Brain and Conscious Experience

Experience. Edited by Sir John Eccles. Price, $16.80. Pp 591. Springer-Verlag New York Inc., 175 5th Ave, New York 10010, 1966. This book represents the proceedings of a study week at the Pontifical Academy of Science in Rome, from Sept 28 to Oct 4, 1964. Sir John Eccles, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine in 1963, undertook the responsibility of organizing the symposium, which included representatives of the various neurological sciences, and of editing the volume of proceedings. Following the Laurentian Conference in 1953, published as Brain Mechanisms and Consciousness, this is perhaps the first book to treat the same general subject. A group of international experts were assembled to serve as contributors and discussants of the various papers. Absent from the study week was a professional philosopher. In his preface, Sir John explained that he was instructed by the chancellor that "the academy by its constitution has for aim to promote the study and progress of the physical, mathematical and neural sciences and their history. Thus the discussion of philosophical questions is excluded." Despite this limitation, philosophical questions abound in the papers and discussions, particularly in the contributions of Lord Adrian, D. M. MacKay, R. W. Sperry, and H. L. Teuber. Though many of the papers present original recent contribu¬ tions from the authors' own laboratories, much is in the nature of reviews and sum¬ maries. The active researcher will not find much that is new in this volume. Selected topics in neuroanatomy are presented by Colonnier (neocortex) and An¬ dersen (hippocampal formation); and neurophysiology by Eccles (synaptic mecha¬ nisms) and Mountcastle (mechanoreceptive responses). The fifth chapter is Granit's re¬ view of sensory mechanisms as elucidated by the work of his laboratory, and that of Hubel and Wiesel. Creutzfeldt and his coworkers summarize some characteristics of nerve cell activity in relation to information transmission in the nervous system. Effects of electrical stimulation on the threshold of conscious experience in man are reported by Libet. Much of the work of Teuber and his students on perception after brain injury is summarized by Teuber. A paper on localiza¬ tion of speech and perception is given by Penfield. The contributions of Jasper and Brenner reflect their continued interest in neural processes underlying various states of consciousness. The starting effects of commissural section are again reviewed by Sperry. Eccles espouses the molar view of memo¬ ry mechanisms propounded by Lashley in the 20's, and adds to this the molecular memory of Hyden. Neural mechanisms in sleep are masterfully reviewed by Moruzzi. A most stimulating discussion of precentrai motor mechanisms in relation to willed movement is given by Phillips (eg, ". . . electrical stimulation does not . . . evoke natural functioning of the cortical neuronal apparatus. . . .). MacKay's contribution re¬ lates information theory to the concept of control of action. An essay on the brainmind problem (Gomes) and a review of ethological concepts (Thorpe) should close the symposium. However, there is appended a paper on dopamine and central neuro¬ transmission (Heymans), and another on psychosomatic problems (Schaefer). Although many of the participants repeat¬ edly acknowledge the state of ignorance as far as behavior mechanisms is concerned, the discussions following each presentation and at the end of the symposium are gener¬ ally stimulating and literate. The use of rnicroelectrodes in attempts to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying behavior is becoming more and more fashionable, and this is embodied in the character of the sym¬ posium. I found this research least relevant