Wiesendanger Mario
Institute of Physiology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Prog Neurobiol. 2006 Feb-Apr;78(3-5):304-21. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2006.02.004. Epub 2006 May 2.
Sir John Eccles' experimental life evolved from the "bottom" up: the synapse to the modular circuitry of the spinal cord, later the cerebellum and, less extensively, also the thalamus and hippocampus. He experimented quantitatively on basic properties of cell membranes, synapses, transmitters, cellular modules, reflexes, and plasticity. In parallel, he was also motivated to consider philosophical problems of mind-brain interactions. It was mostly during Eccles' "Swiss period" (1976-1997) that new experimental work advanced understanding of intentional motor actions and their preparation. For example, early brain imaging work suggested that the so-called "supplementary" motor area was rather a "supramotor" area, concerned with intentional preparation to move. Eccles also closely followed work on cortico-cerebellar integration and learning. His final contribution, in collaboration with the quantum physicist, Friedrich Beck, was a model of how specific neuronal modules interact with the mind. Being a declared dualist, Eccles encountered considerable resistance and skepticism among neuroscientists in accepting his experimentally untestable mind-brain theories. But one can only admire the remarkable continuity of effort in his search for modular operations of identified neurons in the central nervous system and their synaptic actions. This effort was facilitated by collaboration with the eminent anatomist, János Szentágothai, who had previously helped Eccles advance understanding of spinal and cerebellar circuitry. This review also includes some personal views on current understanding of the forebrain, with an emphasis on the multiplicity of cortical modules, all of which contribute in the mental preparation for forthcoming intentional actions.
约翰·埃克尔斯爵士的实验生涯是自“底层”向上发展的：从突触到脊髓的模块化回路，后来是小脑，以及范围较小的丘脑和海马体。他对细胞膜、突触、递质、细胞模块、反射和可塑性的基本特性进行了定量实验。与此同时，他也热衷于思考心脑相互作用的哲学问题。主要是在埃克尔斯的“瑞士时期”（1976 - 1997年），新的实验工作推动了对意向性运动行为及其准备过程的理解。例如，早期的脑成像研究表明，所谓的“辅助”运动区实际上是一个“超运动”区，与运动的意向性准备有关。埃克尔斯还密切关注皮质 - 小脑整合与学习的研究。他与量子物理学家弗里德里希·贝克合作的最后一项成果是一个关于特定神经元模块如何与心智相互作用的模型。作为一名公开宣称的二元论者，埃克尔斯在接受他那些无法通过实验验证的心脑理论时，遭到了神经科学家们相当大的抵制和怀疑。但人们只能钦佩他在寻找中枢神经系统中已识别神经元的模块化操作及其突触作用时所付出的非凡持续努力。与杰出解剖学家亚诺什·圣塔戈塔伊的合作推动了这项工作，圣塔戈塔伊此前曾帮助埃克尔斯加深对脊髓和小脑回路的理解。这篇综述还包括了一些关于当前对前脑理解的个人观点，重点是皮质模块的多样性，所有这些模块都在为即将到来的意向性行动进行心理准备方面发挥作用。
