Transcript Fans and critics of globalist theories.

Conscious experiences trigger
widespread adaptive changes in the human brain:
The case of conscious neurofeedback.
Bernard J. Baars
The Neurosciences Institute
San Diego
www.nsi.edu/users/baars
Train movie -
Available for download from:
www. bernardbaars.pbwiki.com
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How can scientists study consciousness?
“The study… of the distribution of
consciousness shows it to be exactly such as we
might expect in an organ added for the sake of
steering a nervous system grown too complex to
regulate itself.”
--- William James,
The Principles of Psychology,
1890, p. 141
That is, we need to study contrastive
cases… allowing experimental
comparisons between closely matched
conscious and unconscious conditions.
Wiliam James (1842-1910)
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As William James recommended,
We compare similar conscious and unconscious conditions experimentally --Binocular competition for consciousness - gamma resonance.
(Engel & Singer, 1995)
Max gamma
synchrony
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Global Workspace Theory.
Conscious experiences evoke brain-wide distribution
of focal (conscious) contents.
Evidence from:
fMRI (Dehaene, Rees,
etc),
Episodic learning
MTL-neocortex'
Global broadcasting
of conscious visual
contents
NN Models & large-scale
simulations;
EEG evoked potentials
(Revonsuo, Dehaene),
Visual
cortex
Visual
cortex
Waking vs. unconscious
EEG;
… and
THE VERY WIDE
REACH OF
conscious
NEUROFEEDBACK.
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A remarkable range of conscious N-feedback phenomena.
(neurofeedback = brain-based biofeedback; Baars, 1988, etc.) (PubMed refs: about 7,000).
Feedback must be conscious --almost everything else is not.
GWT suggested that conscious feedback from the brain-triggered
display is broadcast globally, so that motor networks can act locally to plan
and trigger voluntary actions --- unless they encounter inhibition.
(Technically: "local processing initiative in a highly distributed society of
parallel processors"; Baars, 1988)
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A very large range of brain activities
are modified by conscious N-Feedback.
(Baars, 1988, etc)
In animals --- learned, voluntary control of
almost any arbitrary SINGLE NEURON, or
almost any arbitrary POPULATION of neurons
has been reliablr reported for about fifty years.
[called "Operant conditioning"]
In humans, alpha EEG. EMG a\nd e control
autonomic functions has been long known.
Newer findings: conscious neurofeedback learning has been reported for:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
EEG --- almost any brain rhythm, frequency band or scalp location, singly
or combined.
Brain rhythms associated with specific brain functions, like memory
recall, executive functions, and motor control.
Normative EEG patterns associated with specific populations, both normal
and dysfunctional. (Using QEEG, Loreta, Vareta)
Intracranial recordings
Evoked brain activity, including evoked synchrony and desynchrony.
fMRI --- BOLD activity in local cortical regions, e.g., anterior insula.
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A great range of health conditions
can be modified by conscious N-feedback.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
ADD/ADHD in children and adults - using slow cortical potentials
Epileptic brain activity
Cognitive functions, IQ, and musical performance (JAMA, 2006)
Autistic spectrum signs
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Tinnitus (ringing in the ears), and insomnia.
Improvements in psychiatric disorders, depression and schizotypy,
auditory hallucinations.
8. Bladder control, heart-rate, blood pressure,
9. Chronic pain and fibromyalgia.
10. Experience-dependent cortical and subcortical plasticity
(Merzenich).
This is not to say that these are mature, well-tested treatments.
However, the very wide range and robust short-term effects are
quite remarkable. They tell us something fundamental about
consciousness, and suggest important practical applications.
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How is this possible?
The ideomotor hypothesis.
Motor regional
assembly is
triggered by
broadcast image
….
Ideomotor hypothesis:
Conscious feedback from
the brain-triggered visual
display is broadcast
globally, and local
unconscious motor
routines act to plan and
trigger voluntary actions --unless they encounter
conscious inhibition.
(Baars, 1988, 2002, etc.)
Conscious
image is
broadcast ….
Note: The feedback signal must be conscious, but it doesn’t
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matter what kind of signal is used - sense modality, pattern, etc.
Some rules of thumb for neurofeedback training.
• A distinctive brain signature, linked to the
behavior of interest.
• Conscious feedback with minimal time
delay. (A few seconds). Any kind of conscious
feedback seems to work.
• Minimize distraction and noise.
• The target behavior should not be tightly
bound by homeostatic limits. (e.g. heart rate,
etc.)
• Gradual steps to the goal.
• Incentives to keep learning, spaced practice
sessions over time, adequate sleep, and so
on.
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Conscious neurofeedback demonstrates
exactly the opposite of "epiphenomenalism"
--- the notion that consciousness does nothing useful.
"Epi-phenomena-l-ism" as defined by T.H. Huxley:
"Consciousness would appear to be related to the
mechanism of the body … simply as a [side-] effect of its
working, and to be completely without any power of
modifying that working, as the [sound of] a steam whistle
which accompanies the work of a locomotive … is without
influence upon its machinery."
The uselessness of consciousness was enormously
widespread in behaviorism. Some philosophers and scientists
still favor it --- because they don't look at contrastive evidence.
Thomas Henry Huxley - 1874
"Darwin's bulldog."
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Consciousness is some steam whistle!
William James
up and dancing
…
all because of a
conscious idea!
William James unable to get off his couch…
"We know what it is to get out of bed on a freezing morning in a room without a fire,
and how … we say,"I must get up, this is ignominious," etc; but still the warm couch
feels too delicious, the cold outside too cruel, and resolution faints away...
Now how do we ever get up under such circumstances? … We suddenly find that we
have got up. A fortunate lapse of consciousness occurs; we forget both the warmth and the
cold;… the (spontaneous) idea flashes across us, "Hollo, I must lie here no longer" --- an idea
which at that lucky instant awakens no contradictory or paralyzing suggestions, and
consequently produces immediately its appropriate motor effects. ... This case seems to me to
contain … the data for an entire psychology of volition. ..."
--- William James, 1890, on the ideomotor theory of voluntary control.
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James' ideomotor theory fits easily
into Global Workspace Theory.
(Baars, 1988, etc)
ideomotor theory. The notion that conscious goals and images
are inherently impulsive, and tend to be carried out by default,
unless they are inhibited by other conscious thoughts or
intentions.
This theory can be straightforwardly incorporated into GW
theory, and helps to explain basic features of voluntary action
… (7.3).
--- Baars, 1988, A Cognitive Theory of Consciousness, Glossary
Bottom line: "Conscious experiences provide
the primary adaptive input to the brain: The
evidence shows omni-phenomenalism,
not epi-phenomenalism.
Conscious experience is very powerful. (Slide 6)
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Why are the huge effects of conscious feedback training not better
known?
1. There are still epiphenomenalists. Some scientists still believe that
consciousness is a side-effect, a steam whistle on the locomotive of the
brain. (e.g., Daniel Wegner). This is simply, demonstrably false.
2. Many scientists just don't look at contrastive experiments.
3. Contrastive conditions (such as unconscious feedback) are rarely if ever
run in neurofeedback experiments --- probably because nobody really
believes that unconscious feedback will have any effect. That suggests that
implicitly, researchers believe that consciousness is a necessary condition
for neurofeedback learning --- which it is. They just don't know that they
know it. Bizarre? Yes!
4. Better empirical studies are still needed,
designed to test major theoretical questions. (Zaidel et al).
5. Bottom line: We still need better research and education.
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Neurofeedback is not the only kind of learning
enabled by conscious experiences…
1.
Episodic memory and the MTL-neocortical system involves conscious input and
recall.
2.
Semantic memory is believed to "ride" on the conscious episodic memory
system.
3.
Perceptual learning always involves conscious contents.
4.
Procedural learning appears to require conscious access during acquisition,
and then becomes less conscious with practice, coinciding with less cortical
involvement. (Haier, etc.)
5.
Experience- dependent plasticity --- but scientists still avoid the word
'conscious experience'. They also don't run the unconscious controls.
6.
There are some demonstrated cases of unconscious input processing and
possibly learning. For historical reasons, the professional payoffs are far greater
for demonstrating unconscious learning than for consciously-mediated learning.
Both are obviously important.
In sum, the evidence for the role of conscious experiences in brain adaptation
is even more widespread than neurofeedback.
Consciously-mediated learning is the norm, not the exception.
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Experimental results:
Wide forward activation due to conscious visual input, but not unconscious.
From Dehaene et al, 2001
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Conscious experiences are
automatically transformed into longterm memory traces
--- by MTL-neocortical resonance.
Cortex
Conscious input allows
the cortex to constantly
learn and update itself
with new and
significant information.
Medial Temporal Lobe
Conscious episodes
(Nadel & Moscovitch Multiple Trace Theory.
Figure from M.
Moscovitch, personal
comm. )
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Working Memory requires conscious contents to function
(Baars & Franklin, 2003, TICS)
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Rapid cortical finger plasticity (monkeys)
(JNS 2002)
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