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Somatosensation: Touching the mind's fingers
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305, USA. jing@monkeybiz.stanford.edu
Current Biology : CB
|September 14, 2000
Summary
Scientists explored the link between brain activity and behavior. New experiments show that stimulating specific neurons in the brain directly influences how animals behave.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- The mind-brain problem is a long-standing question in science and philosophy.
- Understanding the neural basis of cognition is a key challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal relationship between neural activity and specific behaviors.
- To explore the biological underpinnings of mental operations.
Main Methods:
- Microstimulation experiments were conducted on awake, behaving non-human primates.
- Specific cortical neuron populations were targeted for stimulation.
Main Results:
- Direct causal link established between stimulating specialized cortical neurons and a controlled behavior.
- Demonstrated that targeted neural activity can predictably alter behavior.
Conclusions:
- Specific neuronal populations play a causal role in generating observable behaviors.
- Provides empirical evidence for the biological basis of mental operations.
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