Conscious Experience and Memory

  • J. C. Eccles

Abstract

I have chosen the expression “conscious experience’’ in preference to the simple term consciousness in order to stress the experienced character of consciousness in all its aspects. I prefer this expression to the term experienced integration or EI that was employed by Fessard [1954] in his distinguished contribution to the symposium Brain Mechanisms and Consciousness. Nevertheless, “experienced integration” has the advantage of stressing the integrative character of brain action in the synthesis of conscious experiences from the most diverse sensory inputs. Fessard builds his contribution around the answers to three fundamental questions: “What neuronal activity is most likely to correspond to the existence of EI? How can we conceive of the integrative process that transforms an assembly of separately active neurone pools in the brain into a unified pattern? Where are all these processes likely to take place?” And much of our discussion at this symposium will relate to these three questions.

Keywords

Purkinje Cell Pyramidal Cell Dendritic Spine Perceptual Experience External World 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Albe-Fessard, D., and A. Fessard. Thalamic integrations and their consequences at the telencephalic level, in: Progress in Brain Research, Vol. I. Brain Mechanisms (ed. by G. Moruzzi, A. Fessard, and H. H. Jasper), pp. 115–154 [1963].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Andersen, P. Interhippocampal impulses. II. Apical dendritic activation of CA1 neurons, Acta Physiol Scand., 48, 178–208 [1960a].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. Andersen, P. Interhippocampal impulses. III. Basal dendritic activation of CA3 neurons, Acta Physiol Scand., 48, 209–230 [1960b].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. Andersen, P., J. C. Eccles, and Y. Loyning. Recurrent inhibition in the hippocampus with identification of the inhibitory cell and its synapses, Nature (London), 198, 540–542 [1963].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Andersen, P. Location of postsynaptic inhibitory synapses on hippocampal pyramids, J. Neurophysiol., 27, 592–607 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Andersen, P., J. C. Eccles, and P. E. Voorhoeve. Inhibitory synapses on somas of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, Nature (London), 199, 655–656 [1963].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Andersen, P., J. C. Eccles, and P. E. Voorhoeve. Postsynaptic inhibition of cerebellar Purkinje cells, J. Neurophysiol., 27, 1138–1153 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  8. Armstrong, D. M. Synaptic excitation and inhibition of Betz cells by antidromic pyramidal volleys, J. Physiol., 178, 37P–38P [1965].Google Scholar
  9. Beloff, J.The Existence of Mind. London: Macgibbon & Kee [1962].Google Scholar
  10. Beránek, R., P. Hník, L. Vyklický, and J. Zelená. Facilitation of the monosynaptic reflex due to long-term tenotomy, Physiologia Bohemoslovenica, 10, 543–552 [1961].Google Scholar
  11. Brown, J. Short-term memory, Brit. Med. Bull, 20, 8–11 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  12. Burns, B. D. Some properties of the isolated cerebral cortex of the unanaesthe-tized cat, J. Physiol., 112, 156–175 [1951].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. Burns, B. DThe Mammalian Cerebral Cortex. London: Arnold, 119 pp. [1958].Google Scholar
  14. Buser, P., and M. Imbert. Sensory projections to the motor cortex in cats: A microelectrode study, in: Sensory Communication (ed. by W. A. Rosenblith), Symposium on Principles of Sensory Communication. New York: Wiley, pp. 607–626 [1961].Google Scholar
  15. Chamberlain, T. J., P. Halick, and R. W. Gerard. Fixation of experience in the rat spinal cord, J. Neurophysiol., 26, 662–673 [1963].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  16. Chang, H. T. Dendritic potential of cortical neurons produced by direct electrical stimulation of the cerebral cortex, J. Neurophysiol., 14, 1–21 [1951].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. Chang, H. T. Cortical and spinal neurons. Cortical neurons with particular reference to the apical dendrites, Cold Spr. Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol., 17, 189–202 [1952].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Coombs, J. S., D. R. Curtis, and J. C. Eccles. The generation of impulses in motoneurones, J. Physiol., 139, 232–249 [1957].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  19. Creutzfeldt, O. D. Information transmission in the visual system, in: Brain and Conscious Experience (ed. by J. C. Eccles). Berlin: Springer [1966].Google Scholar
  20. Dingman, W., and M. B. Sporn. Molecular theories of memory, Science, 144, 26–29 [1964].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Dubner, R., and L. T. Rutledge. Recording and analysis of converging input upon neurons in cat association cortex, J. Neurophysiol., 27, 620–634 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  22. Eccles, J. C.The Neurophysiological Basis of Mind: The Principles of Neurophysiology. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 314 pp. [1953].Google Scholar
  23. Eccles, J. C.The Physiology of Nerve Cells. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 270 pp. [1957].Google Scholar
  24. Eccles, J. C. The effects of use and disuse on synaptic function, in: Brain Mechanisms and Learning (ed. by J. F. Delafresnaye). Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 335–352 [1961].Google Scholar
  25. Eccles, J. C.The Physiology of Synapses. Berlin: Springer, 316 pp. [1964].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. Eccles, J. C. Cerebral synaptic mechanisms, in: Brain and Conscious Experience. Berlin: Springer [1966].Google Scholar
  27. Eccles, J. C., K. Krnjević, and R. Miledi. Delayed effects of peripheral severance of afferent nerve fibres on the efficacy of their central synapses, J. Physiol., 145, 204–220 [1959].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  28. Eccles, J. C., R. Llinas, and K. Sasaki. Intracellularly recorded responses of the cerebellar Purkinje cells, Exp. Brain Res., 1, 161–183 [1966].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Eccles, J. C., and A. K. McIntyre. The effects of disuse and of activity on mammalian spinal reflexes, J. Physiol., 121, 492–516 [1953].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  30. Eccles, R. M., W. Kozak, and R. A. Westerman. Enhancement of spinal monosynaptic reflex responses after denervation of synergic hind-limb muscles, Exp. Neurol., 6, 451–464 [1962].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Eigen, M. Chemical means of information storage, and readout in biological systems, Neurosciences Research Program Bull, May-June 1964, pp. 11–22 [1964].Google Scholar
  32. Fessard, A. Mechanisms of nervous integration and conscious experience, in: Brain Mechanisms and Consciousness (ed. by J. F. Delafresnaye). Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 200–236 [1954].Google Scholar
  33. Fessard, A. The role of neuronal networks in sensory communications within the brain, in: Sensory Communication (ed. by W. A. Rosenblith), Symposium on Principles of Sensory Communication. New York: Wiley, pp. 585–606 [1961].Google Scholar
  34. Fox, C. A., and J. W. Barnard. A quantitative study of the Purkinje cell dendritic branchlets and their relationship to afferent fibres, J. Anat. (London), 91, 299–313 [1957].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  35. Gerard, R. W. Physiology and psychiatry, Amer. J. Psychiat., 106, 161–173 [1949].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Gomulicki, B. R.The Development and Present States of the Trace Theory of Memory. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge Univ. Press [1953].Google Scholar
  37. Granit, R. Sensory mechanisms in perception, in: Brain and Conscious Experience (ed. by J. C. Eccles). Berlin: Springer [1966].Google Scholar
  38. Hamlyn, L. H. An electron microscope study of pyramidal neurons in the Ammon’s horn of the rabbit, J. Anat. (London), 97, 189–201 [1963].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  39. Hámori, J., and J. Szentagothai. The “crossing over” synapse. An electron microscope study of the molecular layer in the cerebellar cortex, Acta Biol Hung., 15, 95–117 [1964].Google Scholar
  40. Hebb, D. O.The Organization of Behaviour. New York: Wiley [1949].Google Scholar
  41. Hechter, O., and I. D. K. Halkerston. On the nature of macromolecular coding in neuronal memory, Perspect. Biol. Med., 7, 183–198 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  42. Held, H., and J. Bossom. Neonatal deprivation and adult rearrangement: complementary techniques for analyzing plastic sensory-motor coordinations, J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol., 54, 33–37 [1961].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  43. Held, H., and A. Hein. Movement-produced stimulation in the development of visually guided behavior, J. Comp. Physiol Psychol., 56, 872–876 [1963].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  44. Hubel, D. H., and T. N. Wiesel. Receptive fields, binocular interaction and functional architecture in the cat’s visual cortex, J. Physiol., 160, 106–154 [1962].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  45. Hydén, H. Biochemical changes in glial cells and nerve cells at varying activity, Proc. Fourth Inter. Congr. Biochemistry (ed. by Hoffmann-Ostenhof). London: Pergamon, Vol. 3, 64–89 [1959].Google Scholar
  46. Hydén, H. Introductory remarks to the session on memory processes, Neurosciences Res. Program Bull, May-June, pp. 23–38 [1964].Google Scholar
  47. Jung, R. Neuronal integration in the visual cortex and its significance for visual information, in: Sensory Communication (ed. by W. A. Rosenblith), Symposium on Principles of Sensory Communication. New York: Wiley, pp. 627–674 [1961].Google Scholar
  48. Jung, R., H. H. Kornhuber, and J. S. da Fonseca. Multisensory convergence on cortical neurons. Neuronal effects of visual, acoustic and vestibular stimuli in the superior convolutions of the cat’s cortex, in: Progress in Brain Research, Vol. 1, Brain Mechanisms (ed. by G. Moruzzi, A. Fessard, and H. H. Jasper), pp. 207–240. Amsterdam: Elsevier [1963].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  49. Kandel, E. R., W. A. Spencer, and F. J. Brinley. Electrophysiology of hippo-campal neurons. I. Sequential invasion and synaptic organization, J. Neu-rophysiol., 24, 225–242 [1961].Google Scholar
  50. Köhler, I. Über Aufbau und Wandlungen der Wahrnehmungswelt, SB Öst. Akad. Wiss., 227, 1–118 [1951].Google Scholar
  51. Konorski, J. The mechanisms of learning, Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 4, 409–431 [1950].Google Scholar
  52. Kornhuber, H. H., and J. C. Aschoff. Somatisch-vestibuläre Integration an Neuronen des motorischen Cortex, Naturwissenschaften, 51, 62–63 [1964].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  53. Lashley, K. S. In search of the engram, Symp. Soc. Exp. Biol., 4, 454–482 [1950].Google Scholar
  54. Mikaelian, H., and R. Held. Two types of adaptation to an optically-rotated visual field, Amer. J. Psychol., 77, 257–263 [1964].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  55. Morrell, F. Lasting changes in synaptic organization produced by continuous neuronal bombardment, in: Brain Mechanisms and Learning (ed. by J. F. Delafresnaye). Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 375–392 [1961a].Google Scholar
  56. Morrell, F. Electrophysiological contributions to the neural basis of learning, Physiol. Rev., 41, 443–494 [1961b].Google Scholar
  57. Mountcastle, V. B. The neural replication of sensory events in the somatic afferent system, in: Brain and Conscious Experience (ed. by J. C. Eccles). Berlin: Springer [1966].Google Scholar
  58. Penfield, W., and H. H. Jasper. Epilepsy and the Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain. Boston: Little, Brown, pp. 1–896 [1954].Google Scholar
  59. Phillips, C. G. Some properties of pyramidal neurones of the motor cortex, in: The Nature of Sleep (ed. by G. E. W. Wolstenholme and M. O’Connor), Ciba Foundation Symposium. London: Churchill, pp. 4–24 [1961].Google Scholar
  60. Phillips, C. G., and R. Porter. The pyramidal projection to motoneurones of some muscle groups of the Baboon’s forelimb, in: Progress in Brain Research, Vol. 12, Physiology of Spinal Neurons (ed. by J. C. Eccles and J. P. Schade), pp. 222–245. Amsterdam: Elsevier [1964].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  61. Purpura, D. P., and R. J. Shofer. Cortical intracellular potentials during augmenting and recruiting responses. I. Effects of injected hyperpolarizing currents on evoked membrane potential changes, J. Neurophysiol., 27, 117–132 [1964].PubMedGoogle Scholar
  62. Ramón y Cajal, S.Histologie du Système Nerveux de l’Homme et des Vertébrés. Paris: Maloine, Vol. II, 993 pp. [1911].Google Scholar
  63. Ramón y Cajal. Les preuves objectives de l’unité anatomique des cellules nerveuses, Trab. Lab. Invest. Biol. Univ. Madr., 29, 1–137 [1934].Google Scholar
  64. Riesen, A. H. The development of visual perception in man and chimpanzee, Science, 106, 107–108 [1947].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  65. Riesen, A. H. Plasticity of behavior: Psychological aspects, in: Biological and Biochemical Bases of Behavior (ed. by H. F. Harlow and C. N. Woolsey). Madison: Univ. Wisconsin Press, pp. 425–450 [1958].Google Scholar
  66. Schmitt, F. O. Molecular and ultrastructural correlates of function in neurons, neuronal mets, and the brain, Neurosciences Research Program Bull., May-June, pp. 43–66 [1964].Google Scholar
  67. Schrödinger, E.Mind and Matter. London: Cambridge Univ. Press, 104 pp. [1958].Google Scholar
  68. Senden, M. von. Space and Sight (tr. by P. Heath). London: Methuen [1960].Google Scholar
  69. Sherrington, C. S.Man on His Nature. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 413 pp. [1940].Google Scholar
  70. Spencer, W. A., and E. R. Kandel. Electrophysiology of hippocampal neurones. IV. Fast prepotentials, J. Neurophysiol., 24, 272–285 [1961].Google Scholar
  71. Stratton, G. M. Vision without inversion of retinal image, Psychol. Rev., 4, 463–481 [1897].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  72. Szilard, L. On memory and recall, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 51, 1092–1099 [1964].PubMedCrossRefGoogle Scholar
  73. Tönnies, J. F. Die Erregungssteuerung im Zentralnervensystem, Arch. Psychiat. Nervenkr., 182, 478–535 [1949].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  74. Van der Loos, H. Personal communication [1964].Google Scholar
  75. Wigner, E. Two kinds of reality. Unpublished lecture [1964].Google Scholar
  76. Young, J. Z. Growth and plasticity in the nervous system, Proc. Roy. Soc. B, 1S9, 18–37 [1951].CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Pontificia Academia Scientiarum, Città del Vaticano 1965

Authors and Affiliations

  • J. C. Eccles
    • 1
    • 2
  1. 1.Institute for Biomedical Research, Education and Research FoundationAmerican Medical AssociationChicagoUSA
  2. 2.Australian National UniversityCanberraAustralia

Personalised recommendations