Why are solely people conscious? | The scientists reply | Science | EUROtoday

I need to begin by saying that every part depends upon the definition of consciousness. From neuroscience, we normally outline consciousness as being alert, recognizing ourselves, others, the setting … that’s, it’s the state of vigil, during which we now have the capability to reply. The inverse can be a state of lack of expertise that in an individual, for instance, it might be asleep, beneath the consequences of an anesthesia or in a coma. If we persist with this definition, consciousness is just not one thing unique to human beings.

If what we predict is in that state of alert, response to stimuli, there are a lot of different dwelling beings, along with people, who can sleep and, subsequently, alternate a state of consciousness with one other lack of expertise.

When we speak about one thing distinctive in people, we normally confer with self -awareness. This is a extra advanced course of that encompasses the feeling of id, continuity in time, of reminiscence of the previous, processing of the current and future plans. To this are added all of the cognitive processes that characterize people: language, reminiscence, reasoning, creativity and in addition, and crucial, metacognition, that’s, we will take into consideration consciousness, replicate on our personal cognitive processes, their mechanisms … simply as you may have finished whenever you ask this query.

The clarification to why self -awareness appears to be unique to people is attributed to the variations between human brains and brains from the remainder of the animals.

The largest divergences are noticed within the human cerebral cortex that’s rather more advanced: we now have a larger variety of neurons, a a lot thicker cerebral cortex, extra myelinized axons within the neurons that lead extra rapidly. In abstract, our cerebral cortex has an awesome neuronal density and larger connectivity between neurons. This attribute permits the processing of rather more info. As physicist Emerson Pugh stated: “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we would not understand it.”

Although the human cerebral cortex, as defined to you, is rather more advanced than that of the remainder of the animals, there are additionally variations between the completely different species. The larger closeness within the dimension of the human cerebral cortex are the brains of whales and elephants. These animal species have advanced types of communication and social behaviors. But human language, which is the premise of reflection and is a elementary factor in human consciousness, is extra advanced than the types of communication of those different species. In any case, the necessity for language for self -awareness is just not exempt from debate.

On the opposite hand, the brains of the good apes are smaller and with a cerebral cortex with much less thickness than that of people. Studies have been finished to find out how a lot language can codify the good apes and typically, their cognitive capabilities and expertise may very well be just like these of a kid of about 2 or 3 years. There are additionally scientific research by discussing their attainable degree of self -awareness primarily based, for instance, on the mirror take a look at, to see whether or not or not there’s self -recognition.

Understanding the mechanisms of consciousness is a sizzling matter in present neuroscience. Although an rising property of the mind is taken into account, there isn’t a unified principle about how it’s generated. In truth, a scientific article that compares the predictions of the 2 dominant theories (built-in info principle and world neuronal work house) that doesn’t provide a definitive verdict on any of them has lately printed.

One of the strains during which my group works is within the investigation of instruments for measuring mind exercise that enable us to find out the extent of consciousness of people that can not talk, for instance, those that are referred to as vegetative standing (now referred to as “unanswered vigil syndrome”). These measures are of worth within the clinic, whereas serving to us to know what mind mechanisms they underlie consciousness.

Mavi Sánchez Vives She is ICREA analysis professor and leads the Systems Neuroscience Research Group of the August Pi I Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) in Barcelona.

Coordination and writing: Victoria Toro.

Question despatched by college students of 1st Baccalaureate of the Jaime II Secondary Education Institute of Alicante.

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