The consciousness circuit 2012

THE CONSCIOUSNESS CIRCUIT

AN APROACH TO THE HARD PROBLEM

Introduction

• The Consciousness problem

The consciousness concept is hybrid,

connoting a number of different concepts and

phenomena.

In order to clarify this issue, David Chalmers

separates the problems which are often

clustered together under that name. He

first distinguished between an "easy” and a

“hard" problem of consciousness.

David Chalmers

Introduction


The Easy problem is, by no means, trivial. It

is, actually, as challenging, as most problems

in psychology and biology.

But it is within the Hard problem that the

central mystery lies.

consciencia

“easy” Problem

Psychological and biological questions

“hard”problem

Subjective questions

Introduction


As a working hypothesis, we have assumed

that the hard and the easy problems are

interrelated.

In order to organize such an issue, we have

created an orthogonal graphic model which

will help us to better organize the interaction

between the organic pattern (the easy

problem) and the subjective experiences (the

hard problem) .

“hard” Problem

“easy” problem

Introduction

• Around the terminologies

•Consciousness is often related

to attentive state and

awareness as synonymous or,

in terms of equality, like being

phenomenon of the same level

or quality.

•Our question is: - What is the

real relationship between those

concepts?

Consciousness

Atttention

Awareness

Are they synonimous?

Introduction


Our first hypotheses is:

The Consciousness is an extend

and unique field that contains

the Attention and the Awareness

fields

Consciousness

Attention

Awareness

Introduction


Our second hypotheses is:

•The Attention and the Awareness

states are different sort of

manifestation.

Consciousness

Attention

Awareness

Introduction


Our third hypotheses is:

Both fields- Attention and

Awareness - are related to each

other , in a functional way.

If aware

Yes attentio

n

If attent

ion

Yes or no

awareness

but

Consciousness

attention

awareness

Introduction


Our fourth hypotheses is:

The Attention is an “Easy

problem” issue, profoundly

studied in psychology and

biology.

The Awareness belongs to the

“hard problem” field and give

rise to the question of how

physical processes in the brain

incite subjective experience.

Consciousness

attention

awareness

Attention = Easy problem field

Awareness= Hard Problem field

•The Easy Problem - Attentional graphic• The Attentional modulation (S)• The attentional quantum (Q)

•The Hard Problem -Awareness graphic• The self (SF)

The consciousness Represented as an orthogonal graphic

THE ATTENTIONTHE EASY PROBLEM FIELD

Definition

Attention is a selectively cognitive

process of concentration in one

aspect of the environment while

ignoring others.

It implies a state of readiness for

such attention, involving,

especially, a selective narrowing or

focusing of consciousness and

receptivity.

Consciousness

Attention

The Attention

The Attention modulation (S)

HORIZONTAL AXE

“Quantum”(Q)

“modulation” (S)

The neuronal processes are an important neurophysiologic cue for the understanding of attention.

Lamme describes at least three fundamentally

different types of processing that can be iden-

tified within this parallel flow.

• Feed forward processing (FFS)

• Recurrent processing (RI)

• Widespread recurrent processing (WRI)

Wsri RP FFSV.A.F. Lamme


(FFS) The Feed forward sweep is defined as the earliest activation of cells in successive areas of cortical

hierarchy .(It is not sufficient for visual awareness)

Wsri RP FFS

V.A.F. Lamme


STIMULUSREFLEX RESPONSE

OTHERS DESTINATIONS

REFLEX RESPONSES

(RI) Recurrent interactions between areas are necessary for the visual features to be related to each other and

are where binding and segregation may occur. (perceptual organization is developed)

Wsri RP FFS

V.A.F. Lamme


CONSCIOUS OUTPUT

STIMULUS

RP

IMAGE FORMATIO

N

(WSRI) Widespread recurrent interactions involve many regions of the brain, such as the frontal cortex, pre-

frontal and temporal cortex

Visual information being processed through the needs, goals and in the personal history of the person.

It occurs when the stimulus has passed the intentional bottleneck between sensory and executive areas.

Wsri RP FFS

V.A.F. Lamme


CONCEPTUAL PROCESSES


Attention can be directed to an environmental stimulus

(exogenous attention) or to inner feelings, memories,

thoughts etc. stimulus (endogenous attention).

Exogenous attention leads the consciousness focus

to environmental stimuli.

Endogenous attention happens when an external

event has to be translated as an inner image and then

to an abstract cue.

Endogenous

Exogenous

Wsri RP FFS

V.A.F. Lamme

ATTENTIONAL DIRECTIO

N

The Attention Quantum (Q)

VERTICAL AXE

“Quantum”(Q)

“modulation” (S)

The quantum (Q) of attention

• The thalamocortical circuit and the

aminergic-cholinergicprojections are

responsible for the desynchronization of

the EEG during wakefulness.

Flávio Alóe; Alexandre Pinto de Azevedo; Rosa Hasan


According to the Reciprocity Interaction Model:

• High amnergic activity during active

wakefulness activates the thalamocortical

circuits but is reduced during NREM sleep,

and is absent during REM sleep.

• Aminergic neurons are called wake-on-

and-sleep-off cells. The cerebral cortex is

aminergically demodulated during REM

sleep due to the lack of hypocretin tone.



• The cholinergic activity is at a maximum

during REM sleep and wakefulness but is

minimal or absent during NREM sleep.

• Cholinergic nuclei are activated during

wakefulness and during REM sleep with

EEG desynchronization. Cholinergic cells

are known as“ REM-and-wake-on" cells.



• On the Reciprocity Interaction Model,

high levels of cortical acetylcholine

are correlated with increased

attention.

REM

NREM

Wakefulness

Quantum (Q)

(*) Aminergic-Cholinergic

(*) Cholinergic


CONSCIOUS (Amnergic - cholinergic)

SEMICONSCIOUS(less amnergic - no chollinergic)

UNCONSCIOUS (cholinergic)

• The quantum (Q) leads to different levels of attention.


Wakefulness

NREM

REM

Sleepiness

The Attention as an orthogonal graphic

• The orthogonal graphic

RP

Sleepiness

REM

Wakefulness

NREM

Environmental attention

Out of Vision Field

Mnemonic attention

– Uncontrolled memories, emotions and feelings

– controlled memories, emotions and feelings

Inside the Vision Field

Rational attention

– Actions, goals, step processes, key analyses, ethical evaluation.

– loosing of coherence, mixing of information

WSRI

(Q)

(S) FFS

Beside the Vision Field

The consciousness as an orthogonal graphic

• Examples of the graphic interpretation

The Attention

Consciousness Circuit (“Looking at” situation)

FFS Opened eyes

Focusing the object

Eyes closed

RP

Consciousness Circuit (“Dreaming” situation)

Opened Eyes

Out of focus objects (by rotation of the

ocular globe)RP

Consciousness Circuit (“Day dreaming” situation)

Opened Eyes

Out of focus objects (by rotation of the

ocular globe)WRSI

Consciousness Circuit (“Thinking” situation)

conclusion

The graph above shows that Attention is a

result of the Consciousness phenomenon. It is

an abstract concept but it can be measured

by physics means, just like the concepts of

velocity (v) and acceleration (a).

THE AWARENESSTHE HARD PROBLEM FIELD

•THE AWARENESS

The Awareness is a consciousness

dynamic phenomenon where oneself

recognize and experience lively, it

own conscious state.

The consciousness is also the

manifestations field of those

phenomenon.

Consciousness

Awareness

The awareness is related to the QUALIA issue

The QUALIA problems:

◦ how people can see the redness of the red,

the nature of their feelings, etc.?

◦ How can a person be aware of his or her

own awareness state?

How can we understand and evaluate the

possibility of awareness of the proper system

regarding itself – “the awareness of the

awareness state”?

Awareness provides the raw

material from which one

develops qualia, or subjective

ideas about their experience

and even self-awareness, which

means that one is aware of

one’s own awareness state.

Consciousness

Awareness

AWARENESS

AWARENESS

One characteristic from the awareness state is that subjective experiences apear from the first person’s access to them.

It is, first of all, a personal and subjective experience of the SELF.

AWARENESS

Here, we introduce a third axe to our model that represents the SELF.

The awareness state has different degrees of perception.

This is well described in the Indian tradition “scale of sentience”.

Each “stage” in this scale goes from mere experienced sensation to self-consciousness.

AWARENESS

THIS

THIS IS SO

I´M AFFECTED BY THIS IS SO

THIS IS I´M THAT IS AFFECTED BY THIS

IS SO

THE SELF

The third axe of the graph

opens a new reference order

in the consciousness process

and leads to another

dimension outside time-space

references.

This is self dimension, which

defines the unicity of human

existence outside the

phenomenal world.

AWARENESS

THIS

THIS IS SO



IS SO

THE SELF

Clique no ícone para adicionar uma imagem

ORCH OR THEORY

The neurophysiologic

correlate of the Awareness

ORCH OR THEORY

The self phenomenon must be

seen in a different order and it

should be studied with a new

scientific approach.

In order to understand this

dynamics, we applied to the

Orch Or theory.THIS

THIS IS SO



IS SO

THE SELF

Mainstream theories assume that

consciousness emerges from the

brain and focus particularly on

complex computation at connections

known as synapses that allow

communication between brain cells

(neurons)

ORCH OR THEORY

IntroductionThe neuron

ORCH OR THEORY

The neurotransmitter molecules are

transport to the synapse through the

microtubules that are an important

component of the cytoskeleton.

The cytoskeleton provides an

internal supportive structure for

neurons.

The known function of the

microtubules includes transport of

molecules, giving bound for the

synapses and control of the cell's

movement, growth and shape

The cytoskeleton -

microtubules

ORCH OR THEORY

Hameroff proposed that microtubules

were suitable candidates to support

quantum processing.

Microtubules are comprised of

subunits of the protein, tubulin.

The microtubules structure –

protein tubulin

ORCH OR THEORY

Proteins contain hydrophobic (water

repellent) pockets. These pockets

contain atoms with electrons called π

electrons.

Electrons in the reactive outer part

(outer shell) of the atom are not

bonded to other atoms.

Ex. The π electrons in benzene occupy molecular orbital like this one, which are delocalized over the entire molecule

The protein water repellent

characteristic – n electron

ORCH OR THEORY

Hameroff claims that this is close

enough for the π electrons of the

tubulin to become quantum entangled

and so, be able to alter one another's

properties instantaneously and at a

distance.

(It would not be possible, if they were

large scale objects obeying the laws of

classical as opposed to quantum

physics) Quantum entangled images

Quantum entaglement

ORCH OR THEORY

A large numbers of these electrons can

become involved in a state known as

a Bose-Einstein condensate.

These occur when large numbers of

quantum particles become locked in phase

and exist as a single quantum object.

Hameroff suggests that this quantum

activity feature, which is usually at a very

tiny scale, could be boosted to influence

the brain in a large scale.

Quantum object

ORCH OR THEORY

Hameroff has proposed that condensates in

microtubules in one neuron can link with

other neurons via gap junctions.

Those gaps are sufficiently small for

quantum objects to cross it by means of a

process known as quantum tunneling.

Hameroff proposes that this tunneling allows

a quantum object, such as the Bose-Einstein

condensates mentioned above, to cross into

other neurons and thus extend across a large

area of the brain as a single quantum object.

Quantum tunneling

ORCH OR THEORY

Hameroff further postulates that the

action of this large-scale quantum

feature is the source of the gamma

(40 Hz) synchronization observed in

the brain, and sometimes viewed as

a correlate of consciousness (Crick

&Koch)

Wave phenomenon

When the quanta are the subject

of measurements or of

interaction with the environment,

the wave characteristic is lost,

and a particle is found at a

specific point.

This change is commonly

referred to as the collapse of

the wave function.

ORCH OR THEORY

Wave collapse phenomenon

ORCH OR THEORY

This is suggested to become unstable

above the Planck scale and to

collapse so as to choose just one of

the possible locations for the particle.

Wave collapse phenomenon

ORCH OR THEORY

Penrose calls this event “objective

reduction (OR)”, reduction being

another word for wave function

collapse.

Objective reduction

Penrose further proposes a limit to

the size of this space time blister.

Above this size, Penrose suggests

that space time can be viewed as

continuous and that gravity starts

to exerce its force on the space

time blister.

ORCH OR THEORY

Limit size: This is the tiny Planck scale of (10−35 m).

Wave collapse process

Based on this theory, the self

axe reflects another system

code – a fourth dimension

reference system.

In this graphic, the vertical

axe represent the wave

function phenomenon

CONCLUSION

THIS

THIS IS SO



IS SO

THE SELF

CONCLUSION

The third axe nature could be the

element that brings forth the

reference of consciousness in

another reference system,

expanding the knowledge field

about Consciousness.

It brings us the possibility of

understanding the Hard Problem of

consciousness including it in its real

path of comprehension

THE SELF

THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION

AUTHORS:

SULAMITA FROHLICH

PROF. CARLOS A.FRANCO

Health & Medicine

The consciousness circuit 2012