The first thing we learn from studying our own circuitry is a simple lesson: most of what we do and think and feel is not under our conscious control.
David EaglemanThose with Anton's syndrome are not pretending they are not blind; they truly believe they are not blind. Their verbal reports, while inaccurate, are not lies. Instead, they are experiencing what they take to be vision, but it is all internally generated.
David EaglemanOne of the most impressive features of brains - and especially human brains - is the flexibility to learn almost any kind of task that comes its way.
David EaglemanIt turns out your conscious mind - the part you think of as you - is really the smallest part of whatโs happening in your brain, and usually the last one in line to find out any information.
David EaglemanIt turns out that dopamine is a chemical on double duty in the brain. Along with its role in motor commands, it also serves as the main messenger in the reward systems, guiding a person toward food, drink, mates, and all things useful for survival. Because of its role in the reward system, imbalances in dopamine can trigger gambling, overeating, and drug addiction - behaviors that result from a reward system gone awry.
David Eagleman