Detailed Contents

0 E-Book: The Nature of Consciousness
    0.1 Original front-page
    0.2 Preface
    0.3 Introduction
        0.3.1 Aim of this book
        0.3.2 History of the atomic theory of matter
        0.3.3 Ancient views about consciousness
        0.3.4 A hypothesis on the nature of consciousness
1 Ground Rules
    1.1 The nature of explanation in science
    1.2 Definitions and rules of evidence
        1.2.1 Consciousness
        1.2.2 Simple, self and cosmic consciousness
        1.2.3 States and contents of consciousness
    1.3 Rules of evidence
        1.3.1 Requirements for identifying an electromagnetic pattern with a specific subjective experience
        1.3.2 Methodological requirements
    1.4 Memory
        1.4.1 Mechanism of memory
        1.4.2 Empirical localization of memories
        1.4.3 Separation of memory processes from consciousness of present objects
    1.5 Attention
        1.5.1 Location of attention systems in the brain
        1.5.2 Separation of attentional processes from perception
    1.6 Summary
2 States of Consciousness
        2.0.1 Waking and Dreaming
            2.0.1.1 Origin and meaning of gamma waves
    2.1 Sleep
        2.1.1 Light Sleep
        2.1.2 Deep Sleep
        2.1.3 Transitions between synchronised and non-synchronised EEG
    2.2 A fourth state of consciousness?
        2.2.1 Alpha rhythm
        2.2.2 Mu rhythm
        2.2.3 Tau rhythm
        2.2.4 Theta Rhythm
    2.3 Electro-Encephalo-Graphic (EEG)
        2.3.1 The EEG of Drowsiness
        2.3.2 The EEG of Meditation
    2.4 Summary
3 Smell
    3.1 Electromagnetic patterns in olfaction
        3.1.1 Insect Olfaction
        3.1.2 Some slightly disturbing implications
        3.1.3 Mammalian Olfaction
    3.2 Summary
4 Hearing
    4.1 Spatial electromagnetic patterns and auditory experience
    4.2 Temporal electromagnetic patterns and auditory experience
    4.3 Evidence that middle latency waves of the auditory evoked potential correlate with simple sensation
    4.4 Relationship of global 40 Hz waves to auditory evoked potentials
    4.5 Summary
5 Vision
    5.1 Basic functional anatomy of the visual cortex
        5.1.1 Binocular rivalry and single cell recordings
        5.1.2 Binocular rivalry and EEG/MEG in humans
    5.2 Summary
6 The Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness
    6.1 Why not all brain activity is conscious
    6.2 The binding problem
    6.3 The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness and the psychoneural identity theory
    6.4 Practical consequences of the electromagnetic field theory of consciousness
    6.5 Evidence for the electromagnetic field theory of consciousness
7 Field Effects and Mind-Brain Interaction
    7.1 Mind-brain interactions
    7.2 History of the idea that electromagnetic fields influence the brain
        7.2.1 Kohler v Lashley
        7.2.2 Eccles v Eccles
    7.3 Evidence that electric fields actually are important in normal brain function
        7.3.1 Field effects and the Mauthner cell
        7.3.2 Field effects and the cerebellum
        7.3.3 Field effects and the hippocampus
        7.3.4 Field effects and the cerebral cortex
    7.4 Field effects and the uses of consciousness
8 Objections to the Theory
    8.1 Answers to the objections
        8.1.1 Lack of effect of environmental fields on consciousness
        8.1.2 Lack of evidence for telepathy
        8.1.3 Split consciousness with split brains
        8.1.4 Theory same as Kohler's and already disproved by Lashley
        8.1.5 Lack of evidence that fields process information
        8.1.6 Lack of advantages of this theory over the Neural Identity Theory
    8.2 Summary
9 God, Darwin and the Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness
    9.1 The electromagnetic field theory of consciousness and mystical experience
    9.2 Relationship of the electromagnetic field theory of consciousness to the theory of evolution
10 Appendix
    10.1 Appendix A - The Psychophysical Laws
        10.1.1 Weber's Law
        10.1.2 Fechner's Logarithmic Law
        10.1.3 Stevens' Power Law
    10.2 Appendix B - A Beginner's Guide to Cellular Neurophysiology
        10.2.1 The Resting Membrane Potential
        10.2.2 Action potentials
        10.2.3 Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (epsps and ipsps)
    10.3 Appendix C - Generation of Extracellular Field Potentials
        10.3.1 Field potentials and the EEG
    10.4 Bibliography references