Cick here to the full Conference Program

 TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
ConsciousnessinHumanandNon‐HumanAnimals
Cambridge,UnitedKingdom
"It is essenƟal to
understand our
brains in some
detail if we are to
assess correctly
our place in this
vast and complicated universe we
see all around
us." - Francis Crick
Proud PlaƟnum Sponsor of the Francis Crick Memorial Conference:
WolfsonHall,ChurchillCollege
All Bordering Photos Courtesy Google Images TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
FrancisCrick
(1916‐2004)
Thankyoutoallofoursponsorsforyoursupportinmakingthe
FrancisCrickMemorialConferenceasuccessandforhelpingusto
fuelthisunprecedenteddiscussionondata‐drivenperspectiveson
theneuralcorrelatesofconsciousness.
Sponsoredby:
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
ScheduleofEvents
ScheduleofEvents
7:45
Check‐in/Complimentary
Breakfast
8:30
ChristofKoch,Ph.D.
StudyingtheMurineMind
InvitedLecture:
Consciousness:APharmacological
Perspective
13:00
ComplimentaryLunch
14:00
DianaReiss,Ph.D.
MirrorSelf‐recognition:ACaseof
CognitiveConvergenceinHumans
andotherAnimals
HunterCollegeand
CityUniversityofNewYork
AllenInstituteforBrainScience,
Caltech
14:30
9:00
BaltazarGomez‐Mancilla,
MDPh.D.
NovartisInstituteof
BiomedicalResearch
9:30
UniversityofZü richSchoolof
Medicine,HeffterResearchCentre
15:00
RyanRemedios,Ph.D.*
CalTech
NikosK.Logothetis,Ph.D.
ChristophKayser,Ph.D.
TheClaustrumandtheOrchestraof
CognitiveControl
CoffeeBreak
LocatedintheFoyer
Artist:JohnHouser
10:30
SpecialUnveilingCeremony
inMemoryofFrancisCrick
BrunovanSwinderen,Ph.D.
TheUniversityofQueensland
15:30
11:00
DavidB.Edelman,Ph.D.
TheNeurosciencesInstitute,
TheScrippsResearchInstitute
11:30
IrenePepperberg,Ph.D.
BrandeisUniversity,Harvard
University,TheAlexFoundation
12:00
InvitedLecture:
HarveyKarten,MD
TheUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego
12:30
KeynoteSpeaker:
JaakPanksepp,Ph.D.
WashingtonStateUniversity
NeuralCorrelatesof
UnconsciousnessinDrosophila
ThroughtheEyesofanOctopus:An
InvertebrateModelforConsciousness
Studies
16:00
EmotionalFeelingsofOtherAni‐
mals:AreTheirAffectsHomologous
toOurOwn?
CoffeeBreak
SpecialUnveilingCeremony
inMemoryofFrancisCrick
StevenLaureys,MD,Ph.D.
CyclotronResearchCenter,
UniversityofLiè ge,FNRS
16:30
MelanieBoly,MD,Ph.D.
UniversityofLiè ge,
UniversityofWisconsin
17:00
PhilipLow,Ph.D.*
NeuroVigil,Stanford,MIT
&
StephenW.Hawking,D.Phil.
Human‐likeConsciousnessin
Non‐Humans:EvidencefromGrey
Parrots
AreCommonalitiesinBrain
MicroarchitectureandBehaviorin
HumansandBirdsaCoincidence?
NaotsuguTsuchiya,Ph.D.
RIKEN,ATR,Japan,Caltech,
MonashUniversity
MaxPlanckInstituteforBiological
Cybernetics
10:00
FranzX.Vollenweider,MD
VisualConsciousnessTrackedwith
DirectIntracranialRecordingfrom
EarlyVisualCorticesinHumans
LocatedintheFoyer
Artist:OdileCrick
IdentifyingtheBrain’sAwareness
System:LessonsfromComaand
RelatedStates
CerebralConnectivityinDisordersof
Consciousness
TowardsEstablishingNeural
CorrelatesofIntendedMovements
andSpeech
UniversityofCambridge
17:30
Panel
TheCambridgeDeclarationon
ConsciousnessinHumanand
Non‐HumanAnimals
18:00
PhilipLow,Ph.D.
ClosingRemarks
NeuroVigil,Stanford,MIT
*PresentingAuthor
NeuronalCorrelatesofPsychedelic
Drug‐InducedImageryinHumans
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
ChristofKoch,Ph.D.
ChiefScienti ic
Of icerattheAllen
InstituteforBrain
Science,Seattle.
LoisandVictor
TroendleProfessor
ofCognitiveand
BehavioralBiology
atCaliforniaInsti‐
tuteofTechnology,
Pasadena,CA
Dr.ChristofKochjoinedtheAllenInstituteasChiefScienti icOf icerin
2011.Forthepast25years,KochhasservedonthefacultyattheCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech), from his initial appointment
asAssistantProfessor,DivisionofBiologyandDivisionofEngineering
andAppliedSciencesin1986,tohismostrecentpositionasLoisand
VictorTroendleProfessorofCognitive&BehavioralBiology.Previously,hespentfouryearsasapostdoctoralfellowintheArti icialIntelligenceLaboratoryandtheBrainandCognitiveSciencesDepartmentat
theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.Hereceivedhisbaccalaureate from the Lycé e Descartes in Rabat, Morocco, his M.S. in physics
from the University of Tü bingen in Germany and his Ph.D. from the
Max-Planck-Institutfü rBiologischeKybernetik,Tü bingen.
Koch has published extensively, and his writings and interests integrate theoretical, computational and experimental neuroscience.
Stemming in part from a long-standing collaboration with the late
NobelLaureateFrancisCrick,Kochauthoredthebook“TheQuestfor
Consciousness:ANeurobiologicalApproach.”Hehasalsoauthoredthe
technical books “Biophysics of Computation: Information Processing
inSingleNeurons”and“MethodsinNeuronalModeling:FromIonsto
Networks,”andservedaseditorforseveralbooksonneuralmodeling
andinformationprocessing.Koch’sresearchaddressesscienti icquestionsusingawidelymultidisciplinaryapproach.
Hisresearchinterestsincludeelucidatingthebiophysicalmechanisms
underlying neural computation, understanding the mechanisms and
purpose of visual attention, and uncovering the neural basis of consciousness and the subjective mind. Koch maintains a part-time appointmentandlaboratoryatCaltech.
Text:CourtesyofAllenInstituteforBrainScience
Dr. Gomez-Mancilla obtained a Medicine Degree at the National AutonomousUniversity ofStateof MexicoinToluca, Mexico.Thenhemovedto
Canada,whereheobtainedaDoctoralDegreeinExperimentalNeurology,
developingaPrimateModelofl-dopainduceddyskinesias,attheFaculty
of Medicine Laval University. He obtained “The Gorge Copty Award on
NeurologicalSciences”forhiscontributionsintheunderstandingofBasal
GangliacircuitinParkinson’sdisease.HecontinuedhisClinicalNeurological training at l'Hô pital de l'Enfant-Jé sus in Quebec under Prof. Paul Bedard’ssupervision.HewasawardedaFellowshipfromMedicalResearch
CouncilofCanadatoperformPost-DoctoralstudiesinClinicalPharmacologyandDrugMetabolismleadinghimtoobtainthe‘Psychopharmacology
Award’ by the University of Toronto for his contributions to the underBaltazarGomez‐
standing of psychotropic drug metabolism in the CNS. Dr. GomezMancillaMDPhD
Mancilla took on the role of Director of Clinical Research at The Upjohn
ExecutiveDirector
Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan, leading the clinical strategy for the
ofNeuroscience
developmentoftwosuccessfulnewdrugapplicationstotheFDA,includTranslational
ing Pramipexole for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, and AlmotripMedicine
tanforthetreatmentofMigraine.
NovartisInstituteof
Dr. Gomez-Mancilla currently holds the position of Executive Director of
BioMedical
Translational Medicine in Neuroscience at the Novartis Institute of BioResearch
medicalResearchinBasel,Switzerland.In2008hereceivedtheNovartis
NSONavigatorAward,theNovartisTranslationalScienceAwardin2009,
andthe‘VIVAAward”asaLeadingScientistin2010forhiscontributions
to the development of new therapeutic strategies in Parkinson’s disease
anddevelopmentalpervasivedisorders,respectively.
Dr Gomez-Mancilla holds a professorship at the Max Planck Institute of
Neurobiology,UniversityofTü bingen.Throughouthiscareer,hehasidenti ied several new drugs and alternative indications in neurological and
psychiatric disorders. He has iled 15 patent applications and has authoredmorethan50peer-reviewedscienti icarticlesandbookchapters.
StudyingtheMurineMind
ChristofKoch,Ph.D. Consciousness:APharmacologicalPerspective
BaltazarGomez-Mancilla,MDPh.D.
Mice are a very promising model system for studying the neuronal
correlatesofconsciousness.Theirbrainstructureissimilartothatof
thehuman,theydisplaycomplexbehavior,andtheirunderlying neuronal responses can be measured using optics and silicon probes at
cellularlevelofresolution.Incontrasttothebluntandedentatetools
available to probe the human brain, the recent emergence of optogeneticsallowsscientiststodelicately,transiently,andreversiblycontrol
de ined events in de ined cell types at de ined times in mice.This allows us to move from correlation to causation, from observing that
thiscircuitisactivatedwheneverthesubjectis perceivingsomething
to inferring that this circuit is necessary for conscious perception. I
shall report on the large-scale and high throughput efforts to build
brain observatories to understand the mouse visual system that are
ongoingattheAllenInstitute.
Consciousnesshasbeentraditionallyde inedbytheabilityofanindividualtoeffectivelycommunicatewithhis/hersurroundingworld.Theclassicalmedicalclassi icationofstateofconsciousnessinapatient(i.e.Glasgowscale)isderivedfromanobservationalstudyoftheindividual’s
physicalreactionstoexternalstimuli,butisnotabletocaptureanyresidualcognitivebrainactivity.
Thedevelopmentsofnewtechnologiesthatpermittocaptureneuronal
activityhavemadearevolutionintermsofourunderstandingofthede initionofconsciousness.FunctionalMagneticResonanceimaginghas
allowedtheidenti icationofbraincircuitsinvolvedincomplexmental
interactionslikeawarenessandcognition.Cognitionisakeybrainprocessthatmediatesourinteractionwiththeexternalenvironment.Itdeineshowdoweperceivetheworldandreactinconsequence.Cognition
asaprocessisindeedintimatelyboundtotheperceptionofconsciousnessthattheexternalworldwillhavefromus,asindividuals.
Theunderstandingofthemolecularmechanisminvolvedincognition
suchassynapticplasticity,neuralconnectivityandbraincircuitsare
continuallyevolvingasitistheuseofpharmacologicalinterventionsas
toolstounderstandand/orrestoresynapticplasticity
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
RyanRemedios,
Ph.D.
Postdoctoral
Researcher,
CaliforniaInstitute
ofTechnology,
Pasadena,CA
Dr. Ryan Remedios is a neuroscientist at the California Institute of
Technology(Caltech).HeearnedhisMScattheTataInstituteofFundamental Research in 2005 and his Ph.D. at the Max Planck Institute
forBiologicalCyberneticsin2011.
Ryan has worked in several key areas in neuroscience and has publishedaboutbraindevelopment,thephysiologyofcognitiveprocesses,
andcommunicationinprimates.Hisrecentworkfocusedonthefunctional signi icance of the claustrum and he is currently exploring the
neuronalbasisofinnate,socialbehaviorsusingthemouseasamodel
system.
TheClaustrumandtheOrchestraofCognitiveControl
RyanRemedios,Ph.D.,NikosK.Logothetis,Ph.D.,
ChristophKayser,Ph.D.
MaxPlanckInstituteforBiologicalCybernetics
FrancisCrickandChristophKochwereinterestedintheclaustrumas
a site of multisensory integration due to its extensive topographic
connectionswiththesensorycortices(1).Weshowedthat theclaustrum did not integrate sensory information as neurons here were
highlymodalityspeci icanddidnotexhibittheresponsecharacteristicstypically associatedwithmultisensoryprocessing(2).Ourrecent
observations do however support Crick and Koch's conjecture of the
claustrum as a conductorintheorchestraofcorticalregions (1). To
identify claustrum function, we targetedly ablated claustral neurons
andobserved free-exploratorybehaviors,aswellasbehaviorswithin
paradigmsdesignedtodistinguishbetweencognitiveandmotorabilities.Weuncoveredasevereimpairmentincost-bene itdecisionmakingbylesionedanimalscontingenttoemotionalmodulation,paralleling the emotive role of the prefrontal cortex. We correspondingly
identi ied a direct, interhemispheric, bidirectional network between
theclaustrumandprefrontalareas,anddeterminedchangesinglobal
and regional brain network activity on claustral ablation using functionalmagneticresonanceimaging.Overallwesuggestthattheclaustrumregulatescognitivecontrol.
(1)Crick&Koch,2005.(2)Remedios,Logothetis,Kayser,2010.
NikosK.Logotheits,
Ph.D.
Directorof
“PhysiologyofCog‐
nitiveProcesses”
department,the
MaxPlanckInstitute
forBiological
Cybernetics
NikosK.Logothetisisdirectorofthedepartment“PhysiologyofCognitive Processes” at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics
(MPIK),inTü bingen,Germany.HereceivedaB.S.inmathematicsfrom
theUniversityofAthens,aB.S.inbiologyfromtheUniversityofThessaloniki, and his Ph.D. in human neurobiology from the LudwigMaximiliansUniversityinMunich.In1985hemovedtotheBrainand
CognitiveSciencesDepartmentofM.I.T.,whereheinitiallyworkedasa
postdoctoralfellowandlaterasResearchScientist.In1990hejoined
the faculty of the Division of Neuroscience at the Baylor College of
Medicine.Seven yearslaterhemovedtothe Max PlanckInstitutefor
BiologicalCyberneticstocontinuehisworkonthephysiologicalmechanisms underlying visual perception and object recognition. In additiontovisualcognition,hisworkatMPICincludesauditoryperception
andmultisensoryintegration,aswellasstudiesofplasticityand
neuromodulation.
Since1992NikosK.LogothetishasbeenAdjunctProfessorofNeurobiologyattheSalkInstituteinSanDiego,since1995AdjunctProfessor
ofOphthalmologyattheBaylorCollegeofMedicine,Houston,AssociateoftheNeurosciencesInstitute,SanDiego,SeniorVisitingFellowin
University College, London, Adjunct Professor in the Department of
CognitiveandNeuralSystemsandofCognitiveandNeuralSystemsin
theCollegeofArtsandSciences,bothattheBostonUniversity,Massachusetts, a faculty member at the Victoria University of Manchester
(VUM)inEngland,andHonoraryProfessorintheDepartmentofBiologyattheUniversityofTü bingen.
Text:CourtesytheMaxPlanckInstituteforBiologicalCybernetics
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
ChristophKayser
Ph.D.
OttoHahnResearch
GroupLeader,the
MaxPlanckInstitute
forBiological
Cybernetics
Dr. Christoph Kayser is a research group leader at the Max Planck
InstituteforBiologicalCyberneticsinTubingen,Germany.Hestudied
mathematics and theoretical physics at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland,
and obtained a PhD in Neuroscience. Work in his lab focuses on the
processing of auditory information in temporal cortex and how this
bene its from multisensory information. Speci ically, he employs a
combination of functional imaging, electrophysiological and theoreticalmethodstostudytheneuralinformationrepresentationinauditorycorticesandhowthisismodi iedbynon-acousticinputs.Thegoalis
to enhance our understanding of the neural basis underlying perception,andtoprovideusefulinsightsforpotentialmedicalapplications,
suchasprostheticdevicesorrehabilitationapproaches.
Text:CourtesyFrontiersinNeuroscience
Brunovan
Swinderen,Ph.D.
AssociateProfessor,
QueenslandBrain
Institute,The
Universityof
Queensland,
Brisbane,AU
Dr.BrunovanSwinderenreceivedhisPhDinEvolutionaryandPopulation Biology in 1998 from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.HisgraduateworkwasongeneralanesthesiainaCaenorhabditis elegans model, applying both quantitative genetics and molecular
genetic approaches. For his postdoc at The Neurosciences Institute
(NSI)inSanDiego,California(1999-2003),heswitchedtoDrosophila
melanogastertodevelopmethodsofstudyingperceptioninthefruitlymodel.HeranalabatNSIfrom2003to2007,withaprimaryinterestonconsciousnessandthemeasurablephenomenaassociatedwith
it,suchasselectiveattention,memory,sleep,andgeneralanesthesia.
His approaches included both brain recording paradigms and behavioralassays that focusedonmeasuresofvisualperception.In February2008,vanSwinderenestablishedanewlaboratoryattheQueenslandBrainInstitute.Thegroupcombinesexpertiseinelectrophysiology,behavior,andmoleculargeneticstounderstandfundamentalbrain
mechanisms. The main research focus of the laboratory is to understand stimulus suppression mechanisms. These mechanisms pertain
totheabilitytopayattention,butalsotheabilitytosuppressstimuli
duringsleep,andhowthiscanbeinducedwithdrugssuchasgeneral
anesthesia.
Text: Courtesy The University of Queensland and The Neurosciences
Institute
NeuralCorrelatesofUnconsciousnessinDrosophila
BrunovanSwinderen,Ph.D. Our understanding of consciousness often follows from studies of
selectiveattention,sleep,andgeneralanaesthesiainhumans.However,thesebehaviouralstatescanalsobestudiedinthesimpleranimals,
suchasthefruit lyDrosophilamelanogaster,whereresponsivenessto
stimulicanbeindicativeofthelevelarousalintheanimal.Multichannelbrainrecordingsfrom liescanthenbeusedtoidentifyprocesses,
suchaslocal ieldpotentialcoherence,associatedwithdifferentarousal states in the tiny insect brain. In my talk, I will argue that distinct
arousalstates,suchassleepandselectiveattention,mayinvolvesimilar stimulus suppression mechanisms, and that perceptual suppressionmayhavebeentheevolutionaryinnovationleadingtoconscious
andunconsciousstatesinhigheranimals.Iwillthenproceedtoshow
howonecanusethegeneticmodelDrosophilatomanipulateanddissectperceptualsuppressionmechanismsinasmallbrain.
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
DavidB.Edelman,
Ph.D.
AssociateFellow,
Experimental
Neurobiology,The
Neurosciences
Institute
AssistantProfessor
ofNeurobiology,
TheScripps
ResearchInstitute
Dr.DavidEdelmangraduatedfromSwarthmoreCollegewithaB.A.in
Sociology and Anthropology, received his Ph.D. in Physical Anthropology,withaspecializationinpaleoanthropology,fromtheUniversityofPennsylvania.From1997to2005,hewasapostdoctoral fellow at both the Scripps Research Institute and the Neurosciences
Institute. Asa FellowattheNeuroscientists InstituteandProfessor
attheScrippsResearchInstitute,Edelmanispresentlyinvestigating
themajorfeaturesofoctopusvision,fromthevariouspropertiesthat
are most salient to the behaving animal to the electrophysiological
signaturesofthosepropertiesandtheirassociatedfunctionalanatomies. In order to characterize the octopus visual system, he uses a
varietyoftechniques,includinghigh-de initionvideopresentationof
stimuli,electrophysiologicalrecordinginliveanimals,andmolecular
labelling to de ine the anatomy of visual pathways in the central
octopusbrain.
Text:CourtesyofTheNeurosciencesInstitute
ThroughtheEyesofanOctopus:AnInvertebrateModelfor
ConsciousnessStudies
DavidB.Edelman,Ph.D. Endowed with a nervous system containing as many as 500 million
neurons,aswell aseyesthatare structurallyconvergentwiththose
ofvertebrates,theoctopusmaybeanexcellentmodelforinvestigatingconsciousnessinaninvertebrate.Here,Iwillmakesuchacaseon
neuroanatomical,neurophysiological,andbehavioralgrounds.Iwill:
1)layoutaworkingde initionforconsciousnessthatmaybeextendedbeyondthevertebratecase;2)describestructuralandfunctional
properties which may be the sinequanon of consciousness; 3) suggestevolutionarytrends(e.g.,theemergenceofcomplexvision)that
mayhavesetthestagefortheadventofconsciousstatesinavariety
of species; and 4) discuss the latest results from ongoing studies of
cephalopod vision and offer a 'roadmap' for additional experiments
thatmay leadto arobustmethodologyfortheexplicitinvestigation
ofsensoryconsciousnessinthese,andperhapscertainother,invertebrates(e.g.,jumpingspiders).
Dr. Irene Pepperberg received a B.S. in Chemistry from MIT, and was
awarded a M.A. in Chemistry followed by a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics
from Harvard University. She has held posts at Purdue, Northwestern,
University of Arizona, the MIT Media Lab, and currently a research
associate at Harvard University, and an adjunct associate professor at
BrandeisUniversity .ThemainfocusofPepperberg’sworkisthecognitive and communicative abilities of Grey Parrots, and she has shown
that these birds have capacities comparable to non-human primates
andyoungchildren.Thetrainingprocessshehasemployedisbasedon
therival-modeltechniqueinwhichtwohumansdemonstratetothebird
whatistobelearned.Throughnumerouspioneeringstudies,hersubIrenePepperberg,
jectshaveprovenabletouseEnglishlabelstoidentify,request,refuse,
Ph.D.
and categorize more than ifty objects, seven colors, ive shapes, and
AdjunctAssociate
quantities to six, as well as understand concepts such as big vs. small,
Professorin
samevs.different,andabsence.
Psychology,Brande‐
Text:CourtesyTheAlexFoundation,RadcliffeInstitute
isUniversity
Lecturerand
ResearchAssociate,
HarvardUniversity
President,TheAlex
Foundation
Human‐likeConsciousnessinNon‐Humans:EvidencefromGrey
Parrots
IrenePepperberg,Ph.D. Toobtaindataonnonhumanconsciousness,researchersoftenexamine
“perceptual consciousness”(1) —how sensory information is acknowledged, processed, and integrated (2). An organism may be aware it is
processinginformation,possiblyofhowitisprocessinginformation,but
not necessarily be aware it is aware of how information is processed.
Thisawarenessisrequiredforcomplextaskswhichrequireintegrating
perception, centralized monitoring, and behavioral control(3) and is a
formofhigher-ordercognition(4);itmayinvolvethecapacitytochoose,
fromvariouspossiblesetsofacquiredrules,the setthatappropriately
governstheprocessingofcertaindata(5).Sometimes,however,eventhis
information-processing account cannot explain observed data. Three
studies on Grey parrots—predominantly on Alex, who used English
speechintentionallytolabelobjects,colors,shapes,andcategories,who
understood concepts of same-different, relative size, absence, conjunction, exact numbers, conjunctivity, equivalence, and segmentation(6)
provide evidence for some level of consciousness approaching that of
humans.
(1) Grif in, 1998, 2000; Grif in & Speck, 2004. (2) Natsoulas, 1978. (3)
Pepperberg&Lynn,2000.(4)Delacour,1997.(5)Pepperberg,1999.(6)
Pepperberg,1999,2006a,b,2007
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
HarveyKarten,MD.
Professorof
Neurosciences,
Universityof
CaliforniaSanDiego
Professorof
Psychiatry,The
Universityof
CaliforniaSanDiego
SchoolofMedicine
Dr.HarveyKartenreceivedaB.A.inChemistryfromYeshivaCollege,
andaM.D.fromAlbertEinsteinCollegeofMedicine.AfteranInternship Internal Medicine at University of Utah, he completed his Residency in Psychiatry at University of Colorado. Before accepting a
positionatUCSD,Dr.KartenheldresearchpostsattheWalterReed
ArmyInstituteofResearch,andatMIT,aswellasaProfessorshipof
Psychiatry and Neurobiology at SUNY at Stony Brook. Karten’s current research focuses on studies of the neural circuitry, biophysics,
andevolutionofmotiondetectioninbirdsandmammals.Hislaboratory utilizes a broad spectrum of anatomical and neurochemical
methods; including pathway tracing, immunohistochemical and biochemical methods for the identi ication of transmitters, peptides,
trophic factors and their respective receptors, a single cell illing of
identi ied neurons and quantitative morphometry, and electron microscopic immunohistochemistry. Research activities led by Dr.
Kartenhaveledtoagreaterappreciationoftheimportanceofevolutionary analyses of non-mammalian brains, both vertebrates and
invertebrates, at a cellular, circuit, and molecular level. Important
indings continue to produce shifts in perspective regarding the organization of the brain in non-mammalian vertebrates, sensory organizationofascendingpaths,theirevolution,andtheirconsequencesforunderstandingthehumanbrain.
Text:CourtesyofUniversityofCalifornia,SanDiego
AreCommonalitiesinBrainMicroarchitectureandBehaviorin
HumansandBirdsaCoincidence?
HarveyKarten,MD A"TuringTest"forcognitiveandsensory-motorcapabilitiespresuming to distinguish Monkeys and Parrots would likely prove dif icult
for an external observor/predictor. Which animal is hiding behind
each "Turing Curtain"? Rigid conformity to semantics and outdated
de initionsofhomologyremainsanobstacletounderstandingbrain
evolution.Aretherecommonfeaturesinbrainorganizationofbirds
and mammals that mediate such striking similarities? Comparative
studies of brain evolution over the past 50 years have resulted in a
drasticallymodi iedviewofbrainorganizationamongsttheseclosely
related vertebrates. With very few exceptions, virtually identical
neuronalconnectionsandmicrocircuitshavebeenfoundtomediate
similarbehaviors.
JaakPanskepp,Ph.D.
BailyEndowedChair
ofAnimalWell‐Being
Science&Professor,
Veterinary&Compar‐
ativeAnatomy,
Pharmacy,Physiology
(VCAPP),Washington
StateUniversity,
DistinguishedRe‐
searchProfessor
EmeritusofPsycholo‐
gy,BowlingGreen
StateUniversity,
Head,Affective
NeuroscienceRe‐
search,FalkCenterfor
MolecularTherapeu‐
tics,Northwestern
University
Dr. Jaak Panksepp holds the Baily Endowed Chair of Animal WellBeingScienceinWashingtonStateUniversity'sCollegeofVeterinary
Medicine and is Emeritus Distinguished Research Professor of the
Department of Psychology at Bowling Green State University. His
research pioneered the neuroscienti ic study of primary-process
emotionsinmammals,withthegoalofunderstandingtheevolutionaryinfrastructureofhumanemotionalfeelings.Hecoinedtheterm
“affective neuroscience” as the name for the ield that studies the
neuralmechanismsofemotion,notonlyfromneuro-ethologicalbut
also experiential perspectives (i.e., monitoring the rewarding and
punishing properties of arti icial arousal of basic mammalian emotionalactionsystems).Hisgroupgeneratedthe irstneural(opioidaddictive) model of mother-infant social bonding, and the understanding of various other basic affective processes, especially the
nature of playful joy, that have important psychiatric implications,
especially for the development of new therapies. Along with Ken
Davis, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale was developed
asapotentialbridgebetweenbasicpreclinicalandhumanresearch
endeavors. He is known in the popular press for his research on
laughter in non-human animals, a topic that has led his extended
research group to identify several novel treatments of depression.
HisforthcomingbookistheArchaeologyofMind(Norton,2012).
EmotionalFeelingsofOtherAnimals:AreTheirAffectsHomologoustoOurOwn?
JaakPanskepp,Ph.D. Becauseofitsbipolarpositiveandnegativeaffectivestructure,rawemotionalfeelingsarean
optimal way to make scienti ic progress on the neural constitution of consciousness. Such
researchhasrevealedtheexistenceofprofoundneuroanatomicalandneurochemicalhomologiesinthesystemsthatcontrolemotionalityinmammalianandavianspecies.Whereverin
theirbrainsoneapplieslocalizedDeepBrainStimulation(DBS),whetherelectricalorchemical,andobtainscoherentinstinctualemotionalbehaviorpatterns,animalstreatthesewithin
-brainstateshiftsas'rewards'and'punishments'invariouslearningtasks.HumansconsistentlyreportdesirableandundesirableaffectivechangestosuchDBS.Theseeffectsserveas
gold standards for the detailed scienti ic study of affective qualia in animal and human
brains. Such work helps clarify the neural nature of phenomenal-affective consciousness,
namely why various emotional arousals feel good and bad in distinct ways. Abundant convergentevidenceindicateshowsuchprimary-processsubcorticalneuralnetworksgenerate
homologousemotionalfeelingsinallmammalsthathavebeenstudied,andhowtheycontrol
learningandmemory.Thisknowledgeilluminatesourowndeepernature,andallowsusto
understanding cross-species core-self processes that generate organismic and affective coherencethatservesasacoherentBrainMindinfrastructureforunderstandinghighermental
processes.Thistypeofresearchhelpsrevealthecausal/constitutiveinfrastructureofhuman
andotherminds(i.e.,the“hardproblem”ofconsciousness).Itprovidesanewfoundationfor
understanding psychiatric disorders as well and the development of new mind medicines.
Theprogressiveunderstandingoftheevolutionaryinfrastructureofacross-speciesmental
apparatushelpsuscometotermswiththeaffectivedepthsofourownminds,aswellasof
ourfellowanimals.
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
DianaReiss,Ph.D.
Professorof
Psychology,Hunter
CollegeandCity
UniversityofNew
YorkBiopsychology
GraduateProgram Dr. Diana Reiss attended Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and
pursuedacareerintheatricalsetdesign,beforeenteringaprogramin
bioacousticsatTempleUniversityDepartmentofSpeechandCommunications.AfterreceivingherPh.D.inDevelopmentalPsychology,Reiss
openedalaboratorycalledMarineWorldAfricaU.S.A.,whereshepioneeredprotocolsthatutilizedunderwaterkeyboardstostudydolphin
communicationandlearning.AtherlaboratoryattheNationalAquariuminBaltimore,Reisscontinuestoresearchdolphinsthroughmirror
self-recognitionparadigmsthataredesignedtocorrelatewith higher
formsofempathyandaltruisticbehavior.Byusingmirrorsasresearch
tools,Dr.Reisshasbeenabletoconductcomparativeinvestigationsin
animalcognition,andcollectresultsthatprovideinsightintotheevolutionofintelligence.
Text: Courtesy of National Aquarium Baltimore, New York Times,
LifeboatFoundation MirrorSelf‐recognition:ACaseofCognitiveConvergenceinHu‐
mansandotherAnimals
DianaReiss,Ph.D. Photo Courtesy Wikipedia.com “Non-violenceleadstothehighestethics,
whichisthegoalofallevolution.Untilwe
stop harming all other living beings, we
arestillsavages.”-ThomasA.Edison
Theabilitytorecognizeoneselfinamirror,onceconsideredauniquely human attribute, is shared by great apes, dolphins, elephants and
magpies. In comparative studies of mirror self-recognition (MSR)
dolphinsandelephants,show strikingsimilaritiestohumansandthe
greatapesinthestagesofbehaviorandthespeci ictypesofbehaviors
they show when exposed to a mirror. MSR emerges in children between18-24monthsandinchimpanzeesbetween2.5-4.5yearsofage.
Inadevelopmentalstudyconductedtodeterminetheageofonsetof
self-directedbehaviorsandMSRindolphins,wefounddolphinsat1418monthsofageexhibitingself-directedbehavior-evidenceofMSR.
Dolphins are precocious at birth and exceed human and non-human
primates in motor skills and coordination. Our indings suggest that
young dolphins may show advanced cognition at an earlier age with
respect to mirror self-directed behavior as compared to humans and
chimpanzees.
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
FranzX.
Vollenweider,MD.
Professorof
Psychiatry,
UniversityofZürich
SchoolofMedicine,
Vice‐Directorof
Researchand
Teachingand
Directorofthe
Neuropsychophar‐
macologyandBrain
ImagingResearch
Unitofthe
UniversityHospital
ofPsychiatry
Zürich,Directorof
HeffterResearch
CentreZürichfor
Consciousness
Studies
Dr. Franz Vollenweider received his M.D. degree at the University of
Zü rich. He completed his doctoral thesis in experimental medicine at
the Institute of Toxicology of the University and ETH of Zü rich, was
trained in neurochemistry at the Brain Research Institute of the
UniversityofZü rich,andinneuroimagingatthePETCentreofthePSIETH.In1994hebecamecerti iedinthespecialitiesofpsychiatryand
psychotherapy. His research interests encompass the area of
psychopathology, cognitive neuroscience, and behavioural
psychopharmacology of psychotic and affective disorders.
Vollenweider’s current research focuses on the investigation of the
functional networks and transmitter dynamics underlying the
experience of self, visual perception, cognitive and emotional
processesandthedysfunctionsoftheseprocessesinhumanmodelsof
psychoses and psychiatric patients. Multiple approaches including
measures of information processing, event-related potentials, and
brain imaging techniques are used for studying these functions, and
addressing the mechanisms of action of psychostimulants,
hallucinogens,andentactogensinhumans.
Text:CourtesyofHeffterResearchInstitute
NeuronalCorrelatesofPsychedelicDrug‐InducedImageryin
Humans
FranzX.Vollenweider,MD. Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin produce an altered state of
consciousness (ASC) characterized by vivid imagery and profound
changes in mood, thought, intuition, and self that is otherwise rarely
experiencedexceptindreams.Recent indingssuggestthattheserotoninsystemandparticularlyagonisticactivityat5-HT2A/1Areceptors
isimplicatedintheformationofpsilocybin-inducedandalsonaturally
occurringvisualhallucinations.Toelucidatetherelationshipbetween
regional brain activity and imagery and the mechanism of action of
psychedelics,theeffectofpsilocybinincombinationw/oserotonin2A
and1Areceptorantagonistsonvisualprocessingandsubjectiveexperience was investigated using high-density electrical mapping with
sourceanalysisandH2O-PETimaging.Theresultsshowreducedactivation in the right extrastriate and posterior parietal areas, and disruptedmodalobjectcompletion.Furthermore,theysuggestthatpsilocybin-induced imagery is primarily mediated by 5-HT2A receptor
activationbasedonadisruptionincorticalfeedforwardandfeedback
processing.
NaotsuguTsuchiya,
Ph.D.
PRESTO(Sakigake)
fellow,Japan
Scienceand
TechnologyAgency
(JST),Japan
Visitingscholarin
Laboratoryfor
Adaptive
Intelligence,RIKEN,
Japan
Visitingscholarin
ATR,Japan
Visitor,Divisionof
Biology,Caltech,
USA
AssociateProfessor,
SchoolofPsycholo‐
gyandPsychiatry,
FacultyofMedicine,
NursingandHealth
Sciences,Monash
University
Dr.NaotsuguTsuchiyawasawardedaB.S.inBiologyfromtheKyoto
University.From2000to2005TsuchiyapursuedadoctorateatCalifornia Institute of Technology as a member of Chistoph Koch’s research group. After receiving his Ph.D. in Computation and Neural
Systems, he joined Ralph Adolphs’ lab as post-doctoral fellow until
2010,whereheinvestigatedvisualattention,unconsciousvisualprocessing,andtheamygdala’scategoricalselectivitytovisualstimuli.Dr.
Tsuchiya’smostrecentresearchhasfocusedontheenigmatictriumvirate of relations between consciousness, attention, and emotion.
Throughtheanalysisofmultichannelneurophysiologicaldata,recordedintracraniallyorbyfMRI,Tsuchiyaaimstoidentifythedistinction
betweenconsciousnessandattention,andlocatetheneuralcorrelates
ofeach.
VisualConsciousnessTrackedwithDirectIntracranialRecording
fromEarlyVisualCorticesinHumans
NaotsuguTsuchiya,Ph.D. A fundamental question in cognitive neuroscience is how neuronal
representations are related to conscious experience. Two key questionsare:whereinthebrainsuchrepresentationsarelocated,andat
what point in time they correlate with conscious experience. In line
with this issue, a hotly debated question is whether primary visual
cortex (V1) contributes to visual consciousness, or whether this depends only on higher-order cortices. Here we investigated this issue
by recording directly from early visual cortex in two neurosurgical
patientsundergoingepilepsymonitoringwithintracranialelectrocorticogram(ECoG)electrodesthatcoveredearlyvisualcortices,includingthedorsalandventralbanksofthecalcarinesulcus.WeusedContinuous Flash Suppression (CFS) to investigate the time course of
when 'invisible' stimuli broke interocular suppression. Participants
were asked to watch faces presented under CFS, to push a button
whentheystartedtoseeanypartoftheface,andthentoindicateits
spatial location. This occured over several seconds. During the task
performance we recorded intracranial ECoG at high spatiotemporal
resolutionfromallcontactsinparallel.Weusedmultivariatedecoding
techniques and found that the location of the invisible face stimulus
becamedecodablefromneuronalactivity1.8secbeforethesubject's
buttonpress.Wewilldiscussthe neuronaldynamicsassociatedwith
thebreakofinter-ocularsuppression.
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
StevenLaureys,MD,
Ph.D.
ResearchAssociate
attheBelgian
NationalFundfor
Scienti icResearch
(FNRS)
HeadoftheComa
ScienceGroup,
CyclotronResearch
Center
HeadofClinics,
NeurologyDept.,
UniversityHospital,
UniversityofLiège
Dr.StevenLaureysreceivedhisMDfromVrijeUniversiteitBrussel,in
Belgium,andwasawardedanM.Sc.inPharmaceuticalMedicineforhis
researchonpainandstrokeusinginvivomicrodialysisanddiffusion
MRIinrats.Drawnbyfunctionalneuroimaging,Laureysmovedtothe
CyclotronResearchCenterattheUniversityofLiè ge,Belgium,where
he received a Ph.D. for his investigations into residual brain function
in coma, vegetative, minimally conscious and locked-in states. Laureys has used fMRI to demonstrate awareness the awareness of patientsinvegetativestatesandhaspublishedwidelyonrelatedtopics
suchasbrain-death,locked-insyndrome,anesthesia,pain,andsleep.
Text:CourtesyofComaScienceGroup
IdentifyingtheBrain'sAwarenessSystem:LessonsfromComaand
RelatedStates
StevenLaureys,MD,Ph.D. Following severe brain damage some patients loose all brain and
brainstemfunctionsandevolvetobraindeathwhileotherscanopen
their eyes, but only show re lex behavior. Some patients will remain
unresponsive for decades; others may evolve to a minimally responsive/consciousstatewithmorethansimplere lexbehaviorsbutlacking communication. Finally, coma patients may awaken, being fully
aware but paralyzed and mute. We here review neuroimaging and
electrophysiology studies that illuminate the relationships between
awareness and brain function in these challenging conditions. Such
studiesshowthatawarenessisanemergentpropertyofthecollective
behavior of frontoparietal top-down connectivity where external
(sensory) awareness depends on lateral prefrontal/parietal cortices,
while internal (self) awareness correlates with precuneal/
mesiofrontal midline activity. This knowledge improves diagnosis of
patients with disorders of consciousness. Technology can also now
show command-speci ic changes in EEG or fMRI signals providing
motor-independentevidenceofconsciousthoughtsandinsomecases
communication.
MelanieBoly,MD,
Ph.D.
ResearchFellow,
ComaScience
Group,Universityof
Liege,
CenterforSleepand
Consciousness,
Universityof
Wisconsin,Madison
UniversityHospital,
UniversityofLiège
Dr.MelanieBolyisaPostdoctoralResearchFellowattheBelgianNational Fund for Scienti ic Research. She works since more than ten
years with Steven Laureys at the Coma Science Group (Cyclotron ResearchCentre,UniversityofLiege).Herresearchaimsatinvestigating
the neural correlates of decreased consciousness during vegetative
state, anesthesia or sleep using a variety of functional neuroimaging
techniques(includingPET,functionalMRI,highdensityEEGandTMSEEG).ShealsoworkedwiththeteamofAdrianOweninCambridge,in
order to design some active paradigms (such as the fMRI 'imagine
playing tennis') able to detect consciousness in unresponsive noncommunicativebraindamagedpatients.In2010shealsoperformeda
post-doctoral stay in Karl Friston's group at University College London,inordertoapplydynamiccausalmodelingtothestudyofeffectiveconnectivityinanesthesiavegetativestate.Sheisnowperforming
asecondpostdoctoralstayattheCenterforSleepandConsciousness,
University of Wisconsin (with Giulio Tononi). Her present work aims
atcombiningfunctionalneuroimagingstudiesontheneuralcorrelates
ofthelevelofconsciousnessinvariousstatessuchassleep,anesthesia,
or brain damaged patients to a more theoretical approach.
Text:CourtesyFrontiersinNeuroscience
CerebralConnectivityinDisordersofConsciousness
MelanieBoly,MD,Ph.D. During the last decade, functional neuroimaging of disorders of consciousness(i.e.,coma,vegetativestateandminimallyconsciousstate)
has evolved from measuring resting cerebral blood low or electrical
activity to studying functional response to sensory stimuli and to activeparadigmaskingpatientstoconcentrateondoingatasklikeplaying tennis. While these methods have improved the care of the patients,theyalsoshowhowdif icultitistodistinguishdifferentstates
of consciousness. Brain connectivity studies aim at evaluating global
cerebral function in patients with disorders of consciousness. In this
talk,Iwillcoverresultsobtainedusingarangeoffunctionalandeffective connectivity approaches based on PET, fMRI, high density EEG,
and TMS-EEG recordings. Experimental work performed in other unconsciousstates(i.e.,anesthesiaanddeepsleep)willalsobecompared
and reviewed. Practical and conceptual implications of these studies
willbediscussedinlightofrecenttheoriesofconsciousness.
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
TheFrancisCrickMemorialConference
PhilipLow,Ph.D.
Founder,Chairman,
andCEOofNeu‐
roVigil,Inc.
AdjunctProfessor,
StanfordSchoolof
Medicine
ResearchAf iliate,
MITMediaLab
StephenW.Hawk‐
ing,D.Phil.
Directorof
Research,Centre
forTheoretical
Cosmology,
Universityof
Cambridge
Philip Low is the Founder, Chairman, CSO and CEO of NeuroVigil and
theinventoroftheSPEARSalgorithm.Heholdsdualappointmentsat
the Stanford School of Medicine and the MIT Media Lab and two extraordinaryabilityclearancesinthe ieldofbrainsignaldetectionfrom
theUSGovernment.AttherecommendationofFrancisCrick,hejoined
the Salk Institute for Biological Studies where he authored in 2007 a
single page Ph.D. dissertation, “ANewWayToLookAtSleep:Separation
andConvergence”, unanimously approved by six members of the US
NationalAcademyofSciences,includingtwoformerpresidentsofthe
SocietyforNeuroscience,whichopenedanewframeworkforhumans
and comparative brainwave research. Low demonstrated that sleep
patternscouldbecomputationallyidenti iedusingasinglechannelof
EEG,thatREMsleepwas notparadoxical,thatthe Neocortexwasnot
necessary for the production of mammalian-like sleep patterns and
thatEEGscontainedhigh-frequencysignalswhichcouldthemselvesbe
extractednon-invasively.
In2009,NeuroVigilcreatediBrain,aportableneuralactivitymonitor,
whichincombinationwithLow’salgorithmicmethods,madethe irst
outpatientpharmaceuticalclinicaltrialfortheBrainpossible.Histechnology has since been requested by academic, industrial and government institutions throughout the world, for a myriad of neurological
applications,fromAutismtoTBIandwaslistedbytheNewYorkTimes
among “32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow.” Low’s
honors include the MIT TR-35 Top Young Innovator Award and the
InauguralJacobs-RadyPioneerAward,givenevery iveyears.In2011,
NeuroVigil was recognized by FastCompany and TheWashingtonPost
asoneofthe“Top10MostInnovativeCompaniesinHealthCare”and
thefollowingyear,hewasaskedbytheWhiteHousetoadviseonNeuroscienceprojects.
StephenHawkingistheformerLucasianProfessorofMathematicsat
the University of Cambridge and author of ABriefHistory ofTime
whichwasaninternationalbestseller.NowDirectorofResearchatthe
InstituteforTheoreticalCosmologyatCambridge,hisotherbooksfor
the general reader include ABrieferHistoryofTime, the essay collectionBlackHolesandBabyUniverseandTheUniverseinaNutshell.
In 1963, Hawking contracted motor neurone disease and was given
two years to live. Yet he went on to Cambridge to become a brilliant
researcherandProfessorialFellowatGonvilleandCaiusCollege.Since
1979 he has held the post of Lucasian Professor at Cambridge, the
chair held by Isaac Newton in 1663. Professor Hawking has over a
dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE in 1982. He is a
fellowoftheRoyalSocietyandaMemberoftheUSNationalAcademy
of Science. Stephen Hawking is regarded as one of the most brilliant
theoreticalphysicistssinceEinstein.
Text:CourtesyHawking.org.uk
TowardsEstablishingNeuralCorrelatesofIntendedMovementsandSpeech
PhilipLow,Ph.D.&StephenW.Hawking,D.Phil.
Single-ChanneliBrainEEGrecordingswereconductedinahigh-functioning70yearoldALS
patientattemptingtomoveoneoffourlimbsafteraverbalcue:theleftandrighthandand
foot. Raw EEG signals were analyzed with the SPEARS algorithm in order to make highfrequency/low spectral power signals detectable. Concurrent video recordings were obtained.Duringtheattemptedmovements,thesubject'sbrainactivitydemonstrateddistinct
broad-spectrumpulsesextendingtotheGammaandultra-highGammaranges.Suchpulses
were present in the absence of actual movement and absent when the subject was not attemptingmotion.ActivityintheAlpharangewasdetectedwhenthesubjectclosedhiseyes,
asexpected.Theemergenceofsuchhighbandwidthbiomarkersopensthepossibilitytolink
intendedmovementstoalibraryofwordsandconvertthemintospeech,thusprovidingALS
suffererswithcommunicationtoolsmoredependentonthebrainthanonthebody.
Acknowledgments:
NeuroVigil is especially grateful to Daniel Furman for initial preparations for this conference,toJasonMcInerneyforwebandtechnicaloversight,toMichaelCurryforworkonthe
newsletter,toEmilyPolidanforinitialprogramdesign,toCaitlinCummingsfor inalizingthe
program,speakercoordinationandforon-siteassistanceaswellastoRileyLandreth,Luke
Wiley and Reza Salimi-Khorshidi for help during the FCMC. We are especially grateful to
CambridgeUniversityfortheirwillingnesstohostthisunprecedentedconferenceandtothe
wonderful staff at Churchill College, especially Carol Robinson for overall logistics, Kelly
Bridgeforcoordination,TimCooperforAudio/VideoSupportandthecateringandsecurity
staffs.Thisconferencewouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthecommitmentandgenerosity of our speakers, many of whom have traveled far, many with their own resources, and
despite prior engagements or health concerns, to present indings challenging our understandingofconsciousness.Weareimmenselygratefultothem.Wearealsoverythankfulto
our investors as well as to the Mind Science Foundation, ResMed, the Brain Corporation,
BrainVision,UK,theComparativeCognitionSocietyandColdSpringHarborPressforsupporting our efforts, and to our audience and artists, John Houser and Keri Kukral and the
media,including the BBC andCNN,for joiningusonthis historicday. Manythanks toStephenHawkingforagreeingtohavehisstudieswithDr.Lowpresentedatthisconference.A
specialnoteofthanksisalsoduetotheCrickFamilyforsharingabeautifulportraitofFrancis Crick by his late wife, the artist Odile Crick, with the conference and for giving us the
honortonamethisconferenceinthehonoroftheFrancisCrick,ascientistwithanunrivaled
mixofrigor,creativityandboldness.