HUMAN INFORMATION
PROCESSING
OTHER SYSTEMS AND
ORGANIZATION
• LET START WITH MORE
PICTURES
ILLUSTRATING
VISUAL PROCESSING
CONCLUSION:
THE SYSTEM PRODUCES
INTERPRETATION
WHICH IS MOST LIKELY
THAT IS CREATES STABLE
REPRESENTATION
ONE ANGLE OR
TWO
CHOPSTICKS ?
WE SEE HERE ILLUSORY CONTOURS OF OBJECTS
VISUAL SYSTEM IS REALLY GOOD IN EXTRACTING THEM
JUNCTIONS ARE CRITICAL FOR OBJECT
PERECPTION COMPARE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDES
• VISUAL SYSTEM ASSUMES THAT LIGHT
IS COMING FROM TOP
LIGHT DIRECTION
SAME PICTURE UPSIDE DOWN
• IN ALL FIGURES GREY ELEMENTS HAVE
THEY SAME INTENSITY
BUT PERCEIVED INTENSITY DEPENDS ON THE
SURROUNDING AREA. VISUAL SYSTEM IS THUS
NOT AN OBJECTIVE LIGHT INTENSITY MEASURING
DEVICE
• WHERE IS THE LIGHT SOURCE?
• WE CAN ESTABLISH ITS POSITION FROM
SHADOWS OF OBJECTS
• OBJECTS CAN BE EASILY RECOGNIZED FROM
MOTION OF DOTS IF THEY ARE MOUNTED ON
THE OBJECT
HERE WE HAVE EXAMPLE THAT THE SYSTEM IS
ALSO VERY ADAPTIVE
BRAIN ADAPTATION TO
REVERSED LEFT-RIGHT
PICTURES
Four volunteers lived for an
entire month in the strange
reverse world we see while
shaving or applying lipstick.
Wearing special 'prism
spectacles' designed to reverse
their vision meant that to go left
they had to turn right, and if
they looked one way to catch a
tennis ball, it would hit them on
the back. It took three weeks of
adaptation for correct answers.
• VISUAL SYSTEM IS ONE IMPORANT
PART OF HUMAN INFORMATION PROCESSING
BUT THERE ARE OTHERS:
- ACOUSTICAL SYSTEM
- HAPTIC +MOTORIC (TOUCH) WITH
VESTIBULAR (ORIENTATION IN SPACE)
- SMELL
- TASTE
• ACOUSTICAL SYSTEM HEARING + SOUND/SPEECH
PRODUCTION: THIS IS MATCHED RECEIVERTRANSMITTER SYSTEM
VESTIBULAR
SYSTEM
• COCHLEA – SOUND TRANSDUCER
SOUND PRESSURE IS CHANGED INTO
FLUID PRESSURE
MODEL OF COHLEAR
TRANSDUCER
U
T
OUTPUT IS MAXIMUM FOR CERTAIN FREQUENCY
AT SOME POSITION ALONG THE TRANSDUCER
• HAIRS – CHANGE THE MECHANICAL
SIGNAL INTO ELECTRICAL
ACOUSTICAL SIGNALS – CAN BE ANALYZED IN
TIME AND FREQUENCY OR BOTH. AND BOTH
SYSTEMS SEEM TO BE PRESENT IN THE BRAIN
WE ARE ABLE TO DETECT PRECISELY
FREQUENCY OF TONES
E.G. SINUSOIDS
AND POSITION OF SOUNDS IN TIME
E.G. CLICKS
IN THE ACOUSTICAL CORTEX THERE
ARE TIME DETECTORS (PLACE) AND
FREQUENCY DETECTORS. BOTH TYPE
OF SYSTEMS OPERATE AT SOME
FREQUENCY RANGES (TOP)
FILTERS ARE BROADLY TUNED
(BOTTOM)
• THE STRUCTURE OF HEARING SYSTEM
WE CAN SEE SEVERAL
STAGES FOM COCHLEA TO
CORTEX
SUPERIOR OLIVARY
NUCLEUS IS THE PLACE
WHERE SPATIAL SOUND
PROCESSING STARTS
MAPPING INTO FREQUENCY
AND SPACE LOCATIONS IS
PRESENT, LIKE IN VISION
IT WAS FOR LOCAL SIGNAL
FEATURES
WE HAVE DIFFERENT SENSITIVITIES
FOR DIFFEERENT FREQUENCIES,
HIGHEST IS IN THE MIDDLE RANGE
MUSIC FROM INSTRUMENTS CAN BE VERY EFFICIENTLY
RECOGNIZED. THIS MUST BE BASED ON DETAILED
FREQUENCY AND TIME ANALYSIS
LOCALIZATION OF SOUND SOURCES
IN SPACE IS BASED ON MEASURING
DIFFERENCES IN TIME OF SOUND ARRIVAL
BETWEEN THE EARS. THIS MUST BE VERY
PRECISE MEASUREMENT, ON THE ORDER
OF TENS OF MICROSECONDS
SOUND LOCALIZATION IS QUITE PRECISE
BUT HEAD MOVEMENTS AND VISUAL
CUES HELP A LOT, ERRORS IN LOCATION
CAN BE SEEN IN PICTURES
MUSIC PROCESSING....
CERTAIN TONES HAVE HARMONY, THEY SOUND NICE TO US,
OTHR TONES NOT. WE ARE PROBABLY BORN WITH A SYSTEM
WHICH PROCESSES TONES AND THUS WE ARE PREDISPOSED
FOR CERTAIN SOUNDS WHICH ARE ”NATURAL” FOR US
• SPEECH PROCESSING SYSTEM
A COMPLEX ELASTIC MECHANICAL SYSTEM CONTROLLED
ELECTRICALLY FOR REGULATION OF AIRFLOW
• BASIC UNITS OF SPEECH –PHONEMS
USING THESE UNITS SPEECH CAN BE GENERATED
HEARING AND SPEECH ARE PRECISLY MATCHED TO EACH OTHER
SPEECH CAN BE RECOGNIZED EVEN AT HIGH LEVEL OF NOISE
AND INTERFERENCE .
EXAMPLE IS SO CALLED COCTAIL PARTY EFFECT: MANY PEOPLE ARE
TALKING AT THE SAME TIME BUT WE ARE ABLE TO CONCENTRATE
ON ONE SPEAKER.
• VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
NOTE THAT THE WORLD WE SEE IS STABLE, WHILE
PICTURES ON RETINAS OF EYES ARE NOT. MOVEMENTS
ARE COMPENSATED BY SIGNALS FROM VESTIBULAR
SYSTEM (ORIENTATION IN SPACE)
EXAMPLE: WHEN PERSON IS ROTATING ON A PLATFORM IN
DARK ROOM, HORIZONTAL LINE WILL BE DEFLECTED
• TOUCH SYSTEM
IT HAS RECEPTORS IN THE BODY.
IN THE BRAIN THERE IS MAPPING OF
THE BODY IN THE CORTEX
• VIEW OF BASIC BRAIN STRUCTURES
• MAPPING OF BODY PARTS IN THE
SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX
• SKIN RECEPTORS OF TOUCH
(CAPSULES AT THE NERVE ENDINGS)
• TOUCH SENSITIVITY THRESHOLD
OVER THE BODY:
FEMALES
MALES
FEMALES ARE MORE SENSITIVE TO TOUCH
• PAIN SYSTEM
WHAT IS PAIN?
IT IS SIGNALLING FROM THE
BODY TO THE BRAIN ABOUT
IMPROPER OPERATION
THE BRAIN CHANGES ITS ACTION
TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM
THERE IS ALSO A SYSTEM FOR
IHIBITING THE PAIN SIGNALS
• ACUPUNCTURE
IT IS ACTIVATION OF TOUCH
AND PAIN SYSTEM IN ORDER
TO STIMULATE OTHER
BRAIN STRUCTURES
PERHAPS IMMUNE SYSTEM IS
STIMULATED???
INTEGRATION OF SENSES
IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
WE COULD CALL IT
”BIOLOGICAL MULTIMEDIA”
but this is ONLY A JOKE!
• PEOPLE HAVE FANTASTIC CAPABILITIES IN
RECEIVING AND PRODUCING INFORMATION
BY DIFFERENT SENSES AND SYSTEMS
FOR EXAMPLE THEY CAN SPEAK,
LISTEN AND DANCE AT THE SAME TIME
HOW SUCH THINGS ARE CONTROLLED
AND ORGANIZED IN THE BRAIN?
LET’S SEE FIRST SOME OF THE BRAIN CAPABILITIES
(SOME OF THEM QUITE FUNNY TOO)
CROSSMODAL MATCHING
HERE THE PERSON MUST RECOGNIZE OBJECT VISUALLY,
RECOGNIZE OBJECT BY TOUCH, COMPARE THEM AND MATCH
HOW THIS IS DONE? PROBABLY INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT
SENSES IS STORED IN SOME GENERAL WAY, INEPENDENT FROM
PARTICULAR SENSE
SOME PEOPLE HAVE PECULIAR EXPERIENCE:
THEY FEEL E.G. SPECIFIC SHAPE WHEN FEEL
SPECIFIC TASTE
THIS IS CALLED SYNESTHESIA, ONE CAN SPECULATE THAT
SENSORY SIGNALS GET MIXED UP SOMWHERE
• VENTRILOQUISM - BY COORDINATING
MOVEMENTS OF A PUPPET WITH SPEECH,
VENTIRLOQUIST INDUCES STRONG ILLUSION
THAT THE PUPPET IS SPEAKING
• HOW THE COORDINATION IS DONE?
DEEP IN THE BRAIN THERE IS A STRUCTURE CALLED
SUPERIOR COLLICULUS
• IN THIS STRUCTURE THERE ARE NEURONS
REACTING TO DIFFERENT SENSORY
INFORMATION: THEY ARE MULTIMODAL
• STIMULATION OF DIFFERENT SENSORY AREAS
OF CORTEX WILL PRODUCE
RESPONSE FROM Superior Colliculus NEURONS:
• THERE ARE MANY KINDS OF MULTIMODAL
NEURONS: SOME RESPOND TO 2 DIFFERENT
SENSES AND SOME TO 3
NEURON RECEIVING SIGNALS FROM
THREE SENSES
• THESE NEURONS HAVE CONNECTIONS FROM
LAYERS OF SINGLE SENSORY NEURONS
• HERE WE SEE LAYER OF VISUAL
NEURONS FOR DIFFERENT ANIMALS
THEY FORM A MAP OF VISUAL SPACE
• HERE WE SEE LAYER OF AUDITORY
NEURONS THEY FORM A MAP OF AUDITORY
SPACE
• THE DIFFERENT MAPS
ARE OVERLAID ON EACH
OTHER SO THEY MATCH!
• THESE NEURONS RESPOND TO OVERLAPPING
AREAS FROM DIFFERENT SENSORY MAPS.
THEY HAVE BROAD RESPONSE
RESPONSE PATTERNS FOR DIFFERENT
BODY AREAS
• CONTROL OF BODY MOVEMENTS
EAR POSITIONS
• REACTION OF VISUAL-ACOUSTICAL NEURON.
REPONSE IS GREATLY ENHANCED FOR
SIMULTANEOUS VISUAL-ACOUSTICAL
STIMULATION
PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNALS ARE SYNCHRONIZED I N TIME!
• RESPONSE OF VISUAL-TOUCH NEURON.
RESPONSE IS ENHANCED
PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNALS ARE SYNCHRONIZED I N TIME!
• TOUCH-VISUAL NEURON.
RESPONSE ENHANCED
PLEASE NOTE THAT SIGNALS ARE SYNCHRONIZED I N TIME!
• TRIMODAL NEURON- SENSITIVE TO 3 SENSES.
RESPONSE TO TWO SENSES AT A TIME
• DEPRESSION OF RESPONSE WHEN
SIGNALS ARE NOT OPTIMALLY
SYNCHRONIZED
• RECEPTIVE FIELD OF NEURON
RESPONSE
DEPRESSED
STRONGEST MULTISENSORY
RESPONSE
RESPONSE INCREASED
•
HOW RESPONSE DEPENDS
ON THE POINT OF
STIMULATION
WE CAN SEE
STRONG DEPRESSION
AND
ENHANCEMENT
• RESPONSE FOR VISUAL-TOUCH NEURON
• RESPONSE FOR TOUCH-ACOUSTICAL NEURON
• VISUAL-ACOUSTICAL RESPONSE IN RELATION
TO POSITION OF EARS
• WHAT HAPPENS IF STIMULATIONS ARE NOT
SYNCHRONIZED?
ACOUSTICAL SIGNAL IS EARLIER
THAN TOUCH BY 400, 200, ... MS
WE SEE CORRELATION OF RESPONSES
WHICH IS QUITE BROAD WITH RESPECT TO
TIME
TOUCH SIGNAL IS EARLIER
• ACOUSTICAL SIGNAL IS EARLIER THAN
VISUAL,
• VERY STRONG PEAK RESPONSE BETWEEN 50
AND 0 MS
• STIMULATION MUST BE SYNCHRONIZED
IN TIME AND IN SPATIAL POSITION
TO PROVIDE MAXIMUM RESPONSE
• WHY ALL THIS IS DONE? BECAUSE
MUTISENSORY SIGNALS PROVIDE
MORE PRECISE INFORMATION
HERE WE SEE EFFECT OF COMBINATION OF SENSES
THE DELAY OF 50 MS FOR OPTIMAL AUDIOVISUAL
RESPONSE MIGHT BE COMING BECAUSE
OF THE DEALAY IN SOUND PROPAGATION
IN 50 MS SOUND MAKES
ABOUT 20 M WHICH
IS TYPICAL RANGE OF
OPERATION IN BIOLOGY
• AND FINALLY LET’S LOOK INTO THE POWER
OF OBJECT RECOGNITION
THIS?
– WHAT IS
• AND THIS?
• AND THIS....?
If you still don’t see
anything and you
look at this from
Powerpoint, you can
now click on the
loudspeaker for answer:
If you know the answer
it becomes easy and
automatic to interpret
this and previous
pictures too
• SUMMARY OF HUMAN
INFORMATION PROCESSING
• IT IS VERY COMPLEX SYSTEM, HARD TO
UNDERSTAND IN DETAILS
• BASIC PROCESSING UNITS, NEURONS ARE
OFTEN BEHAVING IN STRANGE WAYS
• WE OBSERVER STRUCTURES PERFORMING
SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS (E.G. VISUAL, HEARING)
• THESE FUNCTIONS ARE BASED ON MANY
CLEVER ALGORITHMS
• HIGHER LEVEL FUNCTIONS ARE VERY
COMPLICATED BUT STILL PERFORMED
BY SPECIALIZED STRUCTURES
• ALL STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS ARE
PERFECTLY INTEGRATED
• MAPPINGS OF BODY AND WORLD GIVE
RISE TO SELF AND CONSCIOUSNESS
• IT SEEMS THE BRAIN IS SO COMPLEX
BECAUSE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SOLVE
THE PROBLEMS IN SIMPLER WAY.
SUPPLEMENTARY NONMANDATORY MATERIAL
FOR THIS LECTURE
WE COVERED UNTIL NOW HUAMAN
INFORMATION PROCESSING RELATED TO
SENSORY SYSTEMS, VISION MAINLY
BUT HUMAN INFORMATION PROCESSING
SYSTEM HAS OTHER ASPECTS WHICH
ARE QUITE AMAZING.
WE WILL OVERVIEW THEM SINCE THEY
WILL BE RESEARCHED IN INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY IN THE XXI CENTURY
• SOME ADVANCED FEATURES OF HUMAN
INFORMATION PROCESSING:
- MEMORY (BIG, CONTENT-BASED,
CONTENT RETRIEVAL, ASSOCIATIONS)
- LEARNING (ADAPTATION HUGE
CAPABILITIES, FORGETTING)
- INTELLIGENCE (CLEVER BEHAVIOR?)
- THINKING (???)
- CONSCIOUSNESS (UNIQUE FEATURE,
FEELING, EMOTIONS, SELF ???)
• SOME OF THESE FEATURES ARE BEYOND OUR
UNDERSTANDING
- FOR EXAMPLE WHAT IS THINKING?
- HOW MEMORY WORKS?
- HARDEST OF ALL ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT:
PERSONALITY, SELF AND CONSCIOUSNESS UNTIL RECENTLY THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
WHICH COULD BE SAID ABOUT THEM
• THERE ARE QUESTIONS LIKE:
- ARE ALL THESE PROPERTIES SOME KIND OF
INFORMATION PROCESSES?
- ARE THEY ALGORITHMIC PROCESSES? (CAN
ALGOTITHMS BE PRODUCED FOR THEM?)
- ARE THEY BASED ON SOME UNKNOWN PRINICPLES ?
MAYBE THEY ARE IMMATERIAL, SPIRITUAL OR
QUANTUM PHYSICS?
- ARE THEY BEYOND OUR ABILITY TO
UNDERSTAND THEM? IS THERE MAGIC THERE?
- THESE QUESTIONS ARE VALID SINCE WE HAVE NO
STRICT ANSWERS TO THEM.
• FOR EXAMPLE: HOW HUMAN MEMORY WORKS?
WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED IS THAT THERE ARE
TWO TYPES OF MEMORY: SHORT-TERM AND
LONG-TERM AND MAYBE SPECIFIC MEMORIES
FOR SPECIFIC TASKS
INVOLVED IN THESE PROCESSES ARE TEMPORAL
LOBE AND HIPPOCAMPUS. REMOVING TEMPORAL
LOBE LEADS TO INABILITY OF FORMING NEW
LONG-TERM MEMORIES BUT OLD MEMORIS ARE
KEPT. BUT SOME TYPES OF MEMORE, E.G. MOTOR
SKILLS. CAN BE STILL LEARNED.
HERE WE SEE TEMPORAL LOBE AND HIPPOCAMPUS
TEMPORAL LOBE IS INVOLVED IN CONSCIOUS MEMORIES
FORMATION
• UNCONSCIOUS MEMORIES (LIKE SIMPLE
REACTIONS) FORM IN THE AREAS WHERE
THEY ARE PERFORMED.
• HIPPOCAMPUS IS AREA WHERE MEMORIES
STAY FOR WEEKS AND THEN ARE
TRANSFERRED TO CORTEX
• IT IS THOUGHT THAT MEMORIES FORM
BY MODIFYING SYNAPTICAL CONNECTIONS
BETWEEN NEURONS
• SYNAPSES ARE ’PLASTIC’ THEY CAN GROW
AND MODIFY STRENGTH
• SHORT-TERM MEMORY IS WORKING MEMORY,
WHERE INFORMATION IS MANIPULATED.
THIS IS DONE IN PREFRONTAL CORTEX
DELAYED RESPONSE TASK: EYES ARE FIXED IN THE CENTER, TARGET APPEARS FOR A BRIEF
MOMENT AND VANIHES. WHEN CENTER SPOT DISAPPEARS EYES TURN TO POSITION
WHERE THE TARGET WAS. THERE ARE NEURONS WHICH KEEP INFORMATION WHERE THE
TARGET WAS.
• IT IS ALSO KNOWN THAT SPECIALIZED AREAS
OF MEMORY OR MEMORY FORMATION/RECALL
EXIST, E.G. FOR FACES, FOR PLACES, FOR
OBJECTS.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE FACE
MEMORY DAMAGED, CAN NOT MEMORIZE AND
RECOGNIZE FACES
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE FENOMENAL
MEMORY FOR FACES AND OTHER THINGS
• SOME MECHANISM FOR ENCODING OF
INFORMATION AND RETRIEVAL MUST EXIST
• ANOTHER EXAMPLE: LANGUAGE PROCESSING
NOTE AREAS INVOLVED IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS
OF PROCESSING (VERBS,NOUNS,SENTENCES)
LANGUAGE AND OTHER FUNCTIONS: WORDS
AND COLOR VISION
• AT OLDER AGE MEMORY, LEARNING BECOME
IMPAIRED (LOSS OF NEURONS...?)
• LET’S NOW TAKE A ’SIMPLE’ ACT OF MOVING
IN ENVIRONMENT. VISUAL SYSTEM MUST
ESTABLISH LOCATION OF OBJECTS, NEXT A
ROUTE MUST BE PLANNED TO AVOID THEM
AND EXECUTED.
• THIS MUST BE ADAPTIVE PROCESS AS IT GOES
ON ERRORS ARE CORRECTED AND OPTIMAL
TRAJECTORY IS SELECTED
• MANY AREAS OF THE BRAIN MUST BE
ENGAGED IN THIS
THE MOST ADVANCED AND AMAZING
PROPERTIES OF THE BRAIN CONCERN
- PERSONALITY (WHO WE ARE?)
- FEELINGS, EMOTIONS, MOODS,
(INNER, PSYCHIC LIFE)
- THINKING, IMAGINATIONS, DREAMS
- CONSCIOUSNESS (WE ARE AWARE
ABOUT OURSELVES)
• CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE MOST
AMAZING PROPERTY –
HOW WE CAN FEEL, BE AWARE OF
OURSELVES AND THE WORLD?
UNTIL RECENTLY THIS PROPERTY
WAS THOUGHT AS ”MAGIC” OR
MAYBE ’SPIRITUAL’ AND LITTLE
COULD BE SAID ABOUT ITS NATURE
• BUT PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN THIS AREA
TOO
- FIRST, WE HAVE TO NOTICE THAT AS HUMAN
BEINGS WE ARE UNIQUE PERSONS WITH
UNIQUE HISTORY AND BEHAVIOR, WE ARE
ANCHORED IN REALITY OF THE WORLD
AROUND US. FROM INFANCY WE RECEIVE
INFORMATION FROM OUTSIDE WORLD AND
WE BECOME PERSONS – UNITS WITH SPECIFIC
BACKGROUND AND HISTORY.
- WHERE AND HOW THE BRAIN IS MAKING THIS
ALL?
• THERE IS A BOOK WHICH PRESENTS MAYBE
COHERENT PROPOSAL FOR TREATING THESE
MATTERS:
• THE BOOK IS AN OUTGROWTH OF
NEUROLOGICAL STUDIES – BEHAVIOR OF
PEOPLE WITH DAMAGES IN THE BRAIN
THE CASE OF PHINEAS GAGE, XIX CENTURY RAILROAD WORKER GOT
A DAMAGE OF FRONTAL PART OF THE BRAIN (NAIL STRUCK FROM THE
BOTTOM). HE SURVIVED BUT HIS PERSONALITY CHANGED. HE WAS VERY
WELL MANNERED AND TEMPERED BEFORE, HE BECAME CAPRICIOUS,
USING OBSCENE WORDS, MAKING UNFULFILLED PLANS, DID NOT CARE
ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE, UNDISCIPLINED, NOT ABLE TO WORK
• SIMILAR CONDITIONS HAPPEN E.G. IN CASES
OF BRAIN TUMORS IN FRONTAL BRAIN
• ONE CAN CONCLUDE THAT IN THE FRONTAL
AREAS OF THE BRAIN THERE ARE REGIONS
TAKING PART IN INTELLIGENT BEHAVIOR,
PLANNING LIFE, MAKING DECISIONS,
INTERACTION WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
• SO WE COULD SAY THAT (PROBABLY?) EVERY
ASPECT OF OUR LIFE IS PROCESSED
SOMEWHERE IN THE BRAIN. PROCESSING
MIGHT BE DONE BY SPECIAL ”HARDWARE”
STRUCTURES WE ARE BORN WITH. THEY ARE
PROGRAMMED AND ADAPTED DURING LIFE.
SOMETIMES THEY FAIL (BIZARRE BEHAVIOR?)
• TAKE THIS ILLUSTRATION
HERE ARE REGIONS OF THE BRAIN
INVOLVED IN PROCESSING EMOTIONS
CONVINCED MURDER HAS LESS
BRAIN ACITVITY IN THE FRONTAL
AREA THAN TYPICAL.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DOES NOT
PROVE THAT ALL CRIMINALS HAVE
BRAIN PROBLEMS, MAYBE SOME???
• SOME OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRAIN
HIDDEN OPERATION:
IMPOSTOR PROBLEM – PATIENT DENIES
THAT A PERSON WHICH HE SEES IS HIS
MOTHER – THE PERSON JUST PRETENDS TO BE
HIS MOTHER. WHEN SPEAKING ON THE
PHONE WITH HER THERE IS NO SUCH EFFECT
NEGLECT – PATIENT DENIES THAT E.G. HIS
HAND IS PARALYZED, IT IS OK.
PATIENT SEEING HIS LEG IN THE BED TRIES
TO THROW IT AWAY SINCE THIS IS NOT HIS
LEG
• TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION
POWERFUL MAGNET INDUCES ELECTRIC
CURRENT PULSES INTO CERTAIN BRAIN
AREAS
- STIMULATION OF CERTAIN BRAIN AREAS
(TEMPORAL LOBE) PRODUCES RELIGIOUS (!)
EXPERIENCES, E.G. ’GOD SPEAKS’, ’DIVINE LIGHTS
ILLUMINATES ALL THINGS’, ’ULTIMATE TRUTH
FEELING’. THIS IS ALSO KNOWN TO OCCUR IN
EPILEPSY
- STIMULATION OF OTHER PARTS MAY INDUCE
LIFE-LIKE MEMORIES, BEHAVIORS
NORMAL
• IT IS ALSO KNOWN
THAT IN PSYCHIATRIC
DISEASES CERTAIN
BRAIN REGIONS ARE
SHRINKED OR HAVE
ABNORMAL ACTIVITY
LEVELS
HERE HIPPOCAMPUS IS
SHRINKED IN
SCHIZOPHRENIA CASE
• FROM THESE EVIDENCES WE CAN ACCEPT A
WORKING HYPOTHESIS THAT EVERYTHING
WE OBSERVE IS A RESULT OF PROCESSING BY
CERTAIN BRAIN STRUCTURES.
• THE QUESTION IS HOW THESE STRUCTURES
OPERATE? THIS HAS TO BE VERY COMPLEX.
CERTAIN BEHAVIORS ARE PROGRAMMED
(ANIMALS) BUT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT
LEARNING AND ADAPTATION ABILITY.
• IT IS KNOWN THAT NEURAL NETWORKS ARE
VERY ’PLASTIC’ BUT ON THE OTHER HAND
SOME STRUCTURES CAN BE HARDWIRED.
• HOW ABOUT CONSCIOUSNESS THEN?
ACCORDING TO DAMASIO THEORY
CONSCIOUSNESS HAS ITS ROOTS IN
EMOTIONS.
WHAT IS EMOTION?
IT IS AN INTEGRATED REACTION
TO AN EVENT (SEE NEXT PAGE)
• CONSIDER THIS:
YOU WALK AND
SUDDENLY THERE
IS SOMETHING
UNEXPECTED,
AND DANGEROUS.
WHAT WILL
HAPPEN?
• THIS HAPPENS...
IMAGE IS PROCESSED AND OBJECTS
ACTIVATES AMYGDALA – AREA WHICH
GENERATES EMOTIONAL RESPONSE OF
FEAR!!!
HEART RATE AND
BLOOD PRESSURE
UP,
SWEATING,
MUSCLES CONTRACT,
CERTAIN ACTION
PROGRAMS START
• SOME PEOPLE HAVE IMPAIRED EMOTION
STRUCTURES: THEY HAVE NO OR LITTLE
FEAR, FOR EXAMPLE VERY OUTGOING TO
UNKNOWN PEOPLE, DOING DANGEROUS
THINGS
OTHER PEOPLE FEAR VERY MUCH – PHOBIAS.
STRUCTURES INVOLVED IN EMOTION PROCESSING
ARE OLD, LOW LEVEL, CONNECTED TO BASIC
LIFE REGULATION FUNCTIONS
• THE FEAR EMOTION IS VERY BASIC, PRIMITIVE,
AUTOMATIC REACTION
• BUT WE HAVE ALSO FEELINGS OF EMOTIONS. THAT
IS WE FEEL THE EMOTION
LIKE THERE WOULD BE AN INTERNAL ’COOL’
OBSERVER EVALUATING IT
THUS, FEELINGS ARE MENTAL IMAGES OF
EMOTIONAL STATE.
BUT THERE IS STILL HIGHER LEVEL ASPECT OF
THIS SYSTEM:
WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE FEELINGS
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FEELINGS AND
KNOWING TO HAVE FEELINGS MUST BE BECAUSE
OF CONSCIOUSNESS, THAT IS KNOWING ITS OWN
STATE.
HERE THERE IS DIFFICULTY OF CONSCIOUSNESS
CONSIDERED AS ”INFORMATION PROCESS”
• LET’S ILLUSTRATE KNOWING OWN STATE
HAPPINESS:
MOST PEOPLE HAVE MODERATE DEGREE OF HAPPINESS
WHICH MIGHT BE ADAPTATION ADVANTAGE: TOO
HAPPY OR NOT HAPPY = LITTLE MOTIVATION???
• CONSCIOUSNESS
MUST BE PRESENT IF
FEELINGS ARE TO
INFLUENCE BEYOND
IMMEDIATE
ACTIONS
• ON THE RIGHT ONE
CAN SEE LEVELS OF
LIFE REGULATION
CONSCIOUS LEVEL
IS WHERE FEELINGS
ARE KNOWN
• BUT WHAT IT MEANS TO ’KNOW FEELINGS’
WHO KNOWS? OR HOW THE BRAIN KNOWS?
THIS IS MULTILEVEL PROCESS:
IMAGINE GOING FROM SLEEP TO WAKEFULNESS
– SOME BASIC PROCESSES START THEN:
ATTENTION TOWARDS EXTERNAL
OBJECTS,BEHAVIORS, THIS IS
CORE CONSCIOUSNESS
- AND NEXT, A MAGIC HAPPENS: WE START
FEELING SELF
• WHAT OR WHO IS THE SELF?
OR WHO WE ARE? WHO AM I?
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED UNTIL NOW IS THAT
THE BRAIN HAS DETAILED MAPPINGS OF THE
BODY, AND STATE OF ITS PARTS. IT HAS ALSO
MAPPINGS OF EXTERNAL OBJECTS AND THE
WORLD.
IT HAS MAPPINGS OF CURRENT EMOTIONAL
STATE AND FEELINGS.
• BUT THE BRAIN MUST HAVE ALSO MAPPINGS
OF ALL THINGS WHICH MAKE US UNIQUE
PERSONS:
– HISTORY AND PLACES,
- NAME AND APPEARANCE,
- PEOPLE WE KNOW,
- FUNCTIONS WE DO,
- ROLES WE PLAY
LET US START FROM THE BOTTOM: OUR BODY
IS CONNECTED TO SELF THROUGH MAPPING OF
BODY PARTS AND THEIR OPERATION
• PROTO-SELF IS A COHERENTCOLLECTION OF
NEURAL PATTERNS WHICH MAP, MOMENT BY
MOMENT THE STATE OF PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF
THE ORGANISM IN ITS MANY DIMENSIONS. THE
COLLECTION HAPPENS THROUGH ACTIVATION OF
MANY DIFFERENT AREAS
BRAIN STEM REGULATE BODY SIGNALS
AND MAP THEM
HYPOTHALAMUS AND BASAL
FOREBRAIN REGULATE E.G.
GLUCOSE, HORMONE AND PH LEVEL
INSULAR CORTEX AND MEDIAL
PARIETAL CORTEX HAVE INTEGRATED
STATE OF ALL BASIC FUNCTIONS AND
CURRENT BODY POSITIONS
• WHAT IS CORE CONSCIOUSNESS?
CORE CONSCIOUSNESS OCCURS WHEN THE
BRAINS’ INTERNAL REPRESENTATION
DEVICES GENERATE NONVERBAL ACCOUNT
(MAPPING) OF HOW THE ORGANISMS’ OWN STATE
IS AFFECTED BY THE ORGANISM’S PROCESSING
OF OBJECTS AND WHEN THIS PROCESS ENHANCES
THE IMAGE OF CAUSATIVE OBJECT THUS
PLACING IT SALIENTLY IN A SPATIAL AND
TEMPORAL CONTEXT.
• SO, CORE CONSCIOUSNESS IS A MAPPING OF
ORGANISM STATE CHANGES AS IT
REPRESENTS OBJECTS
IN THIS PROCESS, THE BASIC FEELING OF SELF
APPEARS THIS IS CORE SELF
CORE SELF – FEELING AT THE
REREPRESENTATION OF THE PROTO-SELF IN
THE PROCESS OF BEING MODIFIED WITHIN AN
ACCOUNT WHICH ESTABLISHES THE CAUSE OF
MODIFICATION
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
SELF
WE HAVE MEMORY OF
ALL OUR
AUTOBIOGRAPHY,
IT IS CONNECTED TO
PROTO-SELF AND
CORE-SELF.
• CORE CONSCIOUSNESS: RE-REPRESENTATION OF
PROTO-SELF AND OBJECT AND CHANGING OF
PROTO-SLEF INTO PROTO-SELF MODIFIED BY
OBJECT
HERE WE SEE MAP OF
OBJECT, MAP OF PROT-SELF
AND MAP OF PROTO-SELF
MODIFIED
WHEN SECOND ORDER MAP
IS CREATED, THE MAP OF
OBJECT BECOMES
ENHANCED
• WHERE THE SECOND ORDER MAP IS CREATED?
PROBABLY IN THOSE REGIONS WHICH RECEIVE
INPUTS FROM MANY PARTS OF THE BRAIN
• THE PROTO-SELF AND SECOND-ORDER
MAP STRUCTURES COMBINED
• EXTENDED CONSCIOUSNESS
IT RUNS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL
(AUTOB) MEMORY . THUS IT WILL BE
•RE-REPRESENTATION OF
AUTOB-SELF AND OBJECT AND CHANGING OF
AUTOB-SLEF INTO AUTOB-SELF MODIFIED BY
OBJECT
BUT THIS MEANS THAT EXTENDED CONSCIOUSNESS
WILL RUN OVER WHOLE LIFE MEMORIES, EVERYTHING,
BECAUSE ACCESS TO MEMORY IS UNLIMITED,
THE SECOND ORDER MAPPING WILL BE VERY COMPLEX
• BUT ON TOP OF
EXTENDED
CONSCIOUSNESS
THERE IS ANOTHER
LEVEL OF
CONSCIENCE
IT IS
CONSCIOUNESS+
LANGUAGE+
CREATIVITY+
CIVILIZATION
WE SEE THE BRAID OF
THESE LEVELS
HERE
• CONSCIENCE IS A REAL MAGIC
ABOUT WHICH WE CAN NOT
SAY MUCH (E.G. HUMAN CREATIVITY)
• THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM IS:
IF ALL WHAT IS BRIAN DOING IS INFORMATION
PROCESSING DESCRIBED BY VERY COMPLEX
ALGORITHMS, THEN WE MAY THINK THAT
SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE WE WILL FIND
THOSE ALGORITHMS AND WILL IMPLEMENT
THEM IN MACHINES.
• SO WHY WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ALL THIS?
BECAUSE THESE TOPICS WILL BE LATER
IN THE XXI CENTURY INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY TOPICS. WE ARE AT THE
MOMENT AT A PRIMITIVE LEVEL OF
BASIC MEDIA PROCESSING. BUT WE MAY GUESS
THATTHERE IS A LOT TO DO FOR NEXT 100
YEARS. WE ARE JUST BEGINNING TO
ENTER THIS AREA.