The brain, time reversal and Libet's concept of antedating

The brain produces an image of the world outside on its own inner world and should by rights record temporal relationships whose sequence reproduces the sequence of events observed. As, however, visual, auditory and somatic sensory impulses reach the brain after latent periods of differing duration, marked phase differences occur. One way of producing linear phase characteristics with latent periods of 100-500 ms is by means of phase shift and time reversal, referred to in more detail later. With this model it can be shown that Libet's hypothesis of "antedating" (Libet et al., 1979) is consistent in itself, that is, that it contains no inner contradictions (Honderich, 1984). Although there is no sure proof that these mechanisms actually exist, there is in fact no other way of achieving linear phase than by phase shift and time reversal. It must therefore to be assumed that they are present in the brain.