Brain Arousal and Information Theory

Donald Pfaff is Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior at The Rockefeller University in New York City.

• Preface and Dedication 1. Toward a Universal Theory of Brain Arousal What Is to Be Explained? Ethology and the Mechanisms of Arousal Operational Definition of Arousal A Quantitative Approach to Physical Measurement of Generalized Arousal The Neurobiology of Arousal Constitutes an Interesting Application of Information Theory Claims for This Chapter and Introduction to Chapters Following 2. Anatomy Is Not Destiny, but a Little Neuroanatomy Helps Multiplicity and Redundancy of Ascending Arousal Pathways Prevent Failure Primitive "Master Cells" in the Brainstem Provide a Neuroanatomic Core that Theoretically Matches the Behavioral Data Long-Distance Lines Tuning Local Modules Summary and Hypothetical Implications for Human Behavior 3. Arousal Is Signaled by Electrical Discharges in a System of Nerve Cells Traveling Up the Brainstem Special Cases: Olfaction and Vision Informational Content Governs Amplitude of Response in Neurons Related to Arousal Cerebral Cortex, the EEG Electrical Activity in Three Arousal-Related Biological Systems 4. Autonomic Nervous System Changes Supporting Arousal; the Unity of the Body Patterns of Autonomic Responses Reformulations A High Information System Shows Coordination sans Correlation Supporting Hormone-Dependent Behaviors Summary 5. Genes Whose Neurochemical Products Support Arousal Genes Associated with Classical Systems Genes Newly Recognized Concepts and Questions Summary 6. Heightened States of Arousal: Sex Compared to Fear Sex Behavior's CNS Mechanisms Require Arousal Generalized Arousal Affects Specific Arousals and Vice Versa Contrast Sex and Fear Applicability of Information Theory Libido and Stress in Humans Summary 7. Major Systems Questions about Brain Arousal Networks What Are Universal Operating Features of Arousal Systems? How Do We Meet the Requirement for Rapid Changes of CNS State? Sensitivity and Alacrity of Response, Yet Stability? How? Does Automata Theory Apply? Questions in the Time Domain Questions about Spatial Properties Thermodynamics, Information Theory, and Questions for the CNS How Does a Sine Wave Impact a Sawtooth? Unity from Diversity? 8. Summary and Practical Importance: From Biological Mechanisms to Health Applications Main Points Applications to Human Conditions Works Cited Acknowledgments Index

The author’s contribution to our understanding of arousal mechanisms [is] both innovative and challenging… His most remarkable contributions are his repeated mention of the interplay between arousal systems and manifestations of cognition and emotion, his focus on information theory as a means of understanding arousal systems as universal response potentiators, with bilateral and bipolar properties. This book will be read avidly by those who are interested in any of the above-mentioned issues and by those who simply want to get a fresh look at the concept of arousal. In either case, the author’s intentions will be unmistakable: challenging readers to combine evidence from different fields and integrate it into a series of questions to guide much-needed research.