The quest for consciousness : a neurobiological approach

Christof Koch.

Denver, Colo. : Roberts and Co., ©2004.

xviii, 429 págs. : ilustraciones ; 26 cm.

ISBN: 0974707708 (hardcover)

Resumen: Consciousness is the major unsolved problem in biology. How do what philosophers call 'qualia', the redness of red and painfulness of pain, arise from the concerted actions of nerve cells and their associated synaptic and molecular processes? Can such feelings be explained by modern science, or is some quite different kind of explanation needed? And how can this seemingly intractable problem be approached experimentally? Written by a world-renowned scientist as an introduction to the field and drawing upon clinical, psychological, and physiological observations, this book seeks answers to these questions within a neuroscientific framework; that is, how do the operations of the conscious mind emerge out of the specific interactions of myriads of neurons? Contents: 1. Introduction to the study of consciousness; 2. Neurons, the atoms of perception; 3. The first steps in seeing; 4. The primary visual cortex as a prototypical neocortical area; 5. What are the Neuronal Correlates of Consciousness?; 6. The Neuronal Correlates of Consciousness are not the primary visual cortex; 7. The architecture of the cerebral cortex; 8. Going beyond the primary visual cortex; 9. Attention and consciousness; 10. The neuronal underpinnings of attention; 11. Memories and consciousness; 12. What can you do without being conscious: The zombie within; 13. Agnosia, blindsight, epilepsy and sleep walking: clinical evidence for zombies; 14. Some speculations on the function of consciousness; 15. On time and consciousness; 16. When the mind flips; 17. Splitting the brain splits consciousness; 18. Further speculation on thoughts and the nonconscious homunculus; 19. A framework for consciousness; 20. An interview; Glossary; Bibliography; Index.

Incluye referencias bibliográficas e índice.