NEUROSCIENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Course code:

PSI0309

Academic Year of enrolment:

2022

Year of supply:

2023/2024

Type of Course:

Elective Course

Degree:

Course of 1st Cycle Degree in PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Disciplinary Sector:

Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology

Location:

CHIETI

Credits:

Programme Year:

Professor and Collaborators:

MARZOLI DANIELE

FORLANO Vincenzo

Cycle:

First semester

Hours of classroom activity:

Individual study hours:

102

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisite restrictions.
It is desirable - but not mandatory - that the student would possess basic knowledge in Psychobiology and Physiological Psychology (teaching courses: Psychobiology I) and English language, as well as some notions (level: secondary school) of Mathematics, Physics and Philosophy.

Objectives

The student will acquire elements of the neuroscientific basis of consciousness.
In particular, s/he will acquire:
• a complete theoretical framework of consciousness construct through the main studies of philosophy of mind, psychology and neuroscience which have described its neurobiological correlates. The most recent theoretical approaches (Connectionism) and models of functioning (Integrated Information Theory) will be discussed;
• the skill to autonomously apply theoretical and methodological knowledge to the multiple circumstances in which the construct of consciousness is involved in neuroscientific research and clinical practice;
• independent judgment and critical analysis in approaching to the scientific studies (conducted with behavioral methods and brain activity records of healthy participants and/or patients with neurological impairments) regarding consciousness in a focused and/or transversal way, as well as in the main current public debates on social and ethical issues;
• the ability to transmit the knowledge learned during the course, as well as to transmit their critical opinion on ethical issues, to specialist and non-specialist colleagues by using specific terminology;
• scientific/professional learning and updating skills useful for autonomously increasing one's own neuroscientific knowledge on the topic of consciousness.

Contents

The course deals with the topic of consciousness in light of the recent neuroscientific research and of the main theoretical models and methodological approaches.
List of the topics covered:
• History of consciousness (Prof Forlano)
• Neural correlates of consciousness (Prof Marzoli)
• Connectionism (Prof Forlano)
• Integrated Information Theory (Prof Marzoli)

Extended Syllabus

Extended programme:
• Short history of consciousness
• From the scientific revolution to the contemporary world
• Philosophical roots of the problem of "mind"
• Artificial Intelligence: prolegomena
• Alan Turing
• Noam Chomsky
• Artificial Intelligence: theoretical lines
• The mind between computation and representation
• Neural correlates of consciousness
• The neuroscientific approach
• Methodologies for studying consciousness
• Ambiguous figures and binocular rivalry
• Neural correlates of qualia
• Neural correlates of states of consciousness
• Consciousness in the visual system
• Consciousness, memory and attention
• Split-brain patients
• Reticular formation
• Patients with severe impairments of consciousness (Coma; Vegetative state; Locked-in syndrome; MCS and Akinetic mutism)
• Claustrum and microcosciences
• Consciousness around the world (Babies; Animals; Plants; Machines)
• Connectionism: consciousness is a network
• Neurons and synapses: biology
• Artificial neurons (Transfer function; McCulloch and Pitts model; Hebb principle; Rosenblatt model; Supervised and unsupervised learning; Backpropagation)
• Neural networks in action (Simulations of connectionistic networks; Biological evolution and artificial network; Learning in connectionist networks; Reward; High-level connectionistic simulations; Motivation and attention; Categorization; Language; Frames, scripts and neural networks; Satisfaction constraint networks
• Consciousness: the connectionist hypothesis (Preliminaries for a naturalistic model; The future: a work in progress project)
• The Integrated Information Theory
• Introductory notes
• Consciousness and complexity
• Brain and cerebellum, sleep and dream
• Two fundamental properties
• Complexes
• Axioms and postulates
• From integrated information to qualia
• Measurements of consciousness
• Comments and explanations
• Aggregates and networks
• Towards a topography of consciousness

Recommended Bibliography

Text book: Brancucci A., Forlano E. “La Coscienza – Filosofia, Connessionismo, Neuroscienze”. Edizioni A.L.E.
Scientific paper: Pennartz, C., Farisco, M., & Evers, K. (2019). Indicators and criteria of consciousness in animals and intelligent machines: An inside-out approach. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 13, 25.

Further materials are provided by the lecturer.

Recommended (optional) readings:
- Edelman GM, Tononi G. “Un universo di coscienza”. Einaudi
- Forlano E. “Le basi neurocognitive del comportamento”. Carabba
- Rosenblum B, Kuttner F. “Quantum enigma: Physics encounters consciousness”. Duckworth Overlook

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

Frontal lessons (presentation of slides, scientific articles and video clips).

Evaluation methods

Verification of learning:

Written exam (30 multiple-choice questions).

Università degli Studi
"G. d'Annunzio"

Chieti - Pescara

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