Interdisciplinary discussion of selected problems with reference to "the Biology of Mind".

Abstract

INTERDISCIPLINARY DISCUSSION OF SELECTED PROBLEMS WITH REFERENCE TO "THE BIOLOGY OF MIND"* W. R. HESS\ The following statements supplement the recently published short monograph The Biology of Mind; they arose from an unrehearsed discussion with some colleagues who areacquainted with various branches of brain research. The monograph represents my interest in confronting the one-sided tendency ofmodern sciences toward analysis and differentiation with an attempt to integrate the facts and specialized concepts derived therefrom. The neurophysiologist is legitimately challenged to concern himself with that organ whose psychological manifestations are of such fundamental importance for human existence, and whose damaged function may have the most serious consequences for an ordered individual and social life of men. I. Concerning Rage, Fear, and Anxiety W. R. Hess: Let us first consider those remarkable bodily reactions which, under physiological conditions, are peculiar to the state of rage. Briefly, to repeat what has been described in more detail elsewhere [2, 3], there is dilation of the pupils, bristling of the back and tail hairs, nose blowing, and hissing. One can see this, for example, when the cat is attacked by a dog. One interprets such behavior under natural conditions to be the reaction * W. R. Hess [1]. t Present address: 6612 Ascona, Zurich, Switzerland. I am deeply indebted to the participants of this discussion: K. Akert, Institute for Brain Research; G. Baumgartner, R.Jung, and R. Hess, neurologists ; R. W. Hunsperger, physiologist; G. Weber, brain surgeon; and P. G. Waser, pharmacologist, ofthe University ofZürich. The translation by Dr. Herbert Friedmann ofthe German manuscript was edited by K. Akert. Publication costs, in part, were kindly contributed to Perspectives by CIBA Pharmaceutical Co. 267 to a threat. In the experiment with diencephalic stimulation, one may explain the rage response by supposing that central representations of those muscles coordinated for defensive demeanor are activated. The centrally evoked pattern would lead directly in an ordered manner toward the effectors. Another possible interpretation is that electrically stimulated substrates trigger primarily the subjective feeling ofa threat which elicits the defense reaction. A human can experience the corresponding process and give an account ofthe happening; he experiences a feeling, a specific affect condition. In a threatening, fighting situation he feels the blood mount in his head, a stronger and more rapid heartbeat, and without further thinking he attacks the opponent. When watching furiously fighting individuals, the observer transfers personal experiences to the quarreling neighbors, without doubting the reality oftheir emotion with which he is familiar. One is more reticent when dealing with the furious demeanor of an animal, the cat in this case. In principle, however, an analogous conclusion is no less justified than in the case ofman-to-man encounter. In order tojudge the alternatives discussed, additional experimental facts should be considered. Ifone increases the stimulating strength, the above-mentioned reactions are more sharply manifest. In addition, a directed motor response occurs. The cat hits an observer's hand with good aim and extended claws. If stimulating voltage is increased further, the cat aims tojump onto the nearest observer. There is no doubt that the cat would carry out its attack ifthe stimulation were not stopped. When it is stopped, the visible manifestation ofthe provoked feeling ceases. Thus it is impossible to reject the supposition that the cat, in consequence ofthe artificial stimulation, is put into a mood ofrage and regards the assistant as its enemy. One is led to an analogous conclusion when the bare tip of the stimulating electrode sits close to the "fear" zone. In this case there occurs the tendency to flight, a sign that the cat feels threatened. It is noteworthy that the cat, after the beginning ofstimulation but beforejumping from the experimental table, looks around for a hiding place in order to find a path ofescape; that is, it orients itselfvisually. We once saw the cat discover a slightly open roofwindow and escape through it. The well-aimed hit and the evaluation ofthe surroundings to find a suitable path ofescape are convincing criteria for the feeling of anxiety, or fear of something. The histological study ofthe places ofstimulation confirms that the stimulation effects are consistently related to defined structures of the brain. 268 W...