Consciousness & Reality Colloquium - The Neurology of Consciousness: From Recovery after Coma to Meditation

Consciousness & Reality Colloquium 2023-24 Series

The Neurology of Consciousness: From Recovery after Coma to Meditation

Wednesday, June 12th, 10 a.m. Pacific Time
Online-only event. Zoom link:
https://caltech.zoom.us/j/88191375973?pwd=TEk5TnBIcjRueXcrVGwxc2FlRUlzZz09

Steven Laureys
Research Chair in Neuroplasticity, Université Laval
Research Director, Liège University
Visiting Professor, Harvard Medical School

How trillions of neural connections give rise to perception, thought and emotion is a mystery. After briefly reviewing neurological facts on conscious awareness and altered states of consciousness, I will present how the mapping of conscious perception and cognition in health (waking, dreaming, hypnosis, meditation, anesthesia etc) and in disease (brain death, coma, vegetative state etc) is providing new insights into the functional neuroanatomy of human consciousness. The results indicate that perception of the outside world, i.e. sensory awareness, and our awareness of an inner world, i.e. self-awareness or the "voice" inside that "speaks" to ourselves, depend on two separate "awareness" networks. Finally, I will discuss the ethical consequences of these scientific advances.

ABOUT THE EVENT
This lecture will be accessible to an interdisciplinary audience. Caltech, Stanford, MIT and IMICS members from all divisions are welcome to join. Select questions from the Q&A window will be answered after the lecture.

ABOUT THE SERIES
The Consciousness & Reality colloquium series promotes interdisciplinary investigations on mind, cognition, consciousness, and the nature of reality.

For more information, please contact Kunal Mooley by email at [email protected].