The Primordial Emotions: The dawning of consciousness

Transcription

1 The Primordial Emotions: The dawning of consciousness Professor Derek Denton Department of Physiology University of Melbourne Parkville 3010 Australia Baker Heart Research Institute Commercial Road Melbourne 3004 Australia Founding Director Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine University of Melbourne OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS

2 Contents Foreword v Jean-Pierre Changeux Acknowledgements xi Permissions xix List of illustrations xxi Part A The hypothesis 1 Introduction: the idea and context 3 Summary of the aim of this book 6 The scope of the book 11 2 The definition of consciousness, and self-awareness 15 Bridgman and concepts 17 The concept of self-awareness and an operational definition of it 19 Self-awareness in apes: mirror self-recognition and effect of'circus' distorting mirrors 19 Distorting mirrors and chimpanzees 21 Dolphins 22 Body image and animals 24 3 What some distinguished scientists have proposed on the nature of consciousness: John Searle, Homer Smith, Vernon Mountcastle, and Roger Sperry 29 John Searle 29 Homer Smith 31 Vernon Mountcastle 35 Roger Sperry and the split brain 39 Discussion with Sir John Eccles on dualism 44 4 Consciousness in animals 49 Intentional behaviour at different levels of the phylogenetic tree 49 Invertebrates 53 Fish 60 Argument against or favouring consciousness in fish 61

3 XIV CONTENTS Reptiles 64 Sleep-wakefulness cycle 67 Birds 68 Mammals 69 Overview of some aspects of evolution of the vertebrate brain and cognitive processes 70 Ethology or comparative behaviour studies 71 The clear difference between impetus to gratification and biological purpose 71 5 The appetite for salt and the mind: intention in salt mining elephants 75 Mount Elgon in Kenya 75 Formation of caves on Mount Elgon 76 Elephant behaviour within the caves 78 Slaughter of the elephants 80 Why do the elephants become salt deficient and seek it? 80 The colonization during evolution of the salt and/or water impoverished ecosystems of the planet. Body fluid regulation and the emergence of intention 81 The ancient ocean 82 Thirst 84 Salt appetite 84 Validation of sodium deficiency in wild animals 86 An alternative conjecture on elephant behaviour 89 Part B Experimental analysis 6 Phylogeny, and the emergence of primary consciousness: Edelman's theory 95 The phylogenetic tree: first, to consider the phylogenetic tree as the framework of this account 95 Edelman's theory on the emergence of primary consciousness 99 The development of the brain 99 The parallel to antibody formation 101 The emergence of primary consciousness An interoceptor driven theory of origin of primary consciousness 107 An interoceptor theory 107 The limbic system 108

4 CONTENTS XV Genetically programmed neural connections 109 Instincts 110 Instinct and emotion 111 The primitive motor system, the sense of self and the body image The physiology of the primordial emotion of thirst 117 The issues to be disussed 117 Section A the mechanisms producing thirst 117 Change of osmotic pressure and sodium concentration 118 The location of the sensors of change of osmotic pressure 119 Evolution of thirst and drinking behaviour 120 Aquatic animals 120 Reptiles and birds 121 Migration 122 Mammals 123 Medical considerations of thirst 124 The dry mouth theory of genesis of thirst 125 Section B Rapid gratification of desire for water The neuroimaging of thirst by positron emission tomography 131 The experimental plan 131 The sequence of the experimental plan 136 Results of imaging minutes after start of infusion of concentrated salt solution 136 Imaging when thirst was maximal 138 Wetting the mouth with water 141 Drinking water to satiation 142 The fmri imaging of thirst (functional magnetic resonance imaging) Neuroimaging of other primordial emotions, and also the second level distance receptor evoked emotions 153 Breathing 153 Neuroimaging of breathing 155 Concurrent action of high blood carbon dioxide and breathlessness 156 Air hunger or breathlessness 156 Commonality of brain elements subserving the primordial emotions 160

5 xvi CONTENTS Food hunger 160 Pain 162 The thalamus and the waking state 166 Sleep 167 Micturition 170 Sexual orgasm and ejaculation 172 Temperature control 173 The anterior cingulate and primordial emotion 176 Elective recall to consciousness of emotional states: heirachical organization 178 Neuroimaging of the principal second level emotions: situational perception evoked by distance receptors 180 Anger 183 Fear 183 Happiness 185 Sadness 185 Parte Higher cognition and emotion 11 Anatomical structure and physiological functions subserving higher order consciousness 189 Vernon Mountcastle 189 Changeux on the global neuronal workspace 190 Bernard Baars 193 The binding hypothesis 200 Anaesthesia 201 Qualia The biology of emotion 205 Definition 205 A core element of Antonio Damaskus viewpoint 206 Dictionary definitions 208 Sensation 210 The ideas of Panksepp on emotion 211 The rational and emotion suppression by act of will 219 Elective summoning to consciousness of emotion 220 Hearing 221 Sight 221 Smell 221 Taste 224

6 CONTENTS xvii A further consideration of analysis of emotion and how Antonio Damasio sees it 225 Concluding remarks on emotion 229 Summary 232 Glossary 237 References 247 Author Index 259 Subject Index 263