Neuroanatomy of Consciousness and the Will

Dear Colleagues,

One of perhaps the most fundamental questions of neuroscience surrounds the complexity of the brain and its ability to produce the will, agency, choice, and ultimately consciousness.  As we continue to identify regions of the brain that drive specific outwardly measurable behaviors, our understanding approaches an asymptote that tempts to assume neuroscience explains consciousness and the will, but how far has our understanding brought us?  Many disorders—including psychiatric, traumatic, hereditary, and acquired—produce changes in volition, motivation, perception, and executive function.  Are these windows into the role of certain anatomical regions and their contribution to the fundamental processes of consciousness?  Is it possible to observe and measure varying degrees of consciousness that can be modified therapeutically?  Do illusions, disorders, and gaps in our awareness erode the fidelity of our senses, and does our brain’s imagining affect our ability to interact with an external reality?  While the debate about consciousness and the will are primarily philosophical, these are very practical issues that surround health, wellbeing, and our evolutionary understanding.  In this issue, we hope to study concrete examples to provide boundaries around consciousness while advancing research methods that are necessary for further investigation.

Dr. James Sonne
Guest Editor

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