The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing

Dear Colleagues,

One of the gifts of the neuroimaging revolution was the ability to investigate cognitive states and abilities that were inaccessible for the entirety of history. Foremost of these was the ability to reflect on aspects of consciousness, including self-awareness and self-knowing. From the ancient philosophers and religious prophets to modern Nobel prize winners, attempting to know the origins, processes, and physical ‘location’ of the self has befuddled and challenged great thinkers for centuries. No philosophical question has gained more from recent advances in technology than ‘who, what, or where am I?’. From case studies to optogenetics to neuroimaging applied to both humans and non-human animals, ‘The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing’ will focus on self-directed thought in different neuroscience disciplines. Evolution, genetics (molecular and behavioral), traditional neuroimaging, and neurophilosophy are all encouraged.

We are now in a state of both measuring and manipulating single neurons in mammalian nervous systems. We are now seriously exploring psilocybin in humans and the influence it may have on the inner psyche. We are now examining DNA methyltransferase and histone modification in terms of higher-order cognition. We are coming ever closer to answering the questions of ‘who, what, where am I?’.

Is the self exclusive to mammals? Ornithologists and entomologists might take issue with this historical notion, as self-recognition findings and social behavior examinations appear to indicate otherwise. Can a simple, 100-million-year-old nervous system be capable of what we thought needed billions of neurons and altricial development?

Original reports (both full length and brief reports) and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Julian Keenan
Guest Editor

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