The structure and function of the human brain.

– Your brain is always at work

When you read this, your brain is in full activity. It makes sure you breathe, without having to think about it – It tries to keep you awake even though parts of the text may seem heavy. It directs your eyes on the words, sentences, and paragraphs in the text. At the same time, the brain can remind you of having recently put the kettle on, or the coffee machine. It can tell you if you sit in a wrong position, and you need to straighten your back.

Conscious awareness

Your brain considers whether this written text sounds logical, from what you already know, or if it sounds speculative or wrong. Yes, it constantly compares parts of the content with the knowledge you already have about the brain. It also considers language quality like grammar, syntax and semantics. All this and much more does your brain work upon. While suddenly at the same time, your brain can make itself aware of all these activities and remind you of, that only you are you, in this infinite universe. I guess, reminding yourself of all this about your brain, you won’t find it strange after all, that it uses 25% of all energy available in the body, even when you are at rest or sleep.

The world’s most advanced organization.

The brain weighs only about one and a half pounds, and fits into your hand. Yet, this little jellyfish can control all your movements, recognize thousands of faces, perceive hundreds of thousands of words, marvel at the universe’s creation, development, and infinity. If this was not enough, it might even marvel at its own wonder. It can become self-conscious!

As the neurologist Ramachandran puts it, “this lump of nerve cells and compounds has the ability to go outside itself and observe its own way of observing itself. (Ramachandran 2009) In psychology, this is called developing a higher level of self-awareness, in neuroscience and neuropsychology it is called recursivity.

Billions of nerve cells

There is no lack of brain cells or so-called neurons in your head. The brain is estimated to have nearly 84.6 billion of them. (Azevedo et al. 2009) FA1, (Nordal, prof. Emerit. Neurological department, Oslo University Hospital Ullevål) Each of these neurons has the possibility of between 1000 and 10,000 branches and connections to other neurons in the brain. (Ramachandran 2009) This is in number more connectivity options than there are elementary particles in the universe, he claims.

That sounds a bit exaggerated, I think, but there is nevertheless a vast opportunity of possible combinations between our brain cells, the so-called neurons, and other neurons or groups of neurons in our head. Such myriads of combinations are called permutations by neuroscientists.

The amount of brain cells is not enough

However, the number of brain cells and connectivity between them, will not lead us closer to the answer to how consciousness and self-awareness are possible in man. That is why I believe that artificial intelligence has great difficulty in achieving this type of double consciousness about itself, or recursivity.

To understand how the human brain can achieve conscious awareness, we need to search for some basic principles of how our brain works. The researcher who, in my opinion, taught me most about this, was neither eminent neuroscientists like Fischer, Greenough, Siegal or Thompson. Although these researchers have all been excellent in mapping the structure and functions of the brain using highly advanced digital devices, so-called fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging).

And Alan Schore has been most useful in sharing with us how the infant brain’s right half, correspond with mother’s brain and her care for the child, in it’s first two years. And likewise correspond with fathers’s presence and care, with the child’s left brain, in it’s third year and upwards. This has had an enormous impact on how we ought to think about the impact of differentiated parental leave during the child’s first three year.

But for me it has first and foremost, been the neuropsychologist, and theorist Alexander R. Luria’s principles of brain functioning, that has had the greatest impact on my understanding of the brain! (Luria 1974, “The Working Brain”).

Threee main brain systems, and three levels of brain cell specificity.

Luria claims from his long-lasting studies and research findings, both from healthy and brain-injured persons, that the brain has three main functional systems. These systems are based on three different main tasks that our brain must manage. These are; 1. Economizing body/brain energy. 2. Memory and the processing of information. And last, but not least; 3. Preparation of plans, goal achievement, and quality checking.

1.Economizing body/brain energy.

– Attention and alertness. (Energy conservation)

We need a system that takes care of and manages the energy needed to keep us awake and sharpened in relation to the tasks we are to perform. If we have so little energy available that we almost doze off or fall asleep all the time, we will not get much done. At least not at work in any kind of job. So, here our brain must mobilize and take into use the whole body’s energy resources.

That is because the other two systems in the brain also need this energy regulator to perform their tasks. Thus we, and not just the brain, but the whole body, are completely dependent on this absolute basic function of the brain. People with injuries in the brain stem, where much of this is controlled, are either in coma or have major problems keeping themselves awake.

2. The processing of information and memory.

Our seven senses and their levels of structure.

The other main task of the brain is, to build a system that can receive information from the seven senses. (Usually we only count five) five different sensory organs. In real, we have seven senses!    The 7 Senses are:
Sight.
Smell.
Taste.
Hearing.
Touch.
Vestibular. (Balance and equilibrium)
Proprioception. (Knowledge of the position of our limbs and our movements.)

This second system must be able to analyze the seven different pieces of sense-information, remember them, and not least put them together into a larger entity. If not, these seven underlying information systems; – Vision, hearing, taste, smell, touch, balance, and the position of your limbs, head and arms, will not be integrated into a sensory overall picture. Then we would find ourselves in an informational or should I say, “sensational” chaos.

And again, the preparatory work ahead of this integration depends on the fact that each of the seven sensory systems has a hierarchical structure. That is, each sensory system is built up of three levels with increasing gradients of complexity. This means that sensory stimuli are sorted out from the simplest and most primitive detail-oriented impressions, to compound, meaningful, and recognizable overall images.

In other words, on the part of our vision, the processing of that sensory information may start from a glossy colored or black and white flash of light, at level 1, to the contours of an entire human being at level 3. Similar, the level 1. of our hearing sense, processing starts with receiving unrecognizable beeps or quench, builds up on level 2, until level 3. may fulfill the sound image with the contours of the recognizable song of a blackbird.

But even this processed material from the seven sensory-related information systems, must be coordinated with the movement apparatus and other parts of the brain, in order to become complete. And to master this task, the brain must make use of the overall third system.  

3. Planning, goal management, activation and quality checking.

The main task of this brain-system is to develop a center on top of the sensory-brain that can give a holistic and unifying impression of the already processed sensory data we referred to in the chapter above. That is to put together all the pieces of modal or sensory-specific information from the sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, movement, and position, to an overall multi modal picture of the surroundings. Only on this sensory basis, the brain will be able to organize and program appropriate actions.

At the same time, the brain must also be able to check itself currently and correct the actions in the light of the original goals and plans.

Vertical organization and types of brain cells on each level.

Our brain already has at birth the anatomical basis for organizing itself in three such systems. Thus, it will also be able to bring sensory data from chaos to order, movements from random sleek kicks to accurate scores, like in soccer. This is possible because each system, according to Luria (1974), is organized vertically in the brain and even consists of at least three different levels. At the same time, there are different concentrations of different types of neurons (brain cells) at each of these levels. This applies, as I said, to all six sensory systems, – to sight, hearing, smell, taste, movement sensation and touch, as well as to balance.
 
For the sake of simplicity, we can say that at level 1, the so called reception level for the sensory impressions, here we have mostly first-layer neurons, and considerably fewer second-layer neurons. (The neuron types are called slightly different by different researchers, but the principle is basically the same.)
 
At level 2, where the further processing of the simple sensory stimuli from level 1 takes place, here we find mostly second-layer neurons. At the same time, there are also some first layer and third layer neurons, to provide overlap between levels.
 
Likewise, at level 3, where even further treatment of the sensory data takes place, we find mostly third-layer neurons, but also some second-layer neurons, in the actual transitional area between the two levels. This differentiation of neurons enables a gradual overlap between the levels. By this construction the brain makes sure that the raw data from level 1, are converted into increasingly more meaningful information, the further “up the ladder” to level 3 it comes.
 
   
From pointless dots and flashes of light to entire contours of people and things.
 
Down in the depths of level 1, where first-layer neurons dominate, it has for the part of the sense-of-sight, not yet become a complete impression. There are only luminous dots, blisters and flashes, but no recognizable contours, shapes or images. Only when these pieces of information are passed on to the higher and less specialized second level neurons, that the pieces are merged into clearer patterns. Here we find the more integrative and associative cell layers in the whole sense hierarchy.
 
And from here they are forwarded up to level 3, where they are combined into larger recognizable entities. In short, visual sensory impressions consisting of flashes of light in different colors, luminance and dots from level 1, are, gradually built up to parts of an image or a known shape at level 2. This occurs by means of the neurons at this second level. And then finally, these sensory data chunks are transported to the above mentioned, level 3, and can here be recognized as a whole object, face or landscape.
 
The same process applies to the other senses. The sound impulses for example start at ground floor, with the highly specialized deeper layers of level 1 neurons. Here they are received in such a fragmented state that they make little sense.
Then, at the second level, mainly consisting of so-called second layer neurons with some first-layer neurons and some 3rd-layer neurons in the transition between levels, – here we find bits of a recognizable sound sequence. But at the next third level, the sound impulses merge in such a way that the brain can perceive them as a word, a sentence, the voice of mother and father, or a melody.
 
Languages ​​and concepts are needed to differentiate sensory data into separate units.
 
We have already seen that common to the three main systems of the brain is that the nerve impulses from the body’s seven senses, first go to the deeper and more primitive levels of the brain. From here they are transmitted and processed upwards to the higher brain levels, where they are analyzed and spread. But this is not enough to really see and visually recognize a certain object, for example a broom or a person. We also need to develop a language, a world of thoughts, consisting of words and separable concepts, that can differentiate and identify all the impressions from our different senses.
 
This also includes a rich universe of emotions, longings and desires. Because the simplest and most basic primary system of energy, wakefulness and alertness, will also be influenced from above. That is, information and nerve impulses go both ways, both up and down the system.

Attention and alertness will not only be influenced by nutrition, blood sugar, and hormonal activity, but also by thoughts, feelings, plans, and actions. If we look forward to something, for example a journey, or meeting with a girl or boyfriend, visualizing this event will mobilize much more energy and attention than if we have to do something terribly boring. For example; like sitting stuck, waiting in a queue on a highway on your way home from work.  Y a w n.
 
 
Making a picture of the brain structure and functions already described.

Let us imagine a human hand from the wrist and up, which spread it’s fingers like the beams of a vault, or the ribs of an umbrella. Then we have a picture of the vertical organization of the first basic system of our brain, the system of wakefulness and energy optimization. This hand with the wrist and parts of the forearm will make up the 1st system, which regulates the supply of energy to the brain and organism in general. Almost like an umbrella or parasol, this hand stands up from the depths of the brain.

Through the brain stem and up through the older, more primitive parts of the brain, it goes all the way up and out towards the advanced frontal lobes. This, 1st system also controls the metabolism of the body, the secretion of vital hormones and regulates the sugar balance. It involves breathing, digestion, and even reproduction. But it does not fire nerve impulses in the same way as the other two systems. According to Luria, it acts as a network of cells that spread their impulses up or down the brain, by increasing or decreasing the degree of tension and intensity.
 
We can add to the picture, the second “hand” or system, the one that organize and process the information from our seven senses. This hand spread out and somewhat merge its fingers, on top of the recently described first system. The last forearm and hand, the system 3, that make programs, do planning and check the quality of the body’s executive actions, works mostly in the opposite direction. Which means that it works from the top and downwards. It somewhat creates an overview, from what the senses have conveyed, and what wakefulness and energy allow.

On this basis, the third system enable us to set goals and execute plans to achieve these aims. It sends messages to the motor neurons of initiating movements and actions through the large and small muscles of the body. This also includes the mouth, tongue and the vocal cords of our throat.
 

The crucial question of consciousness

Then we come to the most difficult question to be answered: How is advanced human consciousness possible by just looking at the brain’s structure and the function of its neurons? And, can a computer construct the notion you and I have right now? The fact that we exist as human beings and individuals on earth, in this vast universe? These are the problems we’ll try to answer in the following two articles. Here we will also wonder if computers or artificial intelligence is ever likely to achieve this kind of conscious awareness. http://www.selvuniverset.com/2019/06/08/consciousness-and-the-brain-part-2-2/ http://www.selvuniverset.com/2019/07/25/robots-gaining-consciousness-and-become-like-humans/