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The chemosensory brain requires a distributed cellular mechanism to harness information and resolve conflicts – is consciousness the forum?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2016

Richard Lathe
Richard Lathe*
Affiliation:
Division of Infection and Pathway Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Little France, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom. richardlathe@ed.ac.uk Pieta Research, Edinburgh EH10 5YW, United Kingdom State University of Pushchino, 142290 Pushchino, Russia.
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Abstract

The central nervous system (CNS) evolved from a chemosensory epithelium, but a simple epithelium has limited means to resolve conflicts between early drives (e.g., approach vs. avoid). Understanding the role of “consciousness” as a resolution device, with specific focus on chemosensation and the olfactory system, is of appeal. I argue that consciousness is not the adjudicator, but is instead the forum that brings conflicting (conscious) inputs into a form that allows them to be (unconsciously) compared/contrasted, guiding rational action.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 39 , 2016 , e184
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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