In this month's episode of Brain Science, neuroscientist Mark Solms talks about his new book "The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Origins of Consciousness." Solms was inspired by the pioneering work of Jaak Panksepp who argued that the origins of consciousness can be traced to the brainstem. In his new book Solms presents the evidence for this viewpoint and explains how the work of computational neuroscientist Karl Friston has provided additional support. We consider the implications for our understanding of both human consciousness and our appreciation for the consciousness of other animals.

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Links and References:

• The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness by Mark Solms

  • Mark Solms: University of Cape Town, South Africa

• Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions by Jaak Panksepp (BS 134)

• The Archaeology of Mind: Neuroevolutionary Origins of Human Emotions by Jaak Panksepp and Lucy Biven (BSP 91)

• Solms, M; Friston, K; (2018) How and why consciousness arises: Some considerations from physics and physiology. Journal of Consciousness Studies , 25 (5-6) pp. 202-238. (Download PDF)

• See episode transcript for additional links and references

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