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[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Mind's_eye.jpg|right|frame]]

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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_century 15th Century]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_century 15th Century]

==Definitions==

==Definitions==

*1: the [[mental]] faculty of [[conceiving]] [[imaginary]] or recollected scenes; also : the mental [[picture]] so conceived <in the '''mind's eye''' one sees dinosaurs, mammoths, and sabertoothed tigers — F. P. Brooks Jr.>

*1: the [[mental]] faculty of [[conceiving]] [[imaginary]] or recollected scenes; also : the mental [[picture]] so conceived <in the '''mind's eye''' one sees dinosaurs, mammoths, and sabertoothed tigers — F. P. Brooks Jr.>

The phrase '''"mind's eye"''' refers to the [[human]] [[ability]] for [[visualization]], i.e., for the [[experiencing]] of visual [[mental]] imagery; in other [[words]], one's ability to "[[Vision|see]]" things with the mind.

The phrase '''"mind's eye"''' refers to the [[human]] [[ability]] for [[visualization]], i.e., for the [[experiencing]] of visual [[mental]] imagery; in other [[words]], one's ability to "[[Vision|see]]" things with the mind.

The [[biological]] [[foundation]] of the mind's eye is not fully [[understood]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FMRI fMRI] [[studies]] have shown that the lateral geniculate nucleus and the V1 area of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_cortex visual cortex] are activated during mental imagery tasks. Ratey writes:

The [[biological]] [[foundation]] of the mind's eye is not fully [[understood]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FMRI fMRI] [[studies]] have shown that the lateral geniculate nucleus and the V1 area of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_cortex visual cortex] are activated during mental imagery tasks. Ratey writes:

<blockquote>The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_pathway visual pathway] is not a one-way street. Higher areas of the [[brain]] can also send visual input back to [[neurons]] in lower areas of the visual cortex... As [[humans]], we have the [[ability]] to see with the mind's eye -to have a [[perceptual]] [[experience]] in the [[absence]] of visual input. For example, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET_scan PET scans] have shown that when subjects, seated in a room, [[imagine]] they are at their front door starting to walk either to the left or right, [[activation]] begins in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_association_cortex visual association cortex], the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietal_cortex parietal cortex], and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefrontal_cortex prefrontal cortex] - all higher [[cognitive]] processing centers of the [[brain]].</blockquote>

<blockquote>The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_pathway visual pathway] is not a one-way street. Higher areas of the [[brain]] can also send visual input back to [[neurons]] in lower areas of the visual cortex... As [[humans]], we have the [[ability]] to see with the mind's eye -to have a [[perceptual]] [[experience]] in the [[absence]] of visual input. For example, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET_scan PET scans] have shown that when subjects, seated in a room, [[imagine]] they are at their front door starting to walk either to the left or right, [[activation]] begins in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_association_cortex visual association cortex], the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parietal_cortex parietal cortex], and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prefrontal_cortex prefrontal cortex] - all higher [[cognitive]] processing centers of the [[brain]].</blockquote>

The rudiments of a [[biological]] [[basis]] for the mind's eye is found in the deeper portions of the [[brain]] below the neocortex, or where the center of [[perception]] exists. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalamus thalamus] has been found to be discrete to other components in that it [[processes]] all forms of [[perception]]al data relayed from both lower and higher components of the [[brain]]. Damage to this component can produce permanent perceptual damage, however when damage is inflicted upon the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex cerebral cortex], the [[brain]] adapts to neuroplasticity to amend any occlusions for [[perception]]. It can be [[thought]] that the neocortex is a sophisticated [[memory]] storage warehouse in which [[data]] [[received]] as an input from sensory systems are compartmentalized via the cerebral cortex. This would [[essentially]] allow for shapes to be identified, although given the lack of filtering input produced internally, one may as a [[consequence]], [[hallucinate]] - essentially seeing something that isn't [[received]] as an input externally but rather internal (i.e. an [[error]] in the filtering of segmented sensory data from the cerebral cortex may result in one [[seeing]], [[feeling]], hearing or experiencing something that is inconsistent with [[reality]]).

The rudiments of a [[biological]] [[basis]] for the mind's eye is found in the deeper portions of the [[brain]] below the neocortex, or where the center of [[perception]] exists. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalamus thalamus] has been found to be discrete to other components in that it [[processes]] all forms of [[perception]]al data relayed from both lower and higher components of the [[brain]]. Damage to this component can produce permanent perceptual damage, however when damage is inflicted upon the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_cortex cerebral cortex], the [[brain]] adapts to neuroplasticity to amend any occlusions for [[perception]]. It can be [[thought]] that the neocortex is a sophisticated [[memory]] storage warehouse in which [[data]] [[received]] as an input from sensory systems are compartmentalized via the cerebral cortex. This would [[essentially]] allow for shapes to be identified, although given the lack of filtering input produced internally, one may as a [[consequence]], [[hallucinate]] - essentially seeing something that isn't [[received]] as an input externally but rather internal (i.e. an [[error]] in the filtering of segmented sensory data from the cerebral cortex may result in one [[seeing]], [[feeling]], hearing or experiencing something that is inconsistent with [[reality]]).

Furthermore, the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland pineal gland] is a [[hypothetical]] [[candidate]] for producing a mind's eye; Dr. Rick Strassman has postulated that during [[near death experiences]] (NDE's) and [[dreaming]], the gland might secrete a [[hallucinogenic]] [[chemical]] '[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine]' (DMT) to produce internal visuals when external sensory data is occluded. However, Strassman has been unable to [[support]] this [[hypothesis]] with any neurochemical [[evidence]] or plausible [[mechanism]] for DMT production. The [[idea]] is consequently not [[accepted]] by the [[scientific]] [[community]].

Furthermore, the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland pineal gland] is a [[hypothetical]] [[candidate]] for producing a mind's eye; Dr. Rick Strassman has postulated that during [[near death experiences]] (NDE's) and [[dreaming]], the gland might secrete a [[hallucinogenic]] [[chemical]] '[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N,N-Dimethyltryptamine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine]' (DMT) to produce internal visuals when external sensory data is occluded. However, Strassman has been unable to [[support]] this [[hypothesis]] with any neurochemical [[evidence]] or plausible [[mechanism]] for DMT production. The [[idea]] is consequently not [[accepted]] by the [[scientific]] [[community]].

The use of the phrase mind's eye does not imply that there is a single or unitary place in the [[mind]] or [[brain]] where visual [[consciousness]] occurs. Various philosophers have criticized this view, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Dennett Daniel Dennett] being one of the best-known. However, others, such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnjoe_McFadden Johnjoe McFadden] of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand-based neurobiologist Susan Pockett, have proposed that the brain's [[electromagnetic]] field is [[consciousness]] itself, thus causing the [[perception]] of a unitary location.

The use of the phrase mind's eye does not imply that there is a single or unitary place in the [[mind]] or [[brain]] where visual [[consciousness]] occurs. Various philosophers have criticized this view, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Dennett Daniel Dennett] being one of the best-known. However, others, such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnjoe_McFadden Johnjoe McFadden] of the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand-based neurobiologist Susan Pockett, have proposed that the brain's [[electromagnetic]] field is [[consciousness]] itself, thus causing the [[perception]] of a unitary location.

[[Category: Biology]]

[[Category: Biology]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]

[[Category: Philosophy]]