The main structural parts of a system which has the attributes of the consciousness The primary network: the senso-motoric pathways ...
The main structural parts of a system which has the attributes of the consciousness
The primary network: the senso-motoric pathways
These neural pathways are connecting the input and output structures together. These are the old known pathways which are connecting the outside-and-inside world together. These pathways are capable of giving quick responses to sensory inputs by connecting the motoric outputs through quick working neural pathways. These pathways are built-in pathways or conditionally created, learned.
The secondary, shadow network
This structure is not getting its input from the outside world. Instead, it is connected and excited by the senso-motoric pathways. This neural structure's function is to connect the senso-motoric pathways together, and conditioned by the same time activity. This network is a diffuse structure with far-reaching connections. When conditioned, it can excite senso-motoric pathways.
To be conditioned, when a senso-motoric pathway active, it excites the connecting part of the shadow network which with its diffuse structure is capable of conditionally connect to the different parts of the shadow network based on the same time activity. After conditioning, the given senso-motoric activity can excite the connected shadow network and through this can excite other senso-motoric pathways. Or the given part of the shadow network can excite the conditionally connected senso-motoric pathways.
Important characteristics of the shadow network that it is not input-specific. It doesn't distinguish between specific sources of excitation. The shadow network's activity is what we feel and call: the experience of consciousness.
The driving center
The driving center's function is to give background excitation to the shadow network, and by this, capable to change the excitation threshold of the shadow network. By its neural network, the driving center capable of inhibiting the activity of the shadow network, or globally or locally.
When the shadow network inhibited, no conscious experience felt. When the shadow network's excitation threshold raised globally, the conscious awareness felt. When the shadow network's excitation threshold changed locally, then conscious attention felt.
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