Consciousness at the Frontiers of Neurosciences
Conference Report on the 19th Symposium of the Centre de recherches en sciences neurologiques
(Université de Montréal, May 5-6, 1997.)
Published in Journal of Consciousness Studies Vol. 4,
#5-6, 1997, p. 397-398.
The 19th Symposium of the Centre de recherches en sciences neurologiques
of Université de Montréal, held on May 5 and 6, 1997,
was a very interesting one. There were more than 350 participants although only
about 100 had been expected. It was not meant to be a "mini-Tucson"
conference, but this large attendance showed that consciousness studies increasingly
raise interest and attention in many a field of scientific research.
The Symposium was dedicated to Dr. Herbert Jasper,
well-known neurobiology pioneer, who at age 90 and still very sharp-minded
actively participated in the two-day event. A good demonstration that a
constant intellectual questionning prevents sclerosis
at all levels.
The outline of the Symposium programme was the same as
the content of Jasper's 1954 book Brain Mecanisms
and Consciousness. The story is told about this book that a few years after
it was published, Jasper met Pope Paul VI who told to mind his own business,
and not to cross the frontiers and impinge on the territory of religion.
The theme :
"Consciousness at the Frontiers of Neurosciences", while enticing
many philosophers, psychologists and psychiatrists to attend the Symposium,
acknowledged the fact that there is a frontier and therefore something
beyond. The Symposium itself, however, was not meant to cross that frontier,
but rather stayed within the stronghold of neurosciences and contended itself
with a few forays to the outskirts.
Always enthusiastic, David Chalmers gave it a good
start with his presentation of the background and the forefront of "the
problem", trying to bridge ontology and epistemology. Suffice to say the
"neurocorrelates of the consciousness zoo"
were well received. As a counterpoint, Patricia Churchland,
in control of her play as usual and in her mature and convicing
way, made the transition to epistemology. Then followed a boon for neurobiologists, and a brain-racking for non-specialists,
when we were shown where the game was at in neuro-anatomy
and neurochemistry with Edward Jones, neurophysiology with Rodolfo Llinas, brain-mapping with Peter T. Fox, and "third
generation phrenology" according to Roch Lecours in linguistics.
The second day presentations treated us with high
points such as the "evolutionary perspective on conscious experience"
by M. Gazzaniga, Jeffrey Grey's Comparator model,
Benjamin Libet's questioning, David Hubel's reflexions on his own
research, G. Tononi's cognitive approach to
consciousness "as a process, not a thing". Finally, Christof Koch enthousiastically
discussed neural correlates of consciousness, showing the difficulties of
combining parallel brain processing with serial oral output.
The interest of the Symposium also lied in the fact
that almost all speakers along with other prominent researchers in the
audience such as Stuart Hameroff, stayed around for
the whole two days and raised the level of discussion with their questionsé A real treat!
The proceedings of this meeting should be published in
Advances in Neurology in the course of 1998. It should include not only
presentations but questions and answers as well. According to Paul Valery, "un problème bien posé est
déjà à moitié résolu" (a question well asked is already half-solved)
and the problem, says David Hubel, is that it takes
time to ask the right question, more than ten years in his own research setup. So
watch for these proceedings : the questions left
unanswered were what made this Symposium so stimulating.
On a more personal note, this Symposium confirmed me
in the belief that advances and discoveries in neurosciences depend largely on
available technology, and advances in technology are likely to bring surprising
developments in consciousness studies and research. The EEG showed us the
electrical activity of neurones; after that, the arrival of MEG allowed the
discovery of the 40hz oscillation of magnetic brain field; then MRI proved that
the cells can produce radio signals in some artificial setup and possibly
spontaneously; and finally the PET results imply the nagging question of the
primary role of the blood vessels prior to neuronal activity in consciousness.
My guess is when gravitational waves detection
technology will become available, it may very well
radically change the landscape of neurobiology and consciousness research. How
so? By pointing to an important role for mesodermic
organs (as opposed to ectodermic neurons alone), for a more complete embodiment
of consciousness.
© Jean
Ratte
