Synopsis
"Eccles deals with the neuronal physiology of the cortex, cerebellum, spinal cord, and brainstem. He goes beyond this to look at neuronal networks in detail. Synaptic plasticity, including LTP and LTD are discussed also. Our understanding of these phenomena has advanced since that time. Eccles then goes on to introduce World 1-World 3, his conceptual framework to describe the Mind and the Environment as complex Black Boxes. As such, the mind needs the brain activity to gain an aperture or window into the black box of the environment or surroundings. It is by neuronal activity and network activity spreading across the surface of the neocortex that a person becomes aware of what is in the black box of the environment itself. These separate worlds have two way communication with each other, allowing meaningful actions and thoughts to occur. Cortical modules are activated by other modules & subcortical command centers, resulting in brief, 5-100 msec., interspersed, & continuous activity, composing an active "orchestra" of responses. Towards the end of the book he discusses Neurophilosophy and reminds us of Sir Charles Sherrington's work, who was his supervisor at Cambridge University. Eccles was not a reductionist. He was more of a dualist who felt that the Mind was going to be far more complex than most Neuroscientists had thought at that time. Eccles could have very well let his laurels rest on motor neuron physiology, but he did not, thus naming the book appropriately, Facing Reality."
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