A Higher-Order Theory of Emotional Consciousness

Emotional states of consciousness, or what are typically called emotional feelings, are traditionally viewed as being innately programed in subcortical areas of the brain, and are often treated as different from cognitive states of consciousness, such as those related to the perception of external stimuli. We argue that conscious experiences, regardless of their content, arise from one system in the brain. On this view, what differs in emotional and non-emotional states is the kind of inputs that are processed by a general cortical network of cognition, a network essential for conscious experiences. Although subcortical circuits are not directly responsible for conscious feelings, they provide non-conscious inputs that coalesce with other kinds of neural signals in the cognitive assembly of conscious emotional experiences. In building the case for this proposal, we defend a modified version of what is known as the higher-order theory of consciousness

Developmental changes in foraging-predator avoidance trade-offs in larval lumpfish Cyclopterus lumpus

The 5-12 wk old larvae increased time spent clinging to a surface in the presence of a predator, trading-off time available for foraging in order to reduce the probability of attack. Overall, fewer fish fed in the presence of a predator, and of the fish that did feed, 12 wk old lumpfish also showed a significant decrease in feeding rate (bites per minute swimming) in the presence of a predator. -from Author

Understanding the Higher-Order Approach to Consciousness

Critics have often misunderstood the higher-order theory (HOT) of consciousness. Here we clarify its position on several issues, and distinguish it from other views such as the global The higher-order theory (HOT) of consciousness has often been misunderstood by critics. Here we clarify its position on several issues, and distinguish it from other views such as the global workspace theory (GWT) and early sensory models (e.g. first-order local recurrency theories). For example, HOT has been criticized for over-intellectualizing consciousness. We show that while higher-order states are cognitively assembled, the requirements are actually considerably less than often presumed. In this sense HOT may be viewed as an intermediate position between GWT and early sensory views. Also, we clarify that most proponents of HOT do not stipulate consciousness as equivalent to metacognition or confidence. Further, compared to other existing theories, HOT can arguably account better for complex everyday experiences, such as of emotions and episodic memories. This makes HOT particularly useful as a framework for conceptualizing pathological mental states

Activities of Muscadine Grape Skin and Polyphenolic Constituents against Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a microaerophilic, gram-negative bacterium and among the most persistent of all human pathogens. Its presence in the gastric environment is corre-lated with diseases such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, and gastric carcinoma. Multiple factors are believed responsible for disease progression and outcome including infecting strain(s) genetic composition, age of acqui-sition, host immune response, environment, and diet. Due to the complexity of H. pylori infection, all possible host-pathogen interactions should be considered. One important factor frequently underplayed is host dietary habits which may serve a more important role during and immediately following infection with H. pylori than previously thought. It has been shown that people consuming diets rich in fruits and vegetables have a lower incidence of H. pylori infection and severe gastric malignancies and that this may be in part due to natural bioactive compounds acting against H. pylori. We believe that alternative, diet-based strategies may have a significant impact on attenuating this bacte-rium when used alone or in combination with current antibiotic regimes; however, natural compounds should be better studied to understand their full therapeutic potential. Muscadine grapes, because of their high levels of polyphenolic compounds and unique chemical makeup, are believed to be a proper candidate for study since these fruits have already been shown to exert anti-H. pylori activity in vitro with effects possi-bly related to inhibition of bacterial attachment and virulence factors. The objectives of this study were to 1) identify active phenolic compounds in muscadine grape skin respon-sible for anti-H. pylori activity, 2) use DNA microarrays to study gene expression upon iii exposure to active compounds, and 3) explore the preventative potential of muscadine grape skin and identified polyphenols for ameliorating H. pylori infection and/or the H. pylori-induced inflammatory response in mice. Our results show that muscadine grape skin and major phenolics quercetin and resveratrol exert strong anti-H. pylori activity; especially when in combination, and may have the potential to be incorporated into an effective, diet-based approach for the pre-vention and/or treatment of H. pylori infection