I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self

Rodolfo R. Llinás

ISBN 10: 0262621630 / ISBN 13: 9780262621632

Published by MIT Press Ltd, 2002

About this Item

2002. Reprint. Paperback. A highly original theory of how the mind-brain works, based on the author's study of single neuronal cells. Color Figures from the book are now available online--click the title for more information. Num Pages: 320 pages, 33. BIC Classification: PSAN; PSF. Category: (G) General (US: Trade); (UP) Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly; (UU) Undergraduate. Dimension: 153 x 229 x 22. Weight in Grams: 514. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780262621632

Bibliographic Details

• Title: I of the Vortex: From Neurons to Self
• Publisher: MIT Press Ltd
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262621630
• ISBN 13: 9780262621632
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

Rodolfo R. Llinás is the Thomas and Susanne Murphy Professor of Neuroscience and Chairman of the Department of Physiology and Neuroscience at the New York University School of Medicine.