Neuroscience of free will
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The neuroscience of free will is an area within neurophilosophy and is the study of topics related to free will, using neuroscience and the analysis of how findings from such studies may impact the fr
On several different levels, from neurotransmitters through neuron firing rates to overall activity, the brain seems to "ramp up" before movements. This image depicts the readiness potential (RP), a ramping-up activity measured using EEG. The onset of the RP begins before the onset of a conscious intention or urge to act. Some have argued that this indicates the brain unconsciously commits to a decision before conscious awareness. Others have argued that this activity is due to random fluctuations in brain activity, which drive arbitrary, purposeless movements.
Typical recording of the Bereitschaftspotential that was discovered by Kornhuber and Deecke in 1965). Benjamin Libet investigated whether this neural activity corresponded to the "felt intention" (or will) to move of experimental subjects.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses magnetism to safely stimulate or inhibit parts of the brain.
Dick Swaab
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Dick Frans Swaab is a Dutch physician and neurobiologist. He is a professor of neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam and was until 2005 Director of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research o
Swaab in 1980.