Neural Corrolates of Consciousness discovered?

[DrmDoc]

According to this DNews video, researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have found evidence possibly supporting Francis Crick's view that a cluster of neurons called the claustrum are the structures in the brain that make "subjective consciousness" possible. For the moment, I am withholding my opinion until I have read their paper or have received a more thorough review of their findings. Enjoy!

Edited March 16, 2017 by DrmDoc

[Velocity_Boy]

Thanks....I find this stuff fascinating. Ironically, I had gone for many months without hearing the name claustrum even mentioned, until just last night! When a colleague posed his idea that a glitch in it's neural pathways might be responsible for us experiencing the effect we call Deja Vu. Since the claustrum is thought to provide a time synch between the two brain hemispheres,send also the linear time progression between sensory and cognitive perception.

 

So yeah...No mention of claustrum for months and now twice in 24 hours. Very cool. Thanks again. Gonna go read the abstract now!

[iNow]

Very cool. The on/off switch part of this is intriguing, as well.

[DrmDoc]

Very cool. The on/off switch part of this is intriguing, as well.

 

It's a fascinating potential but I'm beginning to think that this finding requires further evaluation. The problem I have with a lot of brain research is that much of what researchers believe is based on cause and effect. For example, damage to the claustrum causes a loss of awareness or conscious response; therefore, consciousness must emerge from the claustrum. That idea is imprecise because it was rendered without consideration of how our brain evolved. Suggesting that some aspect of brain structure does this or that doesn't tell why or how it arrive at that function. I think this is crucial because having this insight informs the accuracy of findings or perspective. From my perspective, the claustrum is a conduit for the collective and integrated information exchanges between major cortical and subcortical structures (e.g., cortex and thalamus). If my perspective is valid, severing the claustrum link between these structures disables the communication network that produces consciousness rather that the claustrum itself being the structure from which consciousness emerges. It's a subtle distinction based on a perspective that the functionality of recent brain structures (e.g., cortex and claustrum) serve and rely on the function of structures earlier in our brain's evolution (e.g., thalamus).