Switch consciousness in our brain

In carrying out deep brain surgery women with epilepsy neurologists from George Washington University stimulated portion of her brain, which unexpectedly - and temporarily - made her lose consciousness. It is a discovery that could shed light on the nature of consciousness itself.

Kubeyssi Mohamad and his team used the deep electrodes that record signals in different areas of the brain to find out where there were attacks by women. They put one electrode near the part of the brain called the fence - an area that had never before tried to encourage.

The fence is a slim and oddly shaped layer neurons attached to a lower part of the cortex of the brain near the area of ​​perception of flavor. Although the function of the fence is not precisely defined, it is assumed that it plays a role in communication between the hemispheres of the brain, particularly in the areas that control attention. It synchronizes the time scale between different parts of the brain, providing a seamless experience handling experience consciousness.

During the study, the team encouraged electric shock this zone, after which the woman lost consciousness. She stopped reading and stared blankly into the distance, not responding to sounds or visual stimuli, and her breathing slowed. When the stimulation was stopped, the woman came to the senses with no memory of what happened.
Kubeyssi believes that the results of the studies do suggest that the fence plays a vital role in the process of consciousness.

"I would liken this machine. The car has many parts that facilitate its movement - fuel, transmission, engine - but there is one place where you turn the key, and all this and starts to work together. Thus, although the mind and is a complex process, created many structures and relationships, we may have found the key ».

©