Fondazione IRCCS San Camillo, Venezia Lido, Italy.
Brain Res. 2012 Oct 2;1476:3-21. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2012.01.003. Epub 2012 Jan 11.
Humans share the common intuition of a self that has access to an inner 'theater of mind' (Baars, 2003). The problem is how this internal theater is formed. Moving from Cook's view (Cook, 2008), we propose that the 'sentience' present in single excitable cells is integrated into units of neurons and glial cells transiently assembled into "functional modules" (FMs) organized as systems of encased networks (from cell networks to molecular networks). In line with Hebb's proposal of 'cell assemblies', FMs can be linked to form higher-order mosaics by means of reverberating circuits. Brain-level subjective awareness results from the binding phenomenon that coordinates several FM mosaics. Thus, consciousness may be thought as the global result of integrative processes taking place at different levels of miniaturization in plastic mosaics. On the basis of these neurobiological data and speculations and of the evidence of 'mirror neurons' the 'Hall of Mirrors' is proposed as a significant metaphor of consciousness. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Brain Integration.
人类拥有一种共同的直觉，即自我可以访问内心的“思维剧场”（Baars，2003）。问题在于这个内部剧场是如何形成的。从库克的观点（Cook，2008）出发，我们提出，单个可兴奋细胞中存在的“感觉”被整合到神经元和神经胶质细胞单元中，这些单元暂时组装成“功能模块”（FM），组织成被包裹的网络系统（从细胞网络到分子网络）。与赫布的“细胞集合”提议一致，FM 可以通过回响电路链接形成更高阶的镶嵌体。大脑水平的主观意识源自协调几个 FM 镶嵌体的绑定现象。因此，意识可以被视为在不同的微观化水平上发生的整合过程的全局结果，这些过程发生在可塑性镶嵌体中。基于这些神经生物学数据和推测，以及“镜像神经元”的证据，我们提出“镜子大厅”作为意识的一个重要隐喻。本文是一个特刊的一部分，特刊的主题是：大脑整合。
