Neurophysiology of Consciousness

Psychologists and philosophers have grappled unsuccessfully through the ages with the ultimal mysteries of the mind. How is consciousness generated by the brain? What unique cerebral processes accoun for mental events among the myriad of brain activities? How does the brain generate and process mental activity - thought, learning, and memory-when this is unconscious, and how does this differ for conscious mental events? Collected here for the first time and annotated by the author are the key publications of Dr. Benjamin Libet, whose work during thirty years of exploring the human brain has helped estabush a new basis for studying subjective mental phenomena-a basis for clarifying the mysteries of mind / brain relationships with hard experimental investigations. The papers herein present the results of experiments with awake human patients undergoing therapeutic surgical procedures. Intracranial electrodes were placed in the brains of these petients to monitor electrophysiological concomitants and to alter mental activity. The dramatic results reported in these classic papers establish a new field of study and a new scientific basis for understanding the workings of the human mind.This fascinating collection win be invaluable to psychologists, psychiatrists, and neuroscientists, as well as those interested in the philosophy of consciousness.