By Victor Antonio
The Evolution of
Consciousness - Book Overview
Let me admit that I don’t think it’s possible to summarize a
book that takes us on a journey from Australopithecus, thru Homo Hablis, Homo
Erectus to the modern day Homo Sapien man and then into the brain on 1 page. So I’ve noted my highlights.
Heat Sink: How the
brain adapted from the ‘horizontal’ plane to the ‘vertical’ (i.e., dissipate: heat since 1 to 2
degrees above normal will effect brain function, reduce surface by going
upright will absorb 60% less heat) when man began to walk was probably the most
eye-opening for me.
“Negative emotions have a different information value
because the number of threats is much great than the number of
pleasures.”
Physical arousal
system: Increase in secretion
of norepinephrine in bloodstream by the adrenals activates internal
organs. Heart rate, blood pressure
and blood volume to the muscles and face increases. Pupil size increases along with respiration, perspiration,
and salivation. “Fear is an innate shortcut to
action” Emotions, such as fear,
act as the drivers – entrepreneurs of the system.
Neuron – The
fundamental unit of the mind fire when something ‘different’ happens and DON’T
respond when they are continuously stimulated (i.e., selective adapation). They adapt to constant sound, weight,
pressure or changes in the world.
Neurons respond to first occurrence of an event, less to later changes.
Brain Power - We
are using 1% to 2% of our brain for ‘thoughtful acts’ and the rest is being
used to monitor and control other body functions. So to say we don’t use 95% of our brain is erroneous.
Probing the Cerebral
Cortex - less than a million years old, is about 1/8th of an
inch layered in thick with columns that act as ‘data processing centers’. The left and right hemisphere are
connected by 300 million neurons called the corpos callosum which is less than
4 million years old.
1875: English Scientist Richard Catton used a
galvanometer to detect electric currents in the brain with a probe into a human
skull.
1925: Hans Berger developed first system for
recording brain electricity that did not require an open skull. Alpha wave = 50 microvolts.
1965 Scientist Benjamin Libet discovered that
prior to physical movement gradual shifts in the electrical potential appear in
the brain (i.e., readiness potential). It begins to appear about a half a second to 3 seconds
before the beginning of the movement.
The electrical impulse needs to be active for at least .5 seconds before
one is aware (i.e., neuronal adequacy).
Great analogy: EEG machines are not precise
measure. Similar to listening to
the noise in an area of NYC with 250 satellites orbiting while trying to
eavesdrop on a conversation. The
activity of the cortex is the area best represented by the EEG (surface
measurements).
Memories: An
imagination is a reconstruction based on current situation or context; it is
not fixed. We use units of
memories (chunks) to store information OR we use a ‘code’ to increase our
memory capacity. Context or a
Schema helps us recall more information.
