Search results for "Consciousness"

Grounding the self in action

2003

Consciousness and cognition are phenomena that seem to be inextricably bound to an individual first-person perspective: at least in standard situations, there is not only conscious experience, but also an experiencing self. And there is not only thought as such, but a thinking self as well. Why is there not only the flow of experience, but also someone—someone who has these experiences? And why do most thoughts not just occur in a free-floating way, like clouds in the sky, but seem to originate from—and within—a thinking self, a self somehow mentally portrayed as an independent cause in itself, a cognitive agent? Presently, in a number of different disciplines, two general answers seem to s…

Seeing Some One

2018

This paper outlines a light approach to heavy issues of consciousness. The basic claim is that human minds are very much tailored to the requirements of action perception, that is, to what people see when they watch other people acting. I argue that the third-person perspective entailed in action perception offers an easy and more direct access to such enigmatic things as selfhood, intentionality, and agency than the first-person perspective does. In a sense, we get these things for free when we study action perception. I do not claim that the study of action perception can solve (or even dissolve) the enigmata entailed in consciousness. I do claim, however, that it sheds new light on relat…

“I” and “Me”: The Self in the Context of Consciousness

2018

James (1890) distinguished two understandings of the self, the self as "Me" and the self as "I". This distinction has recently regained popularity in cognitive science, especially in the context of experimental studies on the underpinnings of the phenomenal self. The goal of this paper is to take a step back from cognitive science and attempt to precisely distinguish between "Me" and "I" in the context of consciousness. This distinction was originally based on the idea that the former ("Me") corresponds to the self as an object of experience (self as object), while the latter ("I") reflects the self as a subject of experience (self as subject). I will argue that in most of the cases (arguab…

Toward a Mature Science of Consciousness

2018

In \textit{Being No One}, Thomas \citet{Metzinger2003being} introduces an approach to the scientific study of consciousness that draws on theories and results from different disciplines, targeted at multiple levels of analysis. Descriptions and assumptions formulated at, for instance, the phenomenological, representationalist, and neurobiological levels of analysis provide different perspectives on the same phenomenon, which can ultimately yield necessary and sufficient conditions for applying the concept of phenomenal representation. In this way, the ``method of interdisciplinary constraint satisfaction (MICS)'' (as it has been called by Josh Weisberg, \citeyear{Weisberg2005consciousness})…

In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding “Females in Neurosurgery: from a Matter of Fortuitous Occasions Towards a Conscious Choice”

2021

Performance Differences Using a Vibro-Tactile P300 BCI in LIS-Patients Diagnosed With Stroke and ALS

2018

Patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS) are typically unable to move or communicate and can be misdiagnosed as patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). Behavioral assessment scales are limited in their ability to detect signs of consciousness in this population. Recent research has shown that brain-computer interface (BCI) technology could supplement behavioral scales and allows to establish communication with these severely disabled patients. In this study, we compared the vibro-tactile P300 based BCI performance in two groups of patients with LIS of different etiologies: stroke (n = 6) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (n = 9). Two vibro-tactile paradigms were administered to …

Precuneus and insular hypoactivation during cognitive processing in first-episode psychosis: Systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies

2020

Abstract Introduction The neural correlates of the cognitive dysfunction in first-episode psychosis (FEP) are still unclear. The present review and meta-analysis provide an update of the location of the abnormalities in the fMRI-measured brain response to cognitive processes in individuals with FEP. Methods Systematic review and voxel-based meta-analysis of cross-sectional fMRI studies comparing neural responses to cognitive tasks between individuals with FEP and healthy controls (HC) according to PRISMA guidelines. Results Twenty-six studies were included, comprising 598 individuals with FEP and 567 HC. Individual studies reported statistically significant hypoactivation in the dorsolatera…

Randomized controlled study of a mandibular advancement appliance for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea in children: A pilot study

2015

Background: The current limited evidence may be suggestive that mandibular advancement appliance (MAAs) result in improvements in AHI scores, but it is not possible to conclude that MAAs are effective to treat paediatric OSA. There are significant weaknesses in the existing evidence due primarily to absence of control groups, small sample sizes, lack of randomization and short-term results. Aim: the objective of the present study was to evaluate MAAs in children with OSA. Material and Methods: Children presenting an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than or equal to one event per hour were considered to be apneic. This group of children with AHI greater than or equal to one was randomly di…

Absorption of protein in the early postoperative period in chronic conscious dogs.

1988

Postoperative alterations in amino acid exchange across the intestinal tract and in the capacity for protein absorption were investigated in a chronic canine model. Changes in postoperative splanchnic amino acid exchange consisted of a temporary decrease of total splanchnic amino acid release, including a significant reduction in alanine production, and an increase in glutamine consumption. Contrary to results under stable metabolic conditions, branched chain amino acids were also taken up by the intestine in the early postoperative period. The changes in postoperative amino acid exchange were not, however, reflected by a corresponding alteration in protein transport capacity. The absorptiv…

Dreaming and the neurobiology of self: recent advances and implications for psychiatry

2013

Throughout most of the 20th century, dreaming was considered at the center of the leading psychotherapeutic approaches to mental disorders. Psychodynamic models of the mind stemmed from Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams, according to which knowledge of the unconscious foundations of most symptoms could be enhanced by an accurate evaluation of reported dreams. Toward the end of the century, these conceptualizations were challenged by a progressive shift of perspective in the direction of neurobiologically informed, mechanistic models of brain dysfunction. The diffusion of effective psychotropic medications developed to target specific symptoms across different disorders contributed to…