Brain Arousal and Information Theory
eBook - PDF

Brain Arousal and Information Theory

Neural and Genetic Mechanisms

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Brain Arousal and Information Theory

Neural and Genetic Mechanisms

About this book

Arousal is fundamental to all cognition. It is intuitively obvious, absolutely necessary, but what exactly is it? In Brain Arousal and Information Theory, Donald Pfaff presents a daring perspective on this long-standing puzzle. Pfaff argues that, beneath our mental functions and emotional dispositions, a primitive neuronal system governs arousal. Employing the simple but powerful framework of information theory, Pfaff revolutionizes our understanding of arousal systems in the brain.

Starting with a review of the neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, and neurochemical components of arousal, Pfaff asks us to look at the gene networks and neural pathways underlying the brain's arousal systems much as a design engineer would contemplate information systems. This allows Pfaff to postulate that there is a bilaterally symmetric, bipolar system universal among mammals that readies the animal or the human being to respond to stimuli, initiate voluntary locomotion, and react to emotional challenges. Applying his hypothesis to heightened states of arousal—sex and fear—Pfaff shows us how his theory opens new scientific approaches to understanding the structure of brain arousal.

A major synthesis of disparate data by a preeminent neuroscientist, Brain Arousal and Information Theory challenges current thinking about cognition and behavior. Whether you subscribe to Pfaff's theory or not, this book will stimulate debate about the nature of arousal itself.

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Yes, you can access Brain Arousal and Information Theory by Donald Pfaff,Donald W PFAFF in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Endocrinology & Metabolism. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
10
Brain
Arousal
and
Information
Theory
Figure
1.3.
Disrupting
a
gene
can
alter
generalized
arousal
in
female
mice.
Sensory
alertness:
Four
types
of
responses
by
the
mice
were
mea-
sured
following
stimuli
in
four
different
sensory
modalities.
The
assay’s
precision
was
maximized
by
testing
the
mice
in
their
home
cages
during
the
part
of
the
daily
light
cycle
when
they
were
quiet.
All
responses
to
all
sensory
modalities
were
reduced
in
females
whose
estrogen
receptor-
α
gene
had
been
disrupted
by
a
genetic
technique
called
homologous
recombination
(black
bars,
top
panel).
They
were
compared
to
their
wildtype
littermate
controls
(white
bars).
The
perfect
genetic
control
was
to
disrupt
a
likely
gene
duplication
product,
estrogen
re-
ceptor-
β
(grey
bars,
bottom
panel).
The
bottom
panel
shows
no
statistically
significant
results.
(From
Garey
et
al.,
Proc
Natl
Acad
Sci
USA,
2003;
100:11019.)
Another
component
of
the
operational
definition
of
generalized
arousal,
voluntary
motor
activity,
is
shown
in
Figure
1.4.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. Preface and Dedication
  3. 1 Toward a Universal Theory of Brain Arousal
  4. 2 Anatomy Is Not Destiny, but a Little Neuroanatomy Helps
  5. 3 Arousal Is Signaled by Electrical Discharges in a System of Nerve Cells
  6. 4 Autonomic Nervous System Changes Supporting Arousal; the Unity of the Body
  7. 5 Genes Whose Neurochemical Products Support Arousal
  8. 6 Heightened States of Arousal: Sex Compared to Fear
  9. 7 Major Systems Questions about Brain Arousal Networks
  10. 8 Summary and Practical Importance: From Biological Mechanisms to Health Applications
  11. Works Cited
  12. Acknowledgments
  13. Index