From Chemistry To Consciousness

Author : Elaine K. Perry,Heather Ashton,Allan H. Young
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 366 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9027251568

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Neurochemistry of Consciousness by Elaine K. Perry,Heather Ashton,Allan H. Young Pdf

This pioneering book explores in depth the role of neurotransmitters in conscious awareness. The central aim is to identify common neural denominators of conscious awareness, informed by the neurochemistry of natural, drug induced and pathological states of consciousness. Chemicals such as acetylcholine and dopamine, which bridge the synaptic gap between neurones, are the 'neurotransmitters in mind' that form the substance of the volume, which is essential reading for all who believe that unravelling mechanisms of consciousness must include these vital systems of the brain.Up-to-date information is provided on: • Psychological domains of attention, motivation, memory, sleep and dreaming that define normal states of consciousness. • Effects of chemicals that alter or abolish consciousness, including hallucinogens and anaesthetics. • Disorders of the brain such as dementia, schizophrenia and depression considered from the novel perspective of the way these affect consciousness, and how this might relate to disturbances in neurotransmission. (Series B)

Author : Alan Watts
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 136 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 1965
Category : Medical
ISBN : UOM:39015048585155

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The Joyous Cosmology by Alan Watts Pdf

Author : Harald Atmanspacher,Ulrich Müller-Herold
Publisher : Springer
Page : 154 pages
File Size : 42,6 Mb
Release : 2016-09-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783319435732

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From Chemistry to Consciousness by Harald Atmanspacher,Ulrich Müller-Herold Pdf

This book reflects on the significant and highly original scientific contributions of Hans Primas. A professor of chemistry at ETH Zurich from 1962 to 1995, Primas continued his research activities until his death in 2014. Over these 50 years and more, he worked on the foundations of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, contributed to a number of significant issues in theoretical chemistry, helped to clarify central topics in quantum theory and the philosophy of physics, suggested innovative ways of addressing interlevel relations in the philosophy of science, and introduced cutting-edge approaches in the flourishing young field of scientific studies of consciousness. His work in these areas of research and its continuing impact is described by noted experts, colleagues, and collaborators of Primas. All authors contextualize their contributions to facilitate the mutual dialog between these fields.

Author : J. Allan Hobson
Publisher : Little, Brown Medical Division
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1996-03-01
Category : Brain
ISBN : 0316367621

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The Chemistry of Conscious States by J. Allan Hobson Pdf

Argues that the brain and the mind are one--that the thoughts, feelings, dreams, and memories that constitute our consciousness are in fact an amalgam of electrical impulses and chemical interactions.

Author : Richard B. Fisher
Publisher : Random House Business
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 1975
Category : Brain
ISBN : 0214200582

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The Chemistry of Consciousness by Richard B. Fisher Pdf

Author : Oliver Sacks
Publisher : Knopf Canada
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2017-10-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780345809018

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The River of Consciousness by Oliver Sacks Pdf

A profoundly fascinating, illuminating major work from the beloved, bestselling thinker and neurologist Oliver Sacks--completed by him just before his death--provides readers with a compelling, rare gift from the master. The River of Consciousness reflects Oliver Sacks at his wisest and most humane, as he examines some of the human animal's most remarkable faculties: memory, creativity, consciousness, and our present, ongoing evolution. Before his death, Sacks personally collected into this one volume his recent essays and case studies, never before published in book form, which he felt best displayed his passionate engagement with his most compelling and seminal ideas. The book, lucid and accessible as ever, is a mirror of his own consciousness, discovering in his personal and humane interactions with others, unique insight, and fresh meaning. Featuring a preface written two weeks before his death, The River of Consciousness reveals the beloved, bestselling author's unique ability to make unexpected connections, his sheer joy in knowledge, and his unceasing, timeless project to understand what it is that makes us human.

Author : Françoise Tibika
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 54,6 Mb
Release : 2012-12-14
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781594775062

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Molecular Consciousness by Françoise Tibika Pdf

Mind and matter are connected through information at the atomic level • Explains how your state of mind is profoundly related to the flow of chemical information during the interactions of your molecules • Reveals how each atom of the universe is intrinsically linked with all other atoms through their memories and the information they carry • Explores the concrete manifestations of this “molecular consciousness,” such as intuition and the appearance of life on Earth The molecules of living organisms are in constant communication, storing and transmitting information both at the intracellular level as well as across vast distances. The mystery of how this communication occurs--whether through molecular structure, chemical reactions, entangled states, or some other method--has baffled biologists, chemists, and quantum physicists for more than a century. Revealing the intimate connections between mind and matter, Françoise Tibika explains that conscious communication exists all the way down to the very molecules of which we--and the universe--are made. Using the fundamental laws of thermodynamics to support her argument--especially the first law: “energy is neither created nor destroyed”--as well as modern scientific research in quantum physics and molecular biology, Tibika explores how each imperishable atom of the universe is intrinsically linked with all other atoms through their memories and the information they carry. She shows not only how each atom of your being is part of the greater whole of the universe but also how your thoughts, feelings, and state of mind are profoundly related to the activity of each of your molecules. Just as we are undergoing constant transformation by the molecules surrounding us, our own molecules are continuously transforming the network of which we are a part. Exploring the concrete manifestations of this molecular consciousness, such as intuition, Tibika reveals how, through effecting conscious change at the molecular level, our actions have far-reaching significance in a universe that is not blind to our presence.

Author : Jack A. Tuszynski
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 500 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2006-09-05
Category : Science
ISBN : 9783540367239

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The Emerging Physics of Consciousness by Jack A. Tuszynski Pdf

Seeks answers to these questions using the underlying assumption that consciousness can be understood using the intellectual potential of modern physics and other sciences. There are a number of theories of consciousness, some based on classical physics while others require the use of quantum concepts. The latter ones have drawn criticism from the parts of the scientific establishment while simultaneously claiming that classical approaches are doomed to failure. The contributing authors presents a spectrum of opinions from both sides of this on-going scientific debate, allowing readers to decide for themselves which of the approaches are most likely to succeed.

Author : John S Torday,William B Miller Jr
Publisher : Royal Society of Chemistry
Page : 293 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2020-11-26
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781839162251

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The Singularity of Nature by John S Torday,William B Miller Jr Pdf

Understanding how simple molecules have given rise to the complex biochemical systems and processes of contemporary biology is widely regarded as one of chemistry’s great unsolved questions. There are numerous theories as to the origins of life, the majority of which draw on the idea that DNA and nucleic acids are the central dogma of biology. The Singularity of Nature: A Convergence of Biology, Chemistry and Physics takes a systems-based approach to the origin and evolution of complex life. Readers will gain a novel understanding of physiologic evolution and the limits to our current understanding: why biology remains descriptive and non-predictive, as well as offering new opportunities for understanding relationships between physics and biology in the origins of biological life at the cellular-molecular level.

Author : Antonio Damasio
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 257 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2021-10-26
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781524747565

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Feeling & Knowing by Antonio Damasio Pdf

From one of the world’s leading neuroscientists: a succinct, illuminating, wholly engaging investigation of how biology, neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence have given us the tools to unlock the mysteries of human consciousness “One thrilling insight after another ... Damasio has succeeded brilliantly in narrowing the gap between body and mind.” —The New York Times Book Review In recent decades, many philosophers and cognitive scientists have declared the problem of consciousness unsolvable, but Antonio Damasio is convinced that recent findings across multiple scientific disciplines have given us a way to understand consciousness and its significance for human life. In the forty-eight brief chapters of Feeling & Knowing, and in writing that remains faithful to our intuitive sense of what feeling and experiencing are about, Damasio helps us understand why being conscious is not the same as sensing, why nervous systems are essential for the development of feelings, and why feeling opens the way to consciousness writ large. He combines the latest discoveries in various sciences with philosophy and discusses his original research, which has transformed our understanding of the brain and human behavior. Here is an indispensable guide to understand­ing how we experience the world within and around us and find our place in the universe.

Author : A. Graham Cairns-Smith
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 1998-04-02
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0521637554

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Evolving the Mind by A. Graham Cairns-Smith Pdf

Evolving the Mind has two main themes: how ideas about the mind evolved in science; and how the mind itself evolved in nature. The mind came into physical science when it was realised, first, that it is the activity of a physical object, a brain, which makes a mind; and secondly, that our theories of nature are largely mental constructions, artificial extensions of an inner model of the world which we inherited from our distant ancestors. From both of these perspectives, consciousness is the great enigma. If consciousness evolved, however, it is in some sense a material thing whatever else may be said of it. Physics, chemistry, molecular biology, brain function and evolutionary biology - almost the whole of science - is involved, and there can be no expert in all these fields. So the style of the book is simple, almost conversational. The excitement is that we seem to be close to a scientific theory of consciousness.

Author : Harvey B. Milkman,Stanley G. Sunderwirth
Publisher : Free Press
Page : 244 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : Medical
ISBN : UOM:39015035750077

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Craving for Ecstasy by Harvey B. Milkman,Stanley G. Sunderwirth Pdf

(Publisher-supplied data) Alcohol, tobacco, sex, food. . .escape the pleasure trap and regain control of your life! The chemistry and psychology of addiction are described with considerable insight. These authors know their stuff, and they make a compelling case. . . .All in all, Craving for Ecstasy is a challenging, well-considered analysis.?Los Angeles Times Milkman and Sunderwirth offer a new and different perspective from which to understand a very complex and confusing pattern of human behavior. Their ideas are vibrant, provocative, stimulating, and written for a public that is demanding a better explanation.?Howard J. Shaffer, director, Center for Addiction Studies, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and The Cambridge Hospital Addictive behavior goes far beyond the compulsive use of drugs and alcohol. It is possible to become addicted to what may seem a harmless pleasure such as sex, jogging, watching television, or eating. In this powerful book?written in easy-to-understand language?two scientific researchers, Harvey Milkman and Stanley Sunderwirth, explain the biology, chemistry, and psychology of the universal desire for pleasure and escape. For example, they reveal how the brain produces mind-altering substances and what the skydiver has in common with the heroin addict. But, most importantly, with the use of a self-assessment test and an invaluable guide for treatment, the authors show what steps you can take to regain control of your life.

Author : J. Allan Hobson
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 358 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2002-08-23
Category : Medical
ISBN : 0262582201

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The Dream Drugstore by J. Allan Hobson Pdf

An investigation into the brain's chemistry and the mechanisms of chemically altered states of consciousness. In this book, J. Allan Hobson offers a new understanding of altered states of consciousness based on knowledge of how our brain chemistry is balanced when we are awake and how that balance shifts when we fall asleep and dream. He draws on recent research that enables us to explain how psychedelic drugs work to disturb that balance and how similar imbalances may cause depression and schizophrenia. He also draws on work that expands our understanding of how certain drugs can correct imbalances and restore the brain's natural equilibrium. Hobson explains the chemical balance concept in terms of what we know about the regulation of normal states of consciousness over the course of the day by brain chemicals called neuromodulators. He presents striking confirmation of the principle that every drug that has transformative effects on consciousness interacts with the brain's own consciousness-altering chemicals. In the section called "The Medical Drugstore," Hobson describes drugs used to counteract anxiety and insomnia, to raise and lower mood, and to eliminate or diminish the hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia. He discusses the risks involved in their administration, including the possibility of new disorders caused by indiscriminate long-term use. In "The Recreational Drugstore," Hobson discusses psychedelic drugs, narcotic analgesia, and natural drugs. He also considers the distinctions between legitimate and illegitimate drug use. In the concluding "Psychological Drugstore," he discusses the mind as an agent, not just the mediator, of change, and corrects many erroneous assumptions and practices that hinder the progress of psychoanalysis.

Author : Alan Watts
Publisher : New World Library
Page : 154 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN : 9781608682041

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The Joyous Cosmology by Alan Watts Pdf

"Originally published in 1962 by Pantheon Books."

Author : Julian Jaynes
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Page : 580 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2000-08-15
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780547527543

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The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes Pdf

National Book Award Finalist: “This man’s ideas may be the most influential, not to say controversial, of the second half of the twentieth century.”—Columbus Dispatch At the heart of this classic, seminal book is Julian Jaynes's still-controversial thesis that human consciousness did not begin far back in animal evolution but instead is a learned process that came about only three thousand years ago and is still developing. The implications of this revolutionary scientific paradigm extend into virtually every aspect of our psychology, our history and culture, our religion—and indeed our future. “Don’t be put off by the academic title of Julian Jaynes’s The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Its prose is always lucid and often lyrical…he unfolds his case with the utmost intellectual rigor.”—The New York Times “When Julian Jaynes . . . speculates that until late in the twentieth millennium BC men had no consciousness but were automatically obeying the voices of the gods, we are astounded but compelled to follow this remarkable thesis.”—John Updike, The New Yorker “He is as startling as Freud was in The Interpretation of Dreams, and Jaynes is equally as adept at forcing a new view of known human behavior.”—American Journal of Psychiatry