum Soul": A Scientific Hypothesis Stuart Hameroff and Deepak Chopra Abstract The concept of consCiousness existing outside the body (e.g. near-death and out-of body experiences, NDE/OBEs, or after death, indicative of a 'soul') is a staple of religious traditions, but shunned by conventional science because of an apparent lack of rational explanation. However conventional science based entirely on classical physics cannot account for normal in-the-brain consciousness. The Penrose-Hameroff 'Orch OR' model is a quantum approach to consciousness, con necting brain processes (microtubule quantum computations inside neurons) to fluctuations in fundamental spacetime geometry, the fine scale structure of the uni verse. Recent evidence for significant quantum coherence in warm biological sys tems, scale-free dynamics and end-of-life brain activity support the notion of a quantum basis for consciousness which could conceivably exist independent of biology in various scalar planes in spacetime geometry. Sir Roger Penrose does not necessarily endorse such proposals which relate to his ideas in physics. Based on Orch OR, we offer a scientific hypothesis for a 'quantum soul'. 5.1 Brain, Mind, and Near-Death Experiences The idea that conscious awareness can exist after bodily death, generally referred to as the "soul," has been inherent in Eastern and Western religions for thousands of years. In some traditions, memories and awareness may be transferred after death to other lifetimes: reincarnation. In addition to beliefs based on religion, innumerable S. Hameroff(L01) Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychology, Center for Consciousness Studies, The University of Arizona Medical Center, 1501N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA e-mail: [email protected] D. -
6 Consciousness, Neurobiology and Quantum Mechanics: the Case for a Connection
6 Consciousness, Neurobiology and Quantum Mechanics: The Case for a Connection Stuart Hameroff Summary. Consciousness is generally considered to emerge from synaptic com- putation among brain neurons, but this approach cannot account for its critical features. The Penrose–Hameroff “Orch OR” model suggests that consciousness is a sequence of quantum computations in microtubules within brain neurons, shielded from decoherence to reach threshold for objective reduction (OR), the Penrose quantum gravity solution to the measurement problem. The quantum computations are “orchestrated” by neuronal/synaptic inputs (hence “Orch OR”), and extend throughout cortex by tunneling through gap junctions. Each Orch OR is proposed as a conscious event, akin to Whitehead’s philosophical “occasion of experience”, occurring in concert with brain electrophysiology. This chapter discusses the need for such an approach and its neurobiological requirements. 6.1 Introduction: The Problems of Consciousness Consciousness involves phenomenal experience, self-awareness, feelings, choices, control of actions, a model of the world, etc. But what is it? Is con- sciousness something specific, or merely a byproduct of information process- ing? Whatever it is, consciousness is a multifaceted puzzle. Despite enormous strides in behavioral and brain science, essential features of consciousness continue to elude explanation. Unresolved problems include: 1. Neural correlates of conscious perception apparently occur too late – 150 to 500 milliseconds (ms) after impingement on our sense organs – to have causal efficacy in seemingly conscious perceptions and willful actions, often initiated or completed within 100 ms after sensory impingement. For example, in the color phi and cutaneous rabbit anomalies, the brain apparently fills in conscious sensory information that is not yet avail- able [130, 71, 40]. -
Human Functional Brain Imaging 1990–2009
Portfolio Review Human Functional Brain Imaging 1990–2009 September 2011 Acknowledgements The Wellcome Trust would like to thank the many people who generously gave up their time to participate in this review. The project was led by Claire Vaughan and Liz Allen. Key input and support was provided by Lynsey Bilsland, Richard Morris, John Williams, Shewly Choudhury, Kathryn Adcock, David Lynn, Kevin Dolby, Beth Thompson, Anna Wade, Suzi Morris, Annie Sanderson, and Jo Scott; and Lois Reynolds and Tilli Tansey (Wellcome Trust Expert Group). The views expressed in this report are those of the Wellcome Trust project team, drawing on the evidence compiled during the review. We are indebted to the independent Expert Group and our industry experts, who were pivotal in providing the assessments of the Trust’s role in supporting human functional brain imaging and have informed ‘our’ speculations for the future. Finally, we would like to thank Professor Randy Buckner, Professor Ray Dolan and Dr Anne-Marie Engel, who provided valuable input to the development of the timelines and report. The2 | Portfolio Wellcome Review: Trust Human is a Functional charity registeredBrain Imaging in England and Wales, no. 210183. Contents Acknowledgements 2 Key abbreviations used in the report 4 Overview and key findings 4 Landmarks in human functional brain imaging 10 1. Introduction and background 12 2 Human functional brain imaging today: the global research landscape 14 2.1 The global scene 14 2.2 The UK 15 2.3 Europe 17 2.4 Industry 17 2.5 Human brain imaging -
The Experimental Psychology Bulletin: June 2017
The Bulletin of The Society for Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Sciences June 2017 In this issue… pp 2 – 4 APA Convention Program pp 5 – 6 President’s Column: Advocating for Psychological Science p 8 Marching for Science pp 12 – 13 Reaching Out pp 14 – 15 SEPCS Lifetime Achievement Awards pp 16 – 17 SEPCS Early Career Achievement Awards SEPCS in the wild! pp 8 – 10 SEPCS Marching for Science! pp 12 – 13 SEPCS at SEPA and SSPP! Get the word out! Submit op-eds, photos, news, awards, advice, and more to Will Whitham at [email protected] You’re Invited! 125th APA Annual Convention Washington D. C. August 3rd through 6th! 2 Invited Address Paul Merritt (Georgetown University) If You Want to Rule the World, Become a Cognitive Psychologist! SEPCS Lifetime Achievement Award Morton Ann Gernsbacher (University of Wisconsin – Madison) Use of Laptops in College Classrooms: What do the Data Really Suggest? Invited Address Adam Green (Georgetown University) Cognitive & Neural Intervention to Enhance Creativity in Relational Thinking and Reasoning Presidential Address Anne Cleary (Colorado State University) How Metacognitive States Like Tip-of-the-Tongue and Déjà Vu Can Be Biasing 3 Symposium: Cognitive Science & Education Policy Chair: Robert Bjork (UCLA) Participants: Jeffrey Karpicke (Purdue University) Ian Lyons (Georgetown University) Kenneth Maton (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Skill Building Session Using Technology to Easily Implement Testing Enhanced Learning Facilitated by Paul Merritt & Kruti Vekaria (Georgetown University) Juan Ventura, a Cognitive and Brain Sciences Ph.D. student at LSU, won the 2017 APA Travel Award and Ungerleider/Zimbardo Travel Scholarship. The Ungerleider/Zimbardo Travel Scholarship is awarded to the top 7 applicants of the APA Travel Award. -
Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence
We invite applications to participate in the 4th Intercontinental Academia dedicated to Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence Opening online session: 13-18 June 2021 1st workshop in Paris, France: 18-27 October 2021 2nd workshop in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: 6-15 June 2022 Call for fellows Deadline: March 31, 2021 (6 pm CET) The Intercontinental Academia (ICA) seeks to create a global network of future research leaders in which some of the very best early/mid-career scholars will work together on paradigm-shifting cross-disciplinary research, mentored by some of the most eminent researchers from across the globe. In order to achieve this high objective, we organize in a year three immersive and intense sessions. The experience is expected to transform the scholar's own approach to research, enhance their awareness of the work, relevance and potential impact of other disciplines, and to inspire and facilitate new collaborations between distant disciplines. Our aim is to make a real, yet volatile, intellectual cocktail that leads to meaningful exchange and long-lasting outputs. The theme Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence have been selected to provide a framework for stimulating intellectual exchange in 2021-2022. The past decades have witnessed an impressive progress in cognitive science, neuroscience and artificial intelligence. Beside the decisive scientific advances that have been accomplished in the analysis of brain activity and its behavioral counterparts or in the information processing sciences (machine learning, wearable sensors…), several fundamental and broader questions of deep interdisciplinary nature have been arising. As artificial intelligence and neuroscience/cognitive science seem to show significant complementarities, a key question is to inquire to which extent these complementarities should drive research in both areas and how to optimize synergies.