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"If the thalamus is indeed the key to consciousness, the reticular nucleus is likely to play some part in the control of consciousness."
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The Astonishing HypothesisSome neurons in the visual cortex fire in a somewhat rhythmical manner — The Astonishing Hypothesis
"Some neurons in the visual cortex fire in a somewhat rhythmical manner when they become active due to a suitable stimulus in the visual field. ...synchrony can occur between neurons in different cortical areas and also... between the two halves of the cortex."
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The Astonishing Hypothesis
The Astonishing Hypothesis
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The Astonishing Hypothesis is a 1994 book by scientist Francis Crick about consciousness. Crick, one of the co-discoverers of the molecular structure of DNA, later became a theorist for neurobiology and the study of the brain. The Astonishing Hypothesis is mostly concerned with establishing a basis for scientific study of consciousness; however, Crick places the study of consciousness within a lar
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"Each set of... cortical areas is strongly connected to just one small region of the thalamus. Such a region coordinates the activities of its associated cortical areas by synchronizing their firing."
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The Astonishing HypothesisQuote
"I myself find it difficult at times to avoid the idea of a homunculus. ...you cannot be aware of a defect in your brain unless there are neurons whose firing symbolizes that defect. There is no separate "I" who can recognize the defect independent of neural firing."
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The Astonishing HypothesisQuote
"It is premature to try to describe how the brain really works using just a black-box approach, especially when it is couched in the language of common words or the language of a digital programmable computer. ...To understand the brain you must understand the neurons and especially how vast numbers of them act together in parallel."
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The Astonishing HypothesisQuote
"Our [Christof Koch and I]... assumption was that once the visual system is fully understood, the more fascinating aspect of the "soul" will be much easier to study."
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The Astonishing HypothesisQuote
"Our experience of perceptual unity... suggests that the brain in some way binds... all those neurons actively responding to different aspects of a perceived object. ...neurons that respond to the motion... hue... words... and possibly the memory traces associated with knowing whose face it is all have to be "bound" together... as neurons that jointly generate the perception..."
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The Astonishing Hypothesis