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Toward a Science of Consciousness 2011

Written by Raúl Arrabales

Wednesday, 13 October 2010

TSC 2011 - Toward a Science of Consciousness 2011

TSC 2011: The 18th Toward a Science of Consciousness Conference
Brain, Mind and Reality
May 2-8, 2011
Stockholm University

Toward a Science of Consciousness is an interdisciplinary conference emphasizing broad and rigorous approaches to the study of conscious awareness. Topical areas include neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, biology, quantum physics, meditation and altered states, machine consciousness, culture and experiential phenomenology. Held annually since 1994, the conference is organized by the Center for Consciousness Studies at the University of Arizona, and alternates yearly between Tucson, Arizona and various locations around the world. Toward a Science of Consciousness 2011 will be held at Stockholm University, Aula Magna Hall, Stockholm, Sweden, May 2-8, 2011.

See the Call for Abstracts.

Sessions, Themes and Speakers

Dates and Times TBA

Consciousness in the universe. Is consciousness an epiphenomenal happenstance

of this one particular universe among multitudes, as proposed in M-theory by Hawking

and Mlodinow? Or are consciousness and intelligence intrinsic to the fabric of reality?

Deepak Chopra, Chopra Foundation, Vedic approaches to consciousness and reality

Leonard Mlodinow, CalTech, Grand Design (with Stephen Hawking)

Paola Zizzi, Padua, Consciousness in the early universe.

TBA

Brain fields and coherence: Evidence and theory suggest brain electromagnetic
fields and large scale coherent potentials, ignitions and avalanches correlate
with consciousness and feedback on neuronal activities, bolstering long-standing
electromagnetic field theories of consciousness.

David McCormick, Yale, Brain electric field feedback
Johnjoe McFadden, Surrey, Electromagnetic field theory of consciousness
Sue Pockett, Auckland, E-M field theory of consciousness

TBA

Transcranial therapy of mental states: New therapeutic modalities based on
brain stimulation aimed at conscious mental disorders include transcranial
electric and magnetic fields and ultrasound vibrations. Mechanisms and utility
in relation to consciousness and memory will be discussed.

Allan Snyder, Sydney, Transcranial Electric fields for memory enhancement
W. Jamie Tyler, Arizona State, Transcranial ultrasound for mental disorders
Eric Wassermann, NIH, Transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression

TBA

Neuronal activities: What systems, levels and collective functions are
critical for consciousness: axonal firings, avalanches and ignitions, dendritic
synchrony, macroscopic fields, complexity, intraneuronal processes? Will mapping
the brain explain consciousness?

Germund Hesslow, Lund, Complex spike timing
Rafi Malach, Weizmann Institute, Neuronal ignitions
Dietmar Plenz, NIH, Neuronal avalanches, coherence and criticality

TBA

Anesthesia and consciousness: Anesthetic gases selectively erase
consciousness and block high frequency gamma synchrony EEG while sparing
non-conscious brain functions, acting by weak quantum forces in a distributed
array of post-synaptic proteins

Nicholas Franks, Imperial College London, Anesthetic sites of action
Stuart Hameroff, Arizona, Hydrophobic quantum pockets in dendritic proteins
Anthony Hudetz, MC Wisconsin, Anesthetics and gamma synchrony

TBA

Quantum biology: The role of quantum physics in consciousness has been
discounted by the assumption that the biological brain is too warm and wet.
But quantum coherence, entanglement and ballistic conductance have now been
recognized in warm photosynthesis, DNA and microtubules.

Anirban Bandyopadhyay, Tsukuba, Ballistic conductance in microtubules
Jack Tuszynski, Alberta, Microtubule information processing capabilities

TBA

Consciousness, reality and the universe: Does the conscious observer collapse
the wave function? Is consciousness an emergent property of complex computation,
or irreducible and intrinsically related to spacetime geometry? How did the
universe arise from nothingness? What is entanglement?

Menas Kafatos, Chapman University, The holographic universe

Tarja Kallio-Tamminen, Helsinki, Quantum physics and Eastern philosophy
Paavo Pylkkanen, Helsinki, Bohm and the quantum universe

TBA

Time, precognition and consciousness: The Libet experiments and
parapsychology have long suggested backward time referral of subjective
conscious experience of hundreds of milliseconds in the brain. Now such effects
are seen in mainstream neuroscience. Can they be explained through quantum
physics?

Dick Bierman, Amsterdam, Pre-sentiment
Moran Cerf, NYU/UCLA, Pre-cognition in human brain neurons?

Sara Gonzalez Andino, Geneva, Backward time referral in monkey amygdala

TBA

End-of-life brain activity: Recent clinical studies report a surge of
coherent, high frequency EEG at the time of human death, when neuronal
metabolic supplies are depleted. Historically, nearly all civilizations have
reported so-called near death experiences with remarkably consistent
phenomenology. Have brain monitors captured the correlate of near death
experiences?

Lakhmir Chawla, George Washington, End-of-life brain activity

Peter Fenwick, London, End-of-life conscious experience
Pim von Lommel, Arnhem, Near death experiences

TBA

The variety of religious experience.

Mario Beauregard, Montreal, Neuroscience of transcendent experience

Padrinho Paulo Roberto, Rio, Sacramental plants of Amazonia and religious experience
TBA

In addition to Keynote and Plenary talks, the conference will feature
Pre-Conference Workshops, Concurrent Talks, Poster Sessions, Art/Tech
Demos, Social Events and Side Trips in the Stockholm tradition.

Special Pre-Conference Workshop - full day - Monday May 2, 2011
Deepak Chopra, Vedic approaches to consciousness

Additional half day Pre-Conference Workshops

TBA

TSC Stockholm 2011 Conference Abstract System

All Abstracts must be submitted via the online system.

Accepted abstracts will be included in the conference program book
and posted online.

Schedule of Deadlines:

2010
November 15 Abstracts Due
December 20 Decisions

2011
January 5         Registration
February 15      Final Edits

Pre-Conference Workshop Proposals:
Proposals (500 words or less) should be sent to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

no later than October 25 (notifications by November 15)
Workshops will be held in 4 hour sessions on Sunday May 1 and Monday May 2

Sponsors (partial list)
Perfjell Wellness Center
Center for Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona
Mind Event SA
Chopra Foundation
Agora for Biosystems

Organizing Committee(partial list)
Stuart Hameroff (University of Arizona)
Paavo Pylkkanen (University of Helsinki)
Christer Perfjell (Perfjell Wellness Center, Mind Event SA)
Deepak Chopra (Chopra Center)
Adrian Parker (University of Gothenburg)
Hans Liljenstrom (Stockholm University, Agora for Biosystems)
Annekatrine Puhle (University of Gothenburg)