Consciousness and neural time travel
Advances in Consciousness Research October 28, 2010 DOI: 10.1075/aicr.79.11has
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractConsciousness is described as a perception of self constructed to guide voluntary, goal-directed behavior, involving neural mechanisms for mental time travel into the future during planning and into the past during episodic retrieval. This neural time travel relies on distributed cortical perceptual processes that detect the state of the self across multiple dimensions, including spatial location, head direction, speed, temporal duration, and egocentric relationships to items. These circuit mechanisms are regulated by neuromodulatory influences, such as muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, which activate intrinsic properties of neurons involved in maintaining an internal representation of self.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Consciousness is a constructed perception of self for guiding voluntary goal-directed behavior, enabled by neural time travel and regulated by muscarinic acetylcholine receptors. |
Abstract
Consciousness is described in this article as a perception of self that is constructed for guidance of voluntary goal-directed behaviour, including neural mechanisms for mental time travel into the future during planning and into the past during episodic retrieval. Neural time travel draws on the distributed cortical perceptual processes for detecting the state of the self along multiple dimensions, including spatial location, head direction, speed, temporal duration, and egocentric relationships to items. These circuit mechanisms are regulated by neuromodulatory influences such as muscarinic acetylcholine receptors that activate intrinsic properties of neurons involved in maintaining an internal representation of self.