Consciousness transitions : phylogenetic, ontogenetic, and physiological aspects / editors, Hans Liljenstrom, Peter Arhem.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Liljenström, Hans, 1956-

Århem, Peter, 1946-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Consciousness.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (349 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam : Elsevier, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

It was not long ago when the consciousness was not considered a problem for science. However, this has now changed and the problem of consciousness is considered the greatest challenge to science. In the last decade, a great number of books and articles have been published in the field, but very few have focused on the how consciousness evolves and develops, and what characterizes the transitions between different conscious states, in animals and humans. This book addresses these questions. Renowned researchers from different fields of science (including neurobiology, evolutionary biology, eth

Contents:

Front Cover; Consciousness Transitions; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; Contributors; Chapter 1. Beyond Cognition - On Consciousness Transitions; 1. What are the problems?; 2. Knowledge in an evolutionary perspective; 3. Evolution of cognition; 4. Evolving consciousness; 5. Philosophical implications; 6. Conclusions; References; Chapter 2. The Remote Roots of Consciousness in Fruit-fly Selective Attention?; 1. Introduction; 2. Behavioural selection; 3. Behavioural suppression; 4. Fly virtual reality; 5. Alternating selection; 6. Salience and memory; 7. Mushroom bodies

8. The missing piece9. Selective attention in the fly brain; 10. Arousal in the fly brain; Acknowledgements; References; Chapter 3. The Evolution of Consciousness in Animals; 1. Introduction: The definition of animal consciousness; 2. Evolution and adaptation; 3. Consciousness in animals; 4. Discussion; References; Chapter 4. On the Origin of Consciousness - Some Amniote Scenarios; 1. Introduction; 2. The basic consciousness criteria are anthropocentric; 3. Sharpening the consciousness criteria - some principal consciousness-brain theories

4. Testing the principal criteria - the case of general anaesthesia5. The phylogenetic origin of consciousness; 6. Reconsidering reptilian cognitive behaviour; 7. Conclusions; References; Chapter 5. A Bird's Eye View of Consciousness; 1. Introduction; 2. Which organisms are conscious?; 3. Function of feelings; 4. Emergence of consciousness; 5. Vertebrate intelligence; 6. Complex learning; 7. Association formation and causality; 8. Language; 9. Association formation in humans; 10. Infantile amnesia; 11. Language and self; 12. Self and consciousness; 13. Concluding comments; References

Chapter 6. The Molecular Biology of Consciousness1. Introduction; 2. Modelling consciousness: the neuronal workspace hypothesis; 3. The neuronal nicotinic receptors: allosteric membrane proteins that modulate higher brain function; 4. The integration of neuronal nicotinic receptors to the neuronal work-space architecture; 5. Nicotinic receptors and states of consciousness in the mouse; 6. Nicotinic receptors and nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsies; 7. Nicotinic receptors and the content of consciousness

8. The joint recovery of exploratory behaviour and reward function by targeted re-expression of nAChR subunit9. Is the mouse a useful animal model to investigate consciousness?; Acknowledgments; References; Chapter 7. The Emergence of Consciousness in the Newborn; 1. Introduction; 2. Neurons - the atoms of consciousness; 3. The localization of consciousness; 4. Developmental anatomy of consciousness; 5. The neurochemistry of consciousness; 6. Methods to study consciousness in the fetus and the infant; 7. Components of consciousness; 8. Integration of the components; 9. Cyber-babies

10. When does minimal consciousness emerge?

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-281-07698-8

9786611076986

0-08-055463-6

OCLC:

476128967