The Long Evolution of Brains and Minds

<p>Introduction: Are mind and brain a unity? </p><p>1. Mind and Intelligence<br>1.1  Types of learning<br>1.2 Types of memory<br>1.3 Intelligence and behavioral flexibility <br>1.4 Consciousness<br>1.5 Mind-brain theories<br>1.6 What does all that tell us? </p><p>2. What is evolution? <br>2.1 Historical concepts of evolution <br>2.2 Neodarwinism and its problems<br>2.3 Concepts of evolution beyond natural selection<br>2.4 The reconstruction of phylogeny and evolution<br>2.5 What does all that tell us?</p><p>3. The mind begins with life<br>3.1 What is life? <br>3.2 Order, self-production and self-maintenance<br>3.3 Life, energy acquisition and metabolism<br>3.4 The origin of first life<br>3.5 The further development of simple life<br>3.6 What does all that tell us?</p><p>4. The language of neurons<br>4.1 The structure of a nerve cell<br>4.2 Principles of membrane excitability<br>4.3 Ion channels and neural transmission<br>4.3.1 The function of ion channels<br>4.3.2 The origin of the action potential<br>4.3.3 Neurotransmitters and other neuroactive substances<br>4.4 Principles of neuronal information processing<br>4.5 What does all that tell us?</p><p>5. Bacteria, archaea, protozoa: successful life without a nervous system<br>5.1 Bacteria and Archaea<br>5.2 Protozoa<br>5.3 Why did multicellular organisms evolve? <br>5.4 What does all that tell us?</p><p>6. The “invertebrates” and their nervous systems<br>6.1 Non-bilaterians<br>6.1.1 Sponges<br>6.1.2 „Coelenterates“ <br>6.2 Bilaterians <br>6.2.1 Acoelomorpha<br>6.2.2 Protostomia<br>6.2.2.1 Lophotrochozoa <br>6.2.2.2 Ecdysozoa<br>6.3 What does all that tell us?</p><p>7. Invertebrate cognition and intelligence<br>7.1 Learning, cognitive abilities and intelligence in insects<br>7.2 Learning, cognitive abilities and intelligence in cephalopods<br>7.3 What does all that tell us?</p><p>8. The Deuterostomia<br>8.1 The origin of deuterostomes and their nervous systems<br>8.2 Echinoderms <br>8.3 Hemichordates<br>8.4 Chordates – Craniates - Vertebrates<br>8.4.1 Myxinoids<br>8.4.2 Vertebrates<br>8.4.2.1  Petromyzontids<br>8.4.2.2 Chondrichthyans<br>8.4.2.3  Osteichthyans<br>8.4.2.4  Amphibians <br>8.4.2.5  “Reptiles”<br>8.4.2.6  Birds<br>8.4.2.7  Mammals <br>8.5 What does all that tell us?</p><p>9. The brains of vertebrates<br>9.1 The basic organization of the vertebrate brain<br>9.2 Medulla spinalis and oblongata<br>9.3 Cerebellum <br>9.4 Mesencephalon <br>9.5 Diencephalon <br>9.6 Telencephalon<br>9.6.1 Functional anatomy of the isocortex9.6.2 Are the mammalian cortex and the mesonidopallium of birds homologous?<br>9.7 What does all that tell us?</p><p>10. Sensory systems – the coupling between brain and environment.<br>10.1 The general function of sense organs<br>10.2 Olfaction<br>10.3 The mechanical senses and electroreception<br>10.3.1 The sense of touch, vibration and medium currents<br>10.3.2 The mechanoreceptive and electroreceptive lateral line system of fish and amphibians<br>10.3.2.1 Mechanoreceptive lateral line system<br>10.3.2.2 The electroreceptive system. <br>10.3.3 The auditory system<br>10.4 The visual system<br>10.4.1    The compound eye of insects<br>10.4.2    The vertebrate eye and retina<br>10.4.3    Parallel processing in the visual system of vertebrates<br>10.5      What does all that tell us?</p><p>11. How intelligent are vertebrates?<br>11.1 Cognition in teleost fishes<br>11.2 Learning and cognitive abilities in amphibians<br>11.3 Cognitive abilities and intelligence in mammals and birds<br>11.3.1 Tool use and tool fabrication<br>11.3.2 Quantity representation<br>11.3.3 Object permanence<br>11.3.4 Reasoning and working memory<br>11.3.5 Social intelligence<br>11.3.5.1 “Machiavellian” intelligence<br>11.3.5.2 Gaze following<br>11.3.5.3 Imitation </p><p>12. Do animals have consciousness?<br>12.1 Mirror self-recognition <br>12.2 Metacognition<br>12.3 Theory of mind: understanding the others <br>12.4 Conscious attention<br>12.5 How intelligent are dolphins and elephants?<br>12.6 What does all that tell us? </p><p>13. Comparing vertebrate brains<br>13.1 Brain size and body size. <br>13.2 The significance of relative brain size and of “encephalization”<br>13.3 The fate of the cortex as the “seat” of intelligence and mind<br>13.3.1 Information processing properties of the cortex<br>13.3.2 Modularity of the cortex<br>13.3.3 Specialties of the cytoarchitecture of the mammalian cortex<br>13.4 Bird brains and mesonidopallium. <br>13.5 What does all that tell us?</p><p>14. Are humans unique?<br>14.1 How did Homo sapiens evolve? <br>14.2 Leaving the jungle and its consequences<br>14.3 Enlargement of the brain and its consequences<br>14.4 Language and the brain<br>14.4.1 Animal language <br>14.4.2 The evolution of human language<br>14.4.3 The tempo of the evolution of human language. <br>14. 5 Do humans exhibit a special social behavior?<br>14.6 What does all that tell us?</p><p>15. Determinants of the evolution of brains and minds<br>15.1 Patterns of the evolution of nervous systems and brains<br>15.2 The evolution of cognitive-mental functions<br>15.3 How do differences in intelligence relate to differences in brain structures and functions?<br>15.4 Which are the ultimate factors for evolution of brains and minds?<br>15.4.1 Ecological intelligence<br>15.4.2 Social intelligence<br>15.4.3 General intelligence<br>15.5 Basic mechanisms of evolution of brains and cognitive functions<br>15.6 What does all that tell us?</p><p>16. Brains and minds<br>16.1 The problems of dualism<br>16.2 Problems of strong emergentism <br>16.3 Problems of reductionism<br>16.4 The anatomy and physiology of mind<br>16.5 Brains and minds in birds, Octopus and the honeybee<br>16.6 Is mind multiply realized and artificially realizable?<br>16.7 What is the true nature of mind?</p><p> Literature</p>