Consciousness: unraveling its mysteries will transform society

By Dick Pelletier

      

    What is consciousness and how is it generated? Though it's difficult for scientists to agree on a definition of this unique human trait, for this article, we will define consciousness as awareness of thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and environment, produced through neuron interactions.

    In one moment, you may be focused on reading this article; your mind might then shift to a TV show you watched earlier, or a lingering melody that won't go away. Next, you could squirm in your chair, or fantasize about good fortune or danger coming your way. These ever-shifting streams of thoughts change from moment to moment, but you experience them almost unconsciously.

    Many neuroscientists feel the time is near when we will be able to explain human consciousness in terms of brain activity.

    Princeton University scientists recently discovered signs of consciousness while scanning brains of volunteers. Researcher Aaron Schurger's team identified specific neural activity when subjects were shown pictures. Experts believe this research has uncovered a true signature of consciousness, which might one day be used to determine if someone in a coma is conscious, and possibly lead to cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other diseases.

    With the human genome sequenced and stem cell and genetic therapies advancing, scientists believe it's time to begin research on exactly what it means to be human. This is the conclusion of experts at the National Institutes of Health as they launch the Human Connectome Project, an aggressive effort to unravel all the brain's connections.

    To map the wiring diagram of the human brain, identifying circuits and linking them to health and disease offers a great opportunity, says Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

    In another approach, IBM's Blue Brain Project is creating a computer simulation of the human brain with hopes of better-understanding consciousness. Although challenges are great, scientists believe they will complete the project by 2030. The key lies in decoding the cerebral cortex, the seat of cognition, which contains 22 billion neurons and 220 trillion synapses.

    A computer capable of running software simulations of this nature doesn't exist yet. Research will require computational capacity of 36.8 petaflops and 3.2 petabytes of memory, which experts predict could become available by 2020 or before.

    In addition to gaining a better understanding of consciousness, computer-brain simulations will help researchers determine the body's reaction to new drugs, shortening the times required for human trials. It will also help design safe interfaces for human brains with tomorrow's intelligent machines.

    Although there are many benefits that may arise from this research, the primary objective of simulating a brain in a computer is to understand how our 100 billion biological neurons give rise to who we are.

    Experts believe that this knowledge will transform humanity beyond our wildest dreams. Learning how the mind controls cellular activity could eliminate nearly all killer diseases.

    Unraveling consciousness also holds the potential to alter thoughts that allow people to commit harm. Changing human nature in this manner could produce a peaceful global village more intent on solving economical and environmental issues than arguing over religious and ethnic interests. Will this research produce such benefits? Positive futurists predict that it will.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.