#PAGE_PARAMS# #ADS_HEAD_SCRIPTS# #MICRODATA#

Basics of social cognitive and affective neuroscience: XVII. Free will


Authors: F. Koukolík
Authors‘ workplace: Primář: MUDr. František Koukolík, DrSc. ;  Národní referenční laboratoř prionových chorob ;  Thomayerova nemocnice s poliklinikou, Praha ;  Oddělení patologie a molekulární medicíny
Published in: Prakt. Lék. 2012; 92(4): 191-197
Category: Editorial

Overview

Voluntary action is perceived as essential to human nature. The neuroscience of free will refers to recent investigation of an ancient theological, philosophical, moral, psychological, neurological, psychiatric and legal question by neuroscientific tools. Does a rational agent exercise control over his actions, decisions and choices or is free will merely cognitive illusion? A large scale neuronal network exists for voluntary action. The primary motor cortex receives two classes of input. One from premotor – presupplementary and supplementary motor area which receives an input from basal ganglia and anterior prefrontal cortex and the second from early sensory cortices – parietal cortex – lateral premotor cortex. Frontopolar cortex forms and deliberates plans and intentions, presupplementary motor area in conjunction with other premotor areas prepares the action and generates the readiness potential the primary motor cortex becomes active. Free will is probably a biological trait. The philosophical notion of free will as existent or non-existent is probably a false dilemma. The more appropriate question about free will is not “if” we have a free will but “how much” free will do we have.

Key words:
free will, large scale neuronal network, biological trait.


Sources

1. Addis, D.R., Wong, A.T., Schacter, D.I. Remembering the past and imagining the future: common and distinct neural substrates during event construction and elaboration. Neuropsychologia, 2007, 45, p. 1363–1377.

2. Akkal, D., Dum, R.P., Strick, P.L. Supplementary motor area and presupplementary motor area: targets of basal ganglia and cerebellar output. J Neurosci, 2007, 27, p. 10659–10673.

3. Banks, P.W., Isham, E.A. We infer rather than perceive the moment we decided to act. Psychol Sci, 2009, 20, p. 17–21.

4. Brass, M., Haggard, P. To do or not to do: the neural signature of self control. J Neurosci, 2007, 27, p. 9141–9145.

5. Brass, M., Haggard, P. The hidden side of intentional action: the role of the anterior insular cortex. Brain Struct Funct, 2010, 214, p. 603–610.

6. Brembs, B. The importance of being active. J Neurogenet, 2008, 23, p. 120–126.

7. Brembs, B. Toward scientific concept of free will as a biological trait: spontaneous actions and decision-making in invertebrates. Proc R Soc B, 2011, 278, p. 930–939.

8. Buckner, R., Andrew-Hanna, J., Schacter, D. The brain´s default network: anatomy, function and relevance to disease. Ann NY Acad Sci, 2008, 1124, p. 1–38.

9. Custers, R., Aarts, H. The unconscious will: how the pursuit of goals operates outside of conscious awareness. Science, 2010, 329, p. 47–50.

10. Dobzhansky, T. Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution. Am Biol Teach, 1973, 35, p. 125–129. Dostupné též na: http://people.delphiforums.com/lordorman/light.htm.

11. Dennett, D. Consciousness explained. Boston: Little Brown, 1991.

12. Dennett, D., Kinsbourne, M. Time and the observer. Behav Brain Sci, 1992, 15, p. 183–274.

13. Domenici, P., Booth, D., Blagburn, J.M., et al. Cockroaches keep predators guessing by using preferred escapes trajectories. Curr Biol, 2008, 18, p. 1792–1796.

14. Doyle, R.O. Free will: it´s normal biological trait, not a gift or a mystery. Nature, 2009, 459, p. 1052.

15. Doyle, B. Jamesian free will. The two stage-model of William James. William James Studies 2010; 5, p. 1-28 [on-line]. Dostupné na: http://williamjamesstudies.org/5.1/doyle.pdf.

16. Fair, D.A., Cohen, A.L., Dosenbach, N.U.C., et al. The maturing architecture of the brain´s default network. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2008, 105, p. 4028–4032.

17. Wikipedia. Free will [on-line]. Dostupné na: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will.

18. Friesen, W.O., Kristan, W.B. Leech locomotion: swimming, crawling, and decision. Curr Opin Neurobiol, 2007, 17, p. 704–711.

19. Haggard, P, Eimer, M. On the relation between brain potentials and the awareness of voluntary movement. Exp Brain Res, 1999, 126, p. 128–133.

20. Haggard, P. Human volition: towards a neuroscience of will. Nat Rev Neurosci, 2008, 9, p. 934–946.

21. Hall, L., Johansson, P., Tärning, B., et al. Magic at the marketplace: choice blindness for the taste of jam nad the smell of tea. Cognition, 2010, 117, p. 54–61.

22. Hallettt, M. Volitional control of movement: the fysiology of free will. Clin Neurophysiol, 2007, 118, p. 1179–1192.

23. Heisenberg, M. Is free will an illusion? Nature, 2009, 459, p. 164–165.

24. Hume, D. A treatise on human nature (1739). Dostupné na http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php? option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=342&Itemid=28.

25. Koukolík, F. Evoluce a evoluční teorie pro lékaře. X. Sebeuvědomování. Prakt. lék., 2010, 90, s. 571–576.

26. Koukolík, F. Funkční systémy lidského mozku. Třetí vydání. Praha: Galén, 2012.

27. Kristan, W.B. Neuronal desicion-making circuits. Curr Biol, 2008, 18, R929–R932.

28. Kühn, S., Brass, M. Retrospective construction of the judgement of free choice. Conscious Cogn, 2009, 18, p. 12–21.

29. Leary, M.R., Buttermore, N.R. The evolution of human Self: tracing the natural history of self-awareness. J Theory Soc Behav, 2003, 33, p. 365–404.

30. Li C, S.R., Yan, P., Berquist, K.L., et al. Greater activation of the „default“ brain regions precede stop signal errors. NeuroImage, 2007, 38, p. 640–648.

31. Libet, B., Gleason, C.A., Wright, W., et al. Time of conscious intention to act in relation to onset of cerebral activity (readiness-potential). The unconscious initiation of freely voluntary act. Brain, 1983, 106, p. 623–642.

32. London, M., Roth, A., Beeren, L., et al. Sensitivity to perturbation in vivo implies high noise and suggest rate coding in cortex. Nature, 2010, 466, p. 123–127.

33. Mason, M.F., Bortin, M.I., Van Horn, J.D., et al. Wandering minds: the default network and stimulus-independent thought. Science, 2007, 315, p. 393–395.

34. Matsuhashi, M., Hallett, M. The timing of the conscious intention to move. Eur J Neurosci, 2008, 28, p. 2344–2351.

35. Nachev, P., Rees, G., Parton, A, et al. Volition and conflict in human medial frontal cortex. Curr Biol, 2005, 15, p. 122–128.

36. Roskies, A. Neuroscientific challenges to free will and responsibity. Trends Cogn Sci, 2006, 10, p. 420–423.

37. Soon, Ch.S, Brass, M., Heinze, H.-J., et al. Unconscious determinants of free decisions in the human brain. Nat Neurosci, 2008, 11, p. 543–545.

38. Taylor, J.L., McCloskey, D.I. Selection of motor responses on the basis of unperceived stimuli. Exp Brain Res, 1996, 110, p. 62–66.

39. Wegner, D.M. The illusion of conscious will. Cambridge Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2002.

Labels
General practitioner for children and adolescents General practitioner for adults
Topics Journals
Login
Forgotten password

Enter the email address that you registered with. We will send you instructions on how to set a new password.

Login

Don‘t have an account?  Create new account

#ADS_BOTTOM_SCRIPTS#