by Bernard J. Baars | May 5, 2021 | conscious brain, Conscious Experiences, Cortex and Consciousness
The cortex is a flat sheet, shown beautifully here by Van Essen et al (see the Van Essen Lab at the University of St. Louis). This is the six-layered sheet of cells and fibers that makes up our cortex, the “neo-cortex” (because it really expands for mammals like...
by Bernard J. Baars | Feb 22, 2021 | conscious brain, Conscious Experiences, Cortex and Consciousness
[This is an excerpt from Part II of my latest book On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity.] In Book VII of Plato’s Republic (Plato, 1956) we find the following allegory: Imagine mankind as dwelling in an underground cave with necks and legs fettered, so they...
by Bernard J. Baars | Jul 5, 2020 | conscious brain, Conscious Experiences, Global Workspace Theory, Podcast, Psychobiology
In this uplifting episode recorded at La Jolla landmark D.G. Wills Books, neuroscientists Bernie Baars & David Edelman unpack the nature of consciousness — the ineffable sense of ‘aboutness’ each one of us experiences that encompasses features of the outside...
by Bernard J. Baars | May 25, 2020 | conscious brain, Conscious Experiences, Cortex and Consciousness, Global Workspace Theory, Podcast, Psychobiology
Why are we conscious? Is cortex the organ of mind? Throughout human history, people have perceived the conscious brain as the great nexus of human life, of social relationships, of their personal identities and histories, in encounters with new challenges. In Episode...
by Bernard J. Baars | Mar 24, 2020 | Cortex and Consciousness, cortical signaling, mindbrain
The closer cortical activity is observed, the more it resembles coherent, task driven signaling between small regions. Major features of conscious states and contents: 1. Raw scalp EEG signature of waking. The raw scalp EEG signature of waking appears to be...
by Bernard J. Baars | Feb 17, 2020 | conscious brain, Cortex and Consciousness, mindbrain, Unconscious States
It is surprisingly difficult to prove the complete absence of consciousness. Sleep can vary in arousability from moment to moment, much like vegetative states and general anesthesia. Some mentation is often reported even when subjects are awoken from slow-wave sleep....
by Bernard J. Baars | Jan 9, 2020 | Conscious Experiences, Cortex and Consciousness
A large and coherent body of evidence now shows that cortex and its resonant satellite, the thalamus, jointly constitute the brain basis of conscious experiences. However, the states of waking, sleep and REM dreaming are switched on and off by basal brain nuclei that...
by Bernard J. Baars | Jan 6, 2019 | Cortex and Consciousness
The cover image of my updated works On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity shows five cortico-thalamic projection systems, each one operating in similar ways, and each one projecting to different regions of cortex. Steriade (2006) has emphasized that the...
