What is consciousness

One of the most important scientific questions of humanity, is the question: "What is consciousness?". How a person thinks, makes decisions, how thinking, analysis and interpretation of various external stimuli, etc., occur. Answers to these questions, as well as what consciousness is, the main question of life, the universe and all that under the cut.

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Reflex is considered to be the answer to the stimulus, and this concept is quite simple. It was introduced by René Descartes in the 17th century AD. Descartes presented the nervous system as a kind of hydraulic construction with “nerve tubes”, which are filled with “animal spirits”, when exposed to them, they moved first to the brain, and then, also reflected through the tubes, acted on the muscles, causing them to compress like a hydraulic actuator. mechanisms. The word reflex from the Latin language means reflected, and its essence is well reflected in the following diagram, which still retains its relevance.
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Irritants affect the receptors of the senses, the receptors interpret these effects in nerve impulses, signals entering the central nervous system (CNS), the brain, where they are processed by the appropriate neuron chains (reflected) and then the corresponding reflex response, muscle contraction or secretion of the glands occurs.

But this scheme was not enough to explain many forms of targeted behavior. After all, it would be logical to say that if we stop the supply of irritants, then the nervous activity will stop. For animals with a relatively simple nervous system, this is true, for example, if a frog is cut into ascending nerve paths, then its brain will fall into a dream, as it were, and will not generate any nervous activity. But if you do the same with a cat, then there is the likelihood of finding nervous activity leading, for example, to walking.

In humans, operations to partially cut the spinal cord to test the hypotheses of Descartes were not done for ethical reasons, but the American psychologist Timothy Leary conducted experiments in special deprivation chambers. Liri's sensory deprivation chamber was a bath with a special saline solution that kept the experimental body afloat. The camera was isolated from external sounds and light, the temperature of the solution was adjusted and selected taking into account body temperature. On the sensations of being in such a cell, he wrote in his autobiographical book: “You are, of course, joking, Mr. Feynman!”, An American physics scientist Richard Phillips Feynman. Usually Richard fell asleep, but it happened that he was experiencing some sort of out-of-body experience. In general, the complete cessation of nervous activity in the absence of stimuli can not be said.

So, Descartes' scheme is wrong and there is something that is higher than reflex activity, some kind of thinking, or thought process. - Not! It is true, it just needs to be added a little.



First, Descartes’s scheme did not take into account the existence of needs and emotional mechanisms . For example, food hunger can cause the activity of the corresponding “cells of demand” and their activity can lead to the activation of certain reflexes, which would lead to targeted actions to satisfy the need for food. Our needs are a source of action that originates in the central nervous system itself. Nerve cells with receptors that respond to leptin and its absence are located in one of the sections of the CNS hypothalamus. Leptin is produced by fat cells and is an indicator of the level of nutrients in argotism. Therefore, if we isolate the central nervous system from the body, activity in it will also arise due to the absence of leptin.

The need for novelty does not affect the periphery at all and the level of activity of the corresponding “demand cells” depends on the nature of the activity in the central nervous system itself, which creates a source of activity aimed at finding new information, studying new materials, reading books or fingering the phone and tablet.

The activity of the cells of the requirements of unmet needs, you can use - this is called sublimation. In particular, Sigmund Freud described sublimation as redirecting sexual energy to a useful channel. Some creative individuals are credited with high creative productivity due to the use of nervous activity drawn from unmet needs or non-breakable pains.

Secondly, the nervous system has a unique property - memory . We know that this is not just information recorded somewhere, but some kind of system restructuring. We can say that with each new external processed signal we are dealing with a new system. As Heraclitus would say: “You cannot enter the same river twice.” Therefore, when describing the nervous system, it is necessary to take into account the time factor. A reflex is not only a response to a stimulus, it is a response to a stimulus, taking into account the entire history of the stimuli received. For example, we have two twins, their nervous systems, in their structure are very similar, but in the process of growing up they turned to one by name - Nikolai, to the other - Peter. If we act on their nervous systems with the same irritant, the question: “What is your name?”, Then we will receive different response actions, answers: “Nikolay” or “Peter”, respectively. The history of the data received, both from external stimuli and from body signals, as well as the initial settings of the system determine which response to the stimulus the nervous system will issue at a given time.

Third, the generators. It is the generators that play a major role in the processes of thinking. A generator is a chain of neurons in which cyclical transmission of nervous excitation occurs. The generator as it accumulates in itself the excitement and can be its source. For example, the central generator of ordered activity (CGUA), which supplies rhythmic ordered motor signals without feedback.

The implementation of the generator in the simulator of the nervous system:



A simple generator circuit:



The generator is a closed circuit of a chain of neurons. The generator is triggered by the activation of the “Q” receptor, and its stop by the “W” receptor through an inhibitory neuron, which inhibits the onset of excitation in one of the neurons of the chain. Such a closed circuit can be a source of excitement. This neural network illustrates a simple reflex act, but at the same time, during the period of generator activation, some actions without stimuli occur.

What is it, not a reflex or not thinking yet? Some researchers prefer to call the phenomena associated with the accumulation of nervous activity thinking, but for me the term reflex is less abstract, it at least implies the transfer of excitation from nerve cells to cells. Therefore, we will use the term reflex and reflex act, implying that a reflex does not always require a stimulus and a generator can be a source of arousal.

Generators appeared in the nervous systems evolutionarily very early, they are mainly used to generate cyclic muscle contractions during movement and perform some vegetative functions.





The usual cockroach has two modes of locomotion (moving in space): a leisurely walk and a run. When the cockroach is in search of food and exploring the surrounding space, it slowly picks up its legs, and the source of cyclic nervous activity for these actions can be a chain of neurons - a generator, fed by cells, the requirements of food starvation (Q). Disabling this chain can be the inhibitory effect of cockroach receptor analyzers, if the receptors indicate the presence of food, then you should not pass by (W). In case of danger the cockroach can choose a faster mode of movement. The switched on light in the kitchen in the middle of the night will be an irritant for switching on the chain of neurons running ®. In the above scheme, a modulated neuroelement (green) is used for switching, its activity indicates a state of panic or stress in a cockroach. At the end of the modulating action or the impact of other favorable factors, the unequal cockroach system switches back to the “leisurely walk” mode (F).

Of course, this scheme only demonstrates some principles of the organization of biological neural networks and is not an interpretation of the cockroach’s nervous system. The nervous system of a cockroach is to a large extent more complex, with hundreds of thousands of neurons in it, and, of course, it has a greater variability of behavior.





Four-legged mammals have doubled the number of options for gait, compared with insects. In the above example, the change in gait types occurs with the help of two stimuli “R” and “F”, and the transition from “Walking” to “Lynx”, “Allure” and then “Gallop” occurs when the stimulus “R” is reactivated, and for the opposite order "F", a kind of increase and decrease transmission. Of course, such a complex action as walking cannot be reduced to one-way signals sent to the extremities. Each limb is controlled by a group of extensor and flexor muscles. In turn, each muscle is divided into separate motor units and everyone needs to send their own consistent signals. There is also a feedback that is needed to adjust the commands in case of muscle fatigue or damage. Theoretically, this model may complicate to infinity by approaching the biological analogue.

In addition to the programs of motor movements inherent in the chains of neurons, mammals have a separate nerve center that makes it possible to correct and more precisely coordinate the work of motor units - this is the cerebellum .

The most surprising thing in this example is that we can switch the signal generation modes using only the modulating properties of neurons. The logic of building such neural networks can be any, as an engineer I was repelled by the idea of ​​a neuron-transistor, initially a modulated neuron has a very high threshold, which means that it practically does not pass signals, the action of a modulating synapse with a lowering of the threshold is similar to the base in a transistor. By modulating the threshold of the neuron to decrease, we open the passage for signals from synapses of direct action for a time while the modulation effect is in effect or until we have a modulating effect on the threshold increase. For the presented circuit, it was sufficient to use three such neuron transistors.

At one time, the emergence of transistors in electrical engineering gave rise to unlimited possibilities in building systems with the functionality of any complexity, a similar tool was in the arsenal of evolution.

Observing the behavior of animals clearly implies that the nervous system must be able to switch between different behavioral patterns imprinted in chains of neurons. For example, males of the marsupial mouse (Latin Antechinus) during the mating period (once a year) radically change their behavior. Ignoring the need for food, water and without saving power, they are in search of females or mate for 6 to 12 hours, and after that, having spent all their strength, they die. This is possible due to the modulating properties of neurons and synapses. The effect of a certain combination of hormones had a modulating effect on the chain-switching of neurons in the mouse's nervous system, due to which the mouse began to react to previous stimuli differently, in this case it completely ignored its other needs except the need for reproduction.

Modulation works both when we change our mood and when managing concentration and attention. If your nervous system is modulated by the activity of dopamine neurons in the ventral region of the tire, your mood will be positive and you will be able to enjoy life, move and learn something new, otherwise you will not even want to move.

The reflex becomes an increasingly complex concept: generators, memory, needs and switches - is it really just such a simple thing that can stand behind the greatness of Human thinking, consciousness capable of knowing the world around us and yourself and your place in this world.

To dive further in response to the most important question, we consider the mechanisms of the nervous system with images.



The image in the nervous system is the activity of quite specific neurons, in the article on memory we saw how self-organization occurs, and the specialization of nerve cells, which is based on the mutual influence of the excitation of nervous tissue. The role that a neuron chooses for itself is determined by its location, and if we consider that the plasticity of the nervous tissue is lower than absolute, and the history of the processed data in the surrounding areas. Important position regarding the sources of excitement, they will be a reflection of the concept of "sign".

A sign or set of signs after treatment leads to the formation or activation of the image. The image in turn can generate a signal that will be a sign leading to the launch of another image. Consequently, we can talk about a certain hierarchy of images and we can identify levels of imagery or abstractness. Each subsequent level of abstractness will be less and less tied to the activity of certain receptors of the organs of perception. It is possible to compare the levels of abstractness with the division of various areas of the cortex as image analyzers of varying complexity.

The signs can belong to several different images at once, and the decisive condition for the activation of a particular image is the exceptional combination of signs, taking into account the mutual competition of similar images. Often, the formation of an image requires the participation of signs of a different nature, for example, for the visual recognition of objects by our brain, we need to use commands sent to the muscles that control the position of the eyes, as signs, along with some simple images.

People who are engaged in drawing, know that it is very difficult to draw a portrait without disturbing the position of the elements of the face, not only do we see the face, which we draw as a set of separate images, and the face we draw is also perceived. Therefore, in drawing schools, it is recommended to initially create a certain outline, a skeleton of thin lines that will determine the position of the face elements.

There are brain damage in which people cannot recognize objects as a whole, perceiving only individual signs. In the book “The Man Who Took His Wife for a Hat,” Oliver Sachs, an American neurologist and writer, describes similar pathologies.

The combination of features as images of facial elements, and the size of saccades as an estimate of the distance and position of these elements, allows us to explain why we easily recognize distorted or caricature faces.

Extend your hand in front of you and put your thumb up, an area with a diameter no larger than your thumb corresponds to the visual area that is perceived clearly enough for our visual system, the rest of the periphery, you can say, is perceived with low clarity, blurry. But we feel that the visual area of ​​our perception is much wider, this happens not only due to saccades, but the ability of our brain, in particular the visual analyzer, to “glue” the perceived images. Disruption in the work of this brain function makes people in life almost blind.



24 frames per second is the speed of a standard film projection, due to the inability of our perception to catch a frame shift at that speed. Our brain processes information not in discrete chunks, but in a continuous stream. Provided that for each stage of information processing requires a certain time, a situation arises in which information flows of varying degrees of relevance can be processed together. For example, the area called V5 (MT) of the mid-temporal cortex receives information in the form of some signs directly from the three areas V1, V2 and V3 of the primary visual information processing, which is processed in these areas sequentially. Accordingly, the most relevant information that enters the mid-temporal cortex is the information that comes from the V1 area, and the information from the V2 and V3 areas has been relevant some time earlier. If information comes from three areas of the brain, it will differ in a certain way and there was no command for the saccade, then we can talk about the possible movement of the object, but if the eye movement was, then we can get an idea of ​​the shape of the object. Also, the V5 area can be used to evaluate the novelty of visual information; if the information is static in those areas, then it is time to make a new eye movement.

Our system of visual perception is based on several methods working in parallel, some methods are quick but inaccurate, others are better, but take time to collect signs in the form of concentrating on the details of an object.

The example with the visual area V5 shows how the brain can work with the context, but here we are talking only about fractions of seconds while the excitation is spreading through the cortex. In the nervous system, there is a very simple mechanism that allows you to leave a “trace” of information that has been processed, for use in subsequent processing as a context.





It is tempting to think that information processing in the nervous system proceeds sequentially from region to region and the signal does not return to its source, but in reality the structure and structure of the brain indicates the opposite. For example, all sensory paths pass through the thalamus, through the talamic nuclei, before they get into the cortex, almost all cells (90%) of the thalamus send a signal to the cortex and receive a reverse signal. And this tendency is characteristic of the whole brain, the V1 visual analyzer is inversely related to the V2 area, and so on in the hierarchy, as the hypothalamus is associated with the cingulate gyrus. This gave rise to the theory of pulse reverberation as a mechanism of temporary memory. In my opinion, it is true only in part. Generators can be elements of instant memory, the memory that is required when performing elementary actions,such as dialing a phone while we hear it. Instant memory lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes, with reverberations in the prefrontal cortex, or between the anterior part of the camber and the prefrontal cortex, the longest, to a few minutes, and the reverberation between the thalamus and the cortex areas analyzing sensory information lasts a fraction of a second or second. higher in levels of abstractness this time will increase. It is reverberation that creates the rhythms of the brain with its cumulative work.analyzers of sensory information, last a fraction of a second or second, higher in the levels of abstractness this time will increase. It is reverberation that creates the rhythms of the brain with its cumulative work.analyzers of sensory information, last a fraction of a second or second, higher in the levels of abstractness this time will increase. It is the reverberation that creates the rhythms of the brain with its aggregate work.

The main thing that the generator works as a memory cell is the presence of lateral inhibition. Lateral inhibition (lateral inhibition) is another mechanism that is widespread in the nervous system, from the retina and other sensory systems to the ganglia and the cortex. This system allows us to see sharper and sharper, select important sounds from the noise and not confuse the images. An example of the four generator elements is shown on the gif above; the operation of each generator suppresses activity in the other three. As you can see, this works fine, and there are no changes in the synapses and in general in the network structure, but we can say for sure which of the four signals was activated last.

Now imagine a sensor map on the cortex divided into cortical columns, each column acting on its neighbors by lateral inhibition. This bark receives a complex pattern of activity from the receptor field of the senses through the talamic nucleus, reverberation occurs, during which this pattern is modified. Weak and atypical signals are suppressed, and a more typical form of the image is formed for a given combination of features; this can be compared with the calculations performed in recurrent networks, but somewhat simpler.

The pattern of active excitation circuits will be fairly stable if subsequent signals from the receptor field differ slightly. It's amazing how interconnected everything is in the nervous system, one mechanism is interlaced with another, and a memory element can also be an element of information processing. And only a comprehensive representation of the entire system gives a more accurate meaning of its individual mechanisms.

Another very important transmission circuit in the nervous system is the Peipez Circle (the anterior core of the thalamus - the cingulate gyrus - the hippocampus - again the thalamus), this circuit closely interacts with the emotional centers of the rest of the limbic system. A distinctive feature is the hippocampus, in which the largest concentration of neurons with long-term potentiation is found. Long-term potentiation is an increase in the efficiency of synaptic transmission between neurons for a while from a few minutes, hours, or even days. This enhancement is due to the release of magnesium plugs from certain receptors on the postsynaptic membrane, so that this happens, repeated frequent passage of the action potential along the neuron membrane is necessary. We can say that by engaging the hippocampal neuron in reverberation becomes more sensitive,and it needs less impact to activate for a certain time. In turn, the neurons of the cingulate gyrus, like the other main bulk of neurons, are subject to the principles of habituation with prolonged frequent activation of their sensitivity decreases for some time. If one circuit element stops responding to a signal, then the reverb stops. The hippocampus is responsible for temporarily explicit memory, which is reflected in the long-term potentiation of its neurons. We use this memory throughout the day, and in the process of sleep an additional “run-through” of excitation transfer circuits marked with long-term potentiation occurs.subject to the principles of habituation with prolonged frequent activation of their sensitivity decreases for some time. If one circuit element stops responding to a signal, then the reverb stops. The hippocampus is responsible for temporarily explicit memory, which is reflected in the long-term potentiation of its neurons. We use this memory throughout the day, and in the process of sleep an additional “run-through” of excitation transfer circuits marked with long-term potentiation occurs.subject to the principles of habituation with prolonged frequent activation of their sensitivity decreases for some time. If one circuit element stops responding to a signal, then the reverb stops. The hippocampus is responsible for temporarily explicit memory, which is reflected in the long-term potentiation of its neurons. We use this memory throughout the day, and in the process of sleep an additional “run-through” of excitation transfer circuits marked with long-term potentiation occurs.and in the process of sleep, an additional “run” of excitation transfer circuits marked by long-term potentiation occurs.and in the process of sleep, an additional “run” of excitation transfer circuits marked by long-term potentiation occurs.

The Peypets Circle is in close cooperation with the emotional centers, these centers determine which information the hippocampus will react to more sharply, modulating the sensitivity of its neurons.

Apparently, in the course of evolution, the central generator of ordered activity (CGUA) such as that of a simple cockroach became complicated, more and more excitation transfer circuits were added, interaction conditions between the generators were added, branchings were added and the perimeter increased, and the human brain was formed. As previously described processes can be called reflex activity, although the architecture of the reflex is much more complicated, but still it can be described systematically and theoretically simulated.

There is a generator unique to the human brain - this is a speech circle.



The speech circle is a circuit for transmitting information from hearing sensors and intramuscular sensitivity to areas of speech analyzers of the cerebral cortex, then to areas of speech reproduction, further to the muscles of the speech apparatus, and in turn the work of the speech apparatus activates certain sensory systems, and in the process of information circulation there is a constant modification.

Simplified version:

Hearing (1), Intramuscular sensitivity (5)> Wernicke (8)> Broca (9)> Muscle activity (5)

During the process of speaking aloud, two sensory systems are activated - this is hearing (1) and intramuscular muscle sensitivity of the vocal apparatus (five). Moreover, these two systems actually interpret one and the same information synchronously.

All sensory information passes through a region in the brain — the thalamus (2). The thalamus is a cluster of nerve nodes or thalamic nuclei, which are groups and clusters of neurons. The human thalamus is a symmetrical formation having from 40 to 60 nuclei. The thalamus does not simply transmit information further to the higher parts of the brain, but plays an important role in attention and concentration, it is like a gatekeeper standing at the entrance of the flow of information and assesses what should be allowed from this to the top management and what to ignore. It is at the level of the thalamus that habituation phenomena for neurons actively occur, i.e. a single-type and repetitive signal will be addictive in certain thalamic neurons, rather than reducing the perception of this signal at a higher level. The nervous system is so arrangedthat it only works correctly at a certain level of brain activity, therefore, mutual modulating inhibition works between the thalamic nuclei, which forms a concentration mechanism. Concentration, for example, on hearing can suppress tactile sensations. The natural sensitivity of the neurons of the thalamus to habituation can speak of restlessness and inability to prolonged concentration, the thalamus inevitably switches attention - this is a protective mechanism against nervous tissue overload. Attention in the thalamus is regulated in two ways: "bottom up" and "top down". The path “from the bottom up” is laid in animals from birth, We are inevitably attracted by loud sounds, new sounds, pain, unpleasant smells, etc. These signals are associated with reflex acts,which increase (modulate) the sensitivity of the corresponding thalamic nuclei. The path “from the top down” is often a weaker control of attention and is carried out from the prefrontal cortex (10). We can, through our desires and our will, concentrate on certain senses and even on a certain part of the skin, but at the same time a loud sound will still shift our attention. Of course, everything is amenable to training and practices are known that allow you to develop attention management.everything is amenable to training and practices are known that allow you to develop attention management.everything is amenable to training and practices are known that allow you to develop attention management.

Already at the level of the thalamus information can be given an emotional assessment, which is genetically laid, for example, a loud and unexpected sound can modulate the amygdala and cause a feeling of fear. We are instinctively unpleasant cry and cry of the child, and the flood laughter of the child certainly causes a feeling of joy.

After the thalamus (2), the information paths are distributed between the corresponding areas, the representatives of the cortex, information from the hearing organs gets into the auditory cortex (3), and from the intramuscular receptors into the sensory cortex (6). In these areas, primary levels of abstraction are formed, then parts of these images merge into the associative cortex (4) and add copies of command images from the motor cortex (7) to the muscles of the speech apparatus, all of these images will be signs for the new image, which will be transferred to the Wernicke region (8).

Wernicke's area (8) is responsible for speech perception. A person with damage to the Wernicke area can have excellent hearing and recognize and distinguish different sounds, but is not able to understand speech, including his own. As mentioned earlier, the two sensory systems hearing, and intramuscular sensitivity synchronously form images interpreting one and the same information, but the total image from the two systems perceived by Wernicke’s field, more precisely three, should be added copies of commands from the motor cortex to the muscles of the vocal apparatus. If the sensory information from the hearing ceases, and only the sensitivity of the muscles remains, then Wernicke’s field will still “hear” this speech, the associative connection of these obtained images is very strong and for the associative cortex it doesn’t matter what signs will form the image.

A person constantly conducts a monologue “to himself” - this phenomenon is called internal speech, its peculiarity is that the muscles of the speech apparatus make very weak contractions that do not result in pronouncing sounds and generally visible movements, but are sufficient to fix these contractions with intramuscular receptors. Wernicke's field (8) and associative crust (4) produce reverberations, which provide some context of information and associative links.

Images of Wernicke's field (8) as signs are transmitted to Broca's area (9) by means of an arc beam - a nerve cluster. Broca's field (9) - the area of ​​the cerebral cortex responsible for speech reproduction. When the Broca area is damaged, a person can perfectly understand someone else's speech, but when trying to speak instead of speech, inarticulate sounds are reproduced, or it is possible to play only one word. But Broca’s field is also important in the perception of sound, which is reflected in a severe defeat of the area. Contour: Broca’s field (9), motor cortex (7), associative cortex (4), and Wernicke’s field (8) are important for the formation of chains of sounds that form words; in turn, chains of words form phrases and sentences.

In the process of meaningful speech, Broca's field (9) is involved in reverberations with the prefrontal cortex (10). The prefrotal cortex (10) is a very extensive area of ​​the cerebral cortex, it is she who is responsible for the comprehension of what is happening at a given time. Reverberations with the participation of the pre-frontal cortex and in it themselves determine the instant memory, the memory of information that is necessary in the process of performing specific actions while we keep them in our field of attention, for about a few minutes. In addition, our prefrontal cortex (10) can be called the Great Suppressor, the activity of this area can have an inhibitory effect on the emotional centers, thus reducing their influence on our behavior.

Damage to the prefrontal cortex (10) makes a person more impulsive, makes him subservient to vices, and actions become less deliberate and reasonable. It can be said that only due to the constant activity of the prefrontal cortex we do not obey the first call of our needs, for example, the desire to empty the bladder while in an important meeting, but allow us to see it through and do everything in the right place. Management of emotional centers allows you to determine what information will be stored and processed in the circle of Peipets (13). Please note that information from the thalamus (2) not only enters the analyzer area, but also interesting and useful information on the assessment of emotional centers remains in the cingulate convolutions for a longer time.

The main contour of the speech circle in the internal speech begins with the muscles of the speech apparatus (5), then the thalamus (2), sensory cortex (6), associative cortex (4), Wernicke's field (8), then Broca's field (9). Broca, in turn, “communicates” with the prefrontal cortex (10) and sends commands to the motor cortex (7). The motor cortex (7) sends commands to the basal ganglia (11) and a copy of these commands (12) to the cerebellum. The cerebellum (12) corrects the commands of the motor cortex, dividing the work of the motor units more harmonious and coordinated in time. Damage to the cerebellum can lead to slower speech, as the formation of motor action becomes more difficult. The basal ganglia form the final form of the command for the muscles of the vocal apparatus (5).

Very complex generator.



It is important to note that in the speech circle with the internal speech there is a “physical basis” - muscular activity. This makes internal speech subject to control, for example, during sleep there is a decrease in the tone level of all muscles, which deprives the internal monologue of feedback through muscle sensitivity, therefore only a small contour is possible (8, 9, 7, 4, 8). Unbeknownst to the prefrontal cortex (10) in the process of sleep, when the inhibitory effect on the emotional centers decreases, the Peipets circle (13) is activated and triggers images that could cause an increased emotional evaluation during the day, this is what creates the dreams. In his work "The Interpretation of Dreams," Sigmund Freud very successfully and accurately described the principle of dreams. The basis of visible dreams is a simple phrase or sentence, which has for us a significant value at the time of falling asleep,but we do not hear it, but only see visual images interpreted on its basis. It is not uncommon without additional control with the help of a “physical basis” that a phrase can turn into nonsense.

In the book of Vileanura Ramachandran, “The Brain Tells. What makes us human? ”The woman’s hand, which did not possess intramuscular sensitivity, apparently tells about a woman, apparently due to damage to a certain area of ​​the brain. It didn’t cause much inconvenience for her, sometimes she just felt that her hand was somewhere else, for example, behind her back or somewhere else. This sensation ceased immediately after the hand came into view, then everything would fall into place for a while. Similarly, with speech, if there is no possibility of feedback through the senses, then there is a chance to get, instead of a meaningful monologue, a generator of nonsense, an uncontrolled wandering of the excitation center between the Wernicke and Broca regions.

Speech is a tool that allows us to transmit and accumulate information, declare and plan actions and events, thanks to this tool, Man was able to create a civilization. The main form of our thinking is internal speech, internal monologue and most of the time in this monologue we devote to social interactions, working through upcoming dialogues, or imaginary dialogues, for example, we go home from work and can predict what we say to our wife (spouse, mom , brother, friend) at the meeting, that she (he) answer that we will answer in response. And these banal and mundane things are busy our mind constantly, if you are not a philosopher-philosopher, soaring in the clouds. Speech allows us to declare - to describe all aspects of our life and not only in a certain system of signs and meanings. Try to describe or plan your day,using only visual interpretations (pictures) without any symbols and figures, and even so that the other person understands you. Of course, sometimes a single image of a sofa is enough, but if there are many plans and they imply complex social interactions, then without a system that allows you to do it succinctly and clearly. Developed speech is a distinctive feature of Man from animals, otherwise our brain and its principles of operation are similar to those of primates, with the exception of a larger number of neurons.Developed speech is a distinctive feature of Man from animals, otherwise our brain and its principles of operation are similar to those of primates, with the exception of a larger number of neurons.Developed speech is a distinctive feature of Man from animals, otherwise our brain and its principles of operation are similar to those of primates, with the exception of a larger number of neurons.

Now having an idea of ​​how the brain works and how speech is formed in this brain, we can answer the question: “What is consciousness and where is it localized?”.



Our nervous system is a single whole mechanism that can be divided into separate functional parts. Select individual chains of neurons, neural networks performing a specific task, for example, you can select sensory analyzers or, as in the example above, the contour chains are responsible for speech. I call these functional neural networks “personalities”, as much indicates their certain independence. Typically, these individuals in a healthy nervous system exchange information, they inform each other about what they are doing at the moment, about what is happening at the moment. This is due to the large number of connections between areas of the brain. Personalities act in cooperation, as if this is a coordinated team, no one is trying to go against the team. And the reason is simply associative learning, everythingwhat happens at the same time, unites and with great informational content between individuals, as well as long-term co-education in one way or another there will be coherence in the work.

Schemes formed by neurons and configurations of connections between them in the human nervous system can be broken up into very small and simple ones, but we will select only a few basic ones. Firstly, it is possible to distinguish sensory analyzers, for different types of sensory signals, their structures are defined. For visual information, these are visual cusps and the occipital portion of the cerebral cortex. Rumor - areas in the temporal lobes, sensory information - these are the parietal areas of the cortex, the taste is a small area in the “island”, the sense of smell is the olfactory bulbs and a small area in the temporal areas. The task of these neural networks is the primary processing of sensory information, as a result of the work, the formation of a certain image and its transfer to the associative regions of the cortex. Associative cortex connects spilled images, from analyzers forming their images based on them,This area is responsible for the perception of the surrounding world, and it is this that forms the integrity of the picture of the world around us. There are also chains of neurons capable of describing, declaring images formed by the associative cortex, they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these regions. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.it is she who forms the integrity of the world around us. There are also chains of neurons capable of describing, declaring images formed by the associative cortex, they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these regions. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.it is she who forms the integrity of the world around us. There are also chains of neurons capable of describing, declaring images formed by the associative cortex, they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these regions. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.There are also chains of neurons capable of describing, declaring images formed by the associative cortex, they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these regions. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.There are also chains of neurons capable of describing, declaring images formed by the associative cortex, they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these regions. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these areas. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.they are localized in the Broca and Wernicke zones, but speech mechanisms may extend beyond these areas. The region responsible for making decisions is the prefrontal cortex, our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.our thoughts in the form of inner speech are reverberations between the prefrontal cortex and the Broca region. Further, it is possible to isolate the region responsible for motor actions, these regions are subject to a certain hierarchy, at the head of the motor cortex, then the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, and the formation of basic movements is possible in the reticular formation and spinal cord. But at the same time, neural networks in these formations can be completely independent, if there are no commands from above.

Like electrical circuits, which can perform their functions only in the presence of electricity, biological neural networks deviate only in the presence of nervous excitement. And here is the most interesting! This nervous excitation is limited for neural circuits. It so happened that the brain works correctly only when a certain level of lump-time activity of the nervous tissue is maintained, increased activity can lead to an epileptic seizure, underestimated can plunge the brain into sleep. The level of activity is regulated by the thalamus through the filter of incoming signals, as well as by the mechanism of lateral inhibition / stimulation in the cortex and is maintained at a certain level (the range is quite wide). Thus, neural activity in the brain is a resource that is distributed among neural circuits. Of course,this distribution is uneven and depends on functional features, for example, visual analyzers require a large part of the nervous excitation as a resource to process a large amount of data from receptors. Distribute nervous excitement among the prefrontal cortex, the associative cortex and the areas responsible for speech - this is what our “I” is, our consciousness or focus of perception.

Rene Descartes was looking for at least one structure of the brain that would be unpaired, and as a result decided that this small pineal gland (epiphysis) behind the brain stem is a container of the soul, because he considered the soul to be something indivisible. Since ancient times, many psychologists and philosophers consider consciousness to be integral, indivisible, and something permanent. After all, our brain creates this illusion extremely convincingly. But it turned out that the epiphysis consists of two symmetrical halves, almost mirrored in relation to each other.

Consciousness is the essence of those who serve incredible fragmentation, up to the activity of a single neuron. In some cases, nerve activity can be concentrated in certain areas of the brain, for example, when solving a complex logical problem, emphasis is needed on the prefrontal cortex, and when relaxed inaction, excitement is absently distributed throughout the cortex. When we go to describe our subjective sensations, the focus of perception "shifts" to the speech areas, thus we can only perfectly describe the "declarative self." When the focus of perception is strongly shifted to the prefrontal cortex, the consciousness leaves the zone of speech description. It can be considered that consciousness is that which is subject to an internal monologue, but we make many decisions without the participation of internal speech. Conscious, we believe that we can describe,and to the unconscious, that which is not subject to the "declarative self."

More clearly understand what the nature of consciousness helps spill of a kind of pathology in the brain.

Callosotomy is an operation to dissect the corpus callosum, a region of the brain that is an accumulation of nerve paths connecting the two hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to exchange information. This operation is performed to reduce the effects of epileptic seizures. One of the side effects of the operation is the cider of someone else’s hand. The human body seems to have two personalities controlling the different halves of the body, and since the main speech centers are enclosed in the left hemisphere (in most cases), as well as the right side of the body is controlled, the person controlling the right hand will answer the questions. . This person may complain about uncoordinated actions by the left hand, which can take things, or perform actions that were not included in the plans of the left hemisphere. This is due to the factthat individuals have ceased to hear each other, which leads to mismatched work of neural networks.

Another example. Apraxia is a neurological condition characterized by an inability to perform targeted movements, despite the fact that a person knows what is required of him, wants to do this, and possesses the necessary physical data. Apraxia can occur due to the rupture of communication between the areas responsible for the formation of motor commands and the area responsible for making decisions, the prefrontal cortex.

Breaking the connection between the visual analyzer and the prefrontal cortex can lead to seeing blindness or cortical blindness, in which the person is blind, but at the same time able to bypass obstacles, or with a high probability to guess which way the target-point moves during the experiments.

I recommend watching Jill Boult Taylor speak at a TED conference. In the context of the above, the situation described to her becomes clearer.


Our brain skillfully creates the illusion of an internal observer, and indeed creates a whole range of illusions, including giving us the feeling that we are experts in the field of knowledge about consciousness, because we have them. This is another statement at the TED conference, but already Dan Dennett.


Summing up, we can say that we have already had the answer to the question of consciousness for a long time, it remains only to accept it. Reflex activity, the speech circle, reverberations and the circulation of nervous excitement have long been known phenomena, but it is very tempting to create a mystical aura around the concept of consciousness and endlessly search for some wonderful interpretation of it.



PS The more you study the brain and nervous system, the more you are amazed at the incredible mastery of nature to create systems whose elements are so interconnected. The same mechanism can simultaneously perform several functions, and all the mechanisms are intertwined with each other, which leads to the need to possess some kind of holistic picture of the brain when studying the details. When I started writing an article on consciousness, I thought that I would put it in a small sketch, but in the process of writing I decided to mention some topics for completeness, so it might have been a little crumpled, but I wanted to tell a lot more. And as always, the devil is in the details, and the work of the nervous system is simply woven from various nuances and subtleties, for example, the mechanism of synaptic delay, how it changes and what it depends on, or how emotional reinforcement of events that took place in time, etc., occurs. It may be worthwhile to systematize and form this material in any form that would simply and easily be available at the engineering level to understand the mechanisms of the brain. And of course the work on the simulator continues, goals are set and a minimum plan is defined.

» Nervous System Simulator for Windows

» Save for Simulator (examples from this article)

Happy New Year!