Infant Brain Development Formation of the Mind and the Emergence of
This book discusses the main milestones of early brain development and the emergence of consciousness, within and outside the mother’s environment, with a particular focus on the preterm infant. These insights offer new perspectives on issues concerning f
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Infant Brain Development Formation of the Mind and the Emergence of Consciousness
Infant Brain Development
Hugo Lagercrantz
Infant Brain Development Formation of the Mind and the Emergence of Consciousness
Hugo Lagercrantz Karolinska Institute Solna, Sweden
ISBN 978-3-319-44843-5 ISBN 978-3-319-44845-9 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-44845-9
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953024 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
Preface
The quest for the emergence of consciousness is fundamental. However, consciousness has been regarded as “airy-fairy” to speak about at conferences and seminars in neuroscience and in clinical medicine. But to talk about the brain without discussing the mind is like dealing with the gastrointestinal canal without mentioning digestion, as pointed out by the philosopher John Searle. Since the beginning of this century, consciousness has been a hot topic in neurobiology partially due to the more sophisticated brain imaging techniques. Several books on consciousness have been published on human and also animal consciousness. The famous essay by Thomas Nagel entitled “What is it like to be a bat” is discussed over and over again. But “what is it like to be a human fetus or infant” has attracted less attention, except by Alison Gopnik who published the excellent book, The Philosophical Baby. My book deals with the emergence of the mind from a more clinical perspective. To understand this question, it is essential to also describe the development of the brain. What is intriguing is how the brain and mind develop in the very preterm infant outside the womb. I am also interested in the question of when the fetus/infant becomes a person, and my view is that it is when
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