Picture of Michael Gazzaniga
When studying the neural basis of consciousness, neuroscientists employ many ways of analyzing the brain's activity. Some of these methods can be rather unorthodox in nature. Psychologist and Cognitive Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga, for example, utilized split-brain research to understand consciousness.
Gazzaniga's split-brain research helped him understand what consciousness is and how it originates (Wolman, 2022). He believes that consciousness is an emergent property that synthesizes the inputs of multiple "modules" of the brain. Gazzaniga believes consciousness comes from not only the brain's modules but also from the left hemisphere's function as an "interpreter." He observed split-brain patients who had their corpus callosum, a white matter nerve tract that connects the two brain hemispheres, severed to treat epilepsy. It was noted that despite not being connected anymore, the brain hemispheres were still able to function independently to help create conscious experiences. However, Gazzaniga also noticed that the left hemisphere helped to combine these individual experiences to form a whole that is presumed to be consciousness, giving the left hemisphere its "interpreter" name from Gazzaniga (Wolman, 2022). This would help in synthesizing the inputs from the brain's various "modules" to bring about consciousness.
The work that Gazzaniga has done has multiple implications for our lives as humans. For one, Gazzaniga's work can help increase people's understanding of how each brain hemisphere works and adapts to change. Additionally, his work may open up discussion for the left hemisphere's role in giving us consciousness and free will, and it can also help epilepsy patients in being rehabilitated from neurosurgery involving the corpus callosum being severed. Overall, Gazzaniga's work helps provide an insight into how different brain regions help shape consciousness.
References:
Wolman, D. (2012, March 14). "The split brain: A tale of two halves" | Nature. Retrieved August 19, 2024, from https://www.nature.com/articles/483260a
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