Visceral Perception

Author Gyorgy Adam maintains there is a type of sensory system active within the internal organs that appears to be, in some measure, independent of the traditional senses. Variously termed viscerosensory perception, internal perception, or internal cognition, this system operates largely outside of consciousness. Adam employs the extensive data he has gathered over many years to demonstrate how "hidden" internal signals originating in the alimentary tract, the cardiovascular system, and the kidneys may influence emotional states. Visceral Perception is the only comprehensive treatment of this elusive subject.

It has been known for over a century that there is an afferent(body-to-brain), as well as an efferent(brain-to-body), component to the visceral-atonomic nervous system. Despite the fundamental importance of bodily afferent information- sometimes called interoception- to central nervous system control of visceral organ function, emotional-motivational processes, and dysfunction of these processes, including psychosomatic disorders, its role did not receive much attention until quite recently. This is the first comprehensive review of this topic and it covers both neurobiological and psychobiological aspects. The author first defines the issue and gives an historical background starting with the James-Lange theory of emotion, and addresses learning and motivation, roots in Pavlovian conditioning research, and operant conditioning of visceral function. In the second section he reviews recent scientific findings in the neural basis of visceral perception and studies in cardiovascular-respiratory and alimentary interoception. Finally, he discusses several related areas of research and theory including drug state issues, interoception and psychiatric disorders, and bodily consciousness, and suggests directions for future investigation. The book will be of interest to scientists in neurobiology, psychology, and brain imaging, to indivuals in related clinical fields such as psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, and clinical psychology, and to their students and trainees.

This book puts a finger on the nerve of culture by delving into the social life of touch, our most elusive yet most vital sense. From the tortures of the Inquisition to the corporeal comforts of modernity, and from the tactile therapies of Asian medicine to the virtual tactility of cyberspace, The Book of Touch offers excursions into a sensory territory both foreign and familiar. How are masculine and feminine identities shaped by touch? What are the tactile experiences of the blind, or the autistic? How is touch developed differently across cultures? What are the boundaries of pain and pleasure? Is there a politics of touch? Bringing together classic writings and new work, this is an essential guide for anyone interested in the body, the senses and the experiential world.

The term Interception refers to information that is sent by the nervous system from the body to the brain. Despite its importance in the control of visceral organ function, emotional-motivational processes, and in psychosomatic disorders, the topic has not received as much attention as central functions of the nervous system. This book provides the first review of the field and will be of interest to scientists in neurobiology, psychology, and brain imaging, to individuals in related clinical fields such as psychiatry, neurology, cardiology, gastroenterology, and clinical psychology, and to their students and trainees.

Biofeedback and Behavior: A NATO Symposium, held on 27-30 July 1976 at the Max Planck Institut fUr Psychiatrie in MUnchen, was a mul tidisciplinary meeting that explored both theoretical and applied issues arising from the use of biofeedback procedures for the control of visceral, central nervous system and skeletal events. The symposium was multi national in its composition. Financial support for the symposium was initially provided by the Scientific Affairs Division of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as part of their continuing series of scientific symposia. Funds made avail able by a grant from the United States Office of Naval Research permit ted wide-spread international participation in the symposium. The facil ities for the meeting were graciously provided by the Max Planck Institut ilir Psychiatrie. We thank each of these organizations for their support in making this symposium possible. A special thanks is due to Dr. B.A. Bayraktar of the Scientific Affairs Division of NA TO and Dr. Donald Wood ward of the U.S. Office of Naval Research, whose counsel contributed substantially to the organization of this meeting. The planning of this symposium was carried out in consultation with members of the organizing committee: Rolf Engel, Pola Engel-Sittenfeld, Laverne C. Johnson, George H. Lawrence, Gary E. Schwartz, and Da vid Shapiro. The final form of this symposium reflects their contribu tions, for which we are grateful.

The field of perception is devoted to explaining the operation of the senses and the experiences and behaviors resulting from stimulation of the senses. Perceptual processes such as recognizing faces, seeing color, hearing music, and feeling pain represent the actions of complex mechanisms, yet we usually do them easily. The Encyclopedia of Perception presents a comprehensive overview of the field of perception through authoritative essays written by leading researchers and theoreticians in psychology, the cognitive sciences, neuroscience, and medical disciplines. It presents two parallel and interacting approaches: the psychophysical, or determining the relationship between stimuli in the environment and perception, and the physiological, or locating the biological systems responsible for perception. Are there any processes not associated with perception? Surely there are, but the pervasiveness of perception is truly impressive, and the phenomena of perception and its mechanisms are what this encyclopedia is about. Key Features Contains 16 pages of color illustration and photography to accompany the entries Offers a varied and broad list of topics, including basic research as well as methodologies, theoretical approaches, and real-world applications of perceptual research Emphasizes human perception but includes ample research because of its importance in its own right and because of what this research tells us about human perception Written by recognized experts from many disciplines but for an audience with no previous background in perception—students and members of the general public alike Key Themes Action Attention Audition Chemical Senses Cognition and Perception Computers and Perception Consciousness Disorders of Perception Illusory Perceptions Individual Differences (Human) and Comparative (Across Species; Not Including Ageing, Disorders, and Perceptual Development) Methods Perceptual Development/Experience Philosophical Approaches Physiological Processes Sense Interaction Skin and Body Senses Theoretical Approaches Visual Perception

An expert explores the biological and emotional nature of pain: why it hurts and why some pain is good and some pain is bad. If you touch something hot, it hurts. You snatch your hand away from the hot thing immediately. Obviously. But what is really happening, biologically—and emotionally? In Understanding Pain, Fernando Cervero explores the mechanisms and the meaning of pain. When you touch something hot, your brain triggers a reflex action that causes you to withdraw your hand, protecting you from injury. That kind of pain, Cervero explains, is actually good for us; it acts as an alarm that warns us of danger and keeps us away from harm. But, Cervero tells us, not all pain is good for you. There is another kind of pain that is more like a curse: chronic pain that is not related to injury. This is the kind of pain that fills pain clinics and makes life miserable. Cervero describes current research into the mysteries of chronic pain and efforts to develop more effective treatments. Cervero reminds us that pain is the most common reason for people to seek medical attention, but that it remains a biological enigma. It is protective, but not always. Its effects are not only sensory but also emotional. There is no way to measure it objectively, no test that comes back positive for pain; the only way a medical professional can gauge pain is by listening to the patient's description of it. The idea of pain as a test of character or a punishment to be borne is changing; prevention and treatment of pain are increasingly important to researchers, clinicians, and patients. Cervero's account brings us closer to understanding the meaning of pain.