The Riddle of Consciousness: How Does the Brain Create Our

 

WWW.COOOLSIB.COM                                                                                        

The Riddle of Consciousness: How Does the

 Brain Create Our Sense of Self?

Our human journey is a quest for self-discovery, one that extends beyond the physical realm as we experience mental time travel. We revisit the past through memories and project into the future by imagining what tomorrow or next year might bring. In doing so, we think of ourselves as we are now, remember who we once were, and envision who we might become.

How Does the Brain Create Your Physical Sense of Self?

In the 19th century, philosopher William James proposed that the self can be divided into two parts:

• The "I", which perceives and physically experiences the world.
• The "Me", which constructs a mental narrative of the self.

Neuroscientists, equipped with advanced tools, have made progress in the long-standing quest to identify the brain regions responsible for creating these two aspects of the self.

What Is the Source of Our Sense of Self?

A 2021 study published in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) explored how a specific brain region connects memories of the present and future self. Damage to the ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was found to impair identity perception, suggesting that this region may generate a fundamental model of the self.

Psychologists have long observed that the human mind processes self-related information differently from other details. Self-referential memories are easier to recall than other types of memory, such as:

• Episodic memory, which involves specific events and experiences.
• Semantic memory, which stores general knowledge (e.g., the color of grass or seasonal characteristics).

Which Part of Your Brain Gives You Self-Awareness?

Functional MRI (fMRI) studies—measuring blood flow and oxygen consumption as indicators of neural activity—have identified the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) as a key region for self-referential thinking. This area is divided into two sections:

• Dorsal mPFC, involved in distinguishing between self and others.
• Ventral mPFC, more engaged in emotional processing.

The SCAN study found that individuals with vmPFC lesions had a severely impaired ability to recall self-referential cues and describe their own attributes, highlighting the region’s role in shaping and maintaining identity.

How Does the Brain Construct a Sense of Self?

There are several approaches to understanding how the mind forms self-perception:

1. Experimental Techniques

Scientists use fMRI to map brain activity related to self-processing. By tracking blood flow, they identify which areas are activated during self-referential tasks.

2. Brain Anatomy

Two critical brain regions for retrieving self-knowledge are:

• Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
• Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)

Together with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), these structures contribute to self-reflection.

3. Embodiment

Embodiment refers to the perception of the physical body as part of the self. Studies suggest that sensory inputs and bodily experiences shape self-awareness, challenging earlier views that the human mind operates independently of the body.

4. Self-Memories

Autobiographical memories are central to self-perception. The left dorsal mPFC and posterior cingulate cortex are involved in retrieving self-referential memories.

5. Morality

Moral reasoning plays a crucial role in self-identity. Brain regions linked to moral emotions include:

• mPFC and superior temporal sulcus (activated during guilt, compassion, or embarrassment).
• The limbic system (involved in guilt and emotional processing).
• The amygdala (associated with disgust and moral outrage).

These findings suggest that moral cognition is deeply embedded in neural networks.

How Do We Perceive Ourselves?

There are two perspectives on self-awareness:

1. The Individual Self

This view emphasizes personal identity, independent of external influences. Those who adopt an individual self-view describe themselves using stable personality traits.

2. The Collective Self

This perspective defines self-perception in relation to social groups and situational contexts. Studies show that people with a collective self-view exhibit greater activation in the mPFC during self-referential tasks.

These interpretations of self are supported by neuroscientific evidence, as fMRI data reveals distinct brain activity patterns for each self-concept.

Impaired Self-Perception in Mental Disorders

Studying the self in clinical conditions provides insight into how the healthy mind functions. Conditions that alter self-awareness include:

1. Autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects social interaction, communication, and behavior. A key hypothesis suggests that ASD impairs the ability to differentiate between self and others.

Brain scans reveal differences in self-recognition tasks:

• Neurotypical adults and children activate the inferior frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule in the right hemisphere.
• Autistic children show activation in these areas only when recognizing their own faces, suggesting a disrupted self-other distinction.

2. Schizophrenia

Disruptions in self-referential processing are linked to schizophrenia, a disorder characterized by hallucinations and delusions. Brain imaging shows:

• Increased activity in the left insula and mPFC when patients describe positive self-traits.
• Greater activation in the bilateral insula and ACC when describing negative self-traits.

These patterns suggest an underlying disturbance in self-perception, which may contribute to psychotic symptoms.

3. Stroke

After a stroke, some patients experience altered self-perception, often describing themselves in more negative terms than before.

4. Aging

Self-perception evolves with age. Brain activation differs between adults and children when recalling self-relevant information:

• Adults activate the posterior cingulate cortex more
• Children show greater activation in the anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex, indicating developmental changes in self-awareness.

How Did Self-Consciousness Evolve?

Are animals conscious? If so, when did consciousness emerge?

Evolutionary biology suggests that consciousness must have appeared at some point before Homo sapiens. Charles Darwin pondered, "How does consciousness begin?"

There are two types of consciousness:

1. Phenomenal consciousness, which refers to subjective experience.
2. Access consciousness, the ability to verbally express such experiences (unique to humans).

Studies show that children first experience phenomenal consciousness before developing access consciousness.

Here are some questions that can help you assess where you are on your journey toward self-awareness or identity:

1. Who am I at my core?
2. What are my core values?
3. What motivates me in life?
4. What are my strengths and weaknesses?
5. How do I define success and happiness?
6. What are my biggest fears, and how do they affect my decisions?
7. How do I react to challenges and setbacks?
8. What roles do I play in my relationships (friend, partner, sibling, etc.)?
9. How do I handle criticism and feedback?
10. What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind?
11. Do my actions align with my values and beliefs?
12. How do I express my emotions, and how well do I understand them?
13. In what ways have I changed over the years?
14. What activities make me feel most fulfilled?
15. Am I living authentically, or am I influenced too much by others' expectations?

These questions can help guide you toward a deeper understanding of yourself and your sense of identity.