I of the Vortex - From Neurons to Self (Paperback, New Ed)

A highly original theory of how the mind-brain works, based on the author's study of single neuronal cells. In I of the Vortex, Rodolfo Llinas, a founding father of modern brain science, presents an original view of the evolution and nature of mind. According to Llinas, the "mindness state" evolved to allow predictive interactions between mobile creatures and their environment. He illustrates the early evolution of mind through a primitive animal called the "sea squirt." The mobile larval form has a brainlike ganglion that receives sensory information about the surrounding environment. As an adult, the sea squirt attaches itself to a stationary object and then digests most of its own brain. This suggests that the nervous system evolved to allow active movement in animals. To move through the environment safely, a creature must anticipate the outcome of each movement on the basis of incoming sensory data. Thus the capacity to predict is most likely the ultimate brain function. One could even say that Self is the centralization of prediction. At the heart of Llinas's theory is the concept of oscillation. Many neurons possess electrical activity, manifested as oscillating variations in the minute voltages across the cell membrane. On the crests of these oscillations occur larger electrical events that are the basis for neuron-to-neuron communication. Like cicadas chirping in unison, a group of neurons oscillating in phase can resonate with a distant group of neurons. This simultaneity of neuronal activity is the neurobiological root of cognition. Although the internal state that we call the mind is guided by the senses, it is also generated by the oscillations within the brain. Thus, in a certain sense, one could say that reality is not all "out there," but is a kind of virtual reality.

General

Imprint:	MIT Press
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	I of the Vortex
Release date:	February 2002
First published:	2002
Authors:	Rodolfo R. Llinas
Dimensions:	228 x 152 x 18mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - Trade
Pages:	302
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-262-62163-2
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Life sciences: general issues > Neurosciences Books > Science & Mathematics > Biology, life sciences > Cellular biology > General Promotions
LSN:	0-262-62163-0
Barcode:	9780262621632

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!