NIH SciBites: Using Illusions to Probe the Origins of Consciousness

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Category: Neuroscience

Tags: AfterimageBrainConsciousnessNeuroscienceResearch

Entities: AfterimageBrain networksConsciousnessNational Institutes of HealthShareif

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Summary

    Introduction to Consciousness Research
    • Shareif, a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health, discusses the mysterious nature of the brain and consciousness.
    • Conscious experiences occur both when we are awake and during sleep through dreams.
    Research Focus
    • Shareif's research explores brain networks related to conscious experiences from the external world and those generated internally like optical illusions.
    • The lab uses afterimages to study how the brain perceives images that aren't present.
    • Experiments track brain activity changes when viewing actual images versus afterimages.
    Implications and Future Goals
    • Research aims to uncover overlapping brain regions involved in conscious perception.
    • Discoveries could lead to new diagnostic and treatment methods for conditions affecting consciousness, such as comas and psychiatric disorders.
    • The research contributes to solving a long-debated natural mystery about consciousness.
    Actionable Takeaways
    • Explore how the brain perceives both real and imagined stimuli.
    • Consider the clinical applications of consciousness research in diagnosing disorders.
    • Understand the potential for new treatments for conditions affecting consciousness.
    • Reflect on the philosophical implications of consciousness research.
    • Stay informed about ongoing research in neuroscience and consciousness.

    Transcript

    00:00

    hello my name is shareif I'm a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health despite major discoveries made about the brain it is still a profoundly mysterious organ

    00:15

    perhaps most mysterious of all is how the brain produces Consciousness we all have conscious experiences while we are awake and even during sleep in the form of dreams but how brain activity gives rise to this key part of everyday life me unknown to help answer this question

    00:33

    my research at NIH explores the brain networks related to conscious experiences that come from the world like seeing a tree in your yard and conscious experiences that the brain generates entirely by itself like optical illusions and

    00:48

    hallucinations in my lab we specifically take advantage of something called an after image which is an image that you can still see even after the original goes away for example if you look at a bright light and then close your eyes you can still see a spot for a few

    01:05

    seconds you can try this Yourself by staring at this image for a few seconds now when we replace it with a blank gray screen you might notice a bright imprint that's the afterimage your brain is causing you to see something that isn't

    01:21

    really there in our experiments my colleagues and I track how brain activity changes when people see an image on a computer screen compared to when they see an afterimage using this approach we are revealing that both kinds of conscious

    01:37

    perception involve overlapping and Broad brain regions both near the brain surface and deep within it one day we hope our discoveries about Consciousness will help to lead to new ways to diagnose and treat the millions of

    01:52

    people worldwide who suffer from conditions that affect Consciousness for example Comas and certain kinds of neurolog IC and psychiatric disorders that can cause hallucinations on top of these exciting clinical applications my research may

    02:08

    help solve a profound natural mystery that scientists and philosophers have debated for thousands of years