Friday, October 17, 2014

The Use of Anesthesia to Explore the Realms of the Unconscious Mind

The unconscious mind is an area of much debate. There are many unanswered questions about what exactly the lack of consciousness entails. Therefore, it is a topic still open to further study, and an optimum way of doing so is through the application of anesthesia. Anesthesia allows for the examination of a relatively healthy brain that is no longer in a conscious state. In her article “Anesthesia Study Opens Window into Consciousness”, Maia Szalavitz speaks of a new study that examines what happens to brain cells when patients are anesthetized.
This study was made possible due to three patients undergoing treatment for epilepsy. The treatment entailed the implantation of electrodes into the brain to find problem regions. Another operation was necessary afterwards to fix these problem areas; the procedure required the use of anesthesia. The electrodes that were implanted from the previous surgery allowed the scientists to observe the brain activity that followed the loss of consciousness due to anesthesia.
The scientists found that as the brain descended into an unconscious state, a wave of electrical activity, operating at a much slower frequency than during consciousness, starts to oscillate. This oscillating pattern silences the neurons, meaning they can only be active for brief intervals. This behavior of the neurons prevents parts of the brain from communicating with each other, which supports the idea that consciousness is due to a network of interactions between various areas of the brain, not simply stemming from a single part of the brain.
Others have recognized the importance of anesthesia to investigate consciousness. The author of The Ravenous Brain, Daniel Bor speaks of his own experience under anesthesia after experiencing a knee injury. He explains that most anesthetics increase the production of the neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid, which dampens neuronal activity throughout the cortext. This would coincide with the oscillating pattern scientists observed in the Szalavitz article.
Under the influence of a general anesthetic, Bor was able to perform many basic functions. He was able to continue respiration, maintain his core body temperature, and generate strong brainwaves. The ability to function at a certain level without consciousness brought him to the question of how the neural labor involved in learning and decision making is actually divided between the conscious and the unconscious.
In his writing, Bor supports the notion that unconscious processing is limited to simple thoughts, while complex information must be processed though the conscious mind. But he also explains that although consciousness is needed for complex learning to occur, once the knowledge has been assimilated to, it can be automatically recalled. This leads him to along the line of thought that since the unconscious can be involved in learning, it may also play a crucial role in the decision making process.
There is always the disturbing possibility that perhaps every human decision is driven by the unconscious instincts to survive and reproduce, and although the conscious mind is capable of processing information, its function is only superfluous. Bor argues that the human conscious mind has the unique ability to analyze the consequences of our actions. He states is may be possible to make conscious decisions by fighting for control of decision making into the conscious mind.

Today, the unconscious mind is an area of much intrigue. There are many views, such as Bor’s, that exist trying to define what exactly the unconscious mind entails and how it effects the functions of human beings. The best way to learn more about this topic is through further study. Discovering more about the unconscious mind through innovative techniques, such as the anesthesia scientists used in the Szalavitz article, may help resolve some of these questions once and for all. 
References:

Bor, D. (2012). The Ravenous Brain: How the New Science of Consciousness Explains Our Insatiable Search for Meaning. New York: Basic Books.

Szalavitz, M. (2012, November 06). Anesthesia Study Opens Window into Consciousness.Time Magazine. Retrieved from

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