Philosophical considerations

• Aristotle 


  • believed the brain's function was to cool the blood
  • heart's function: seat of intelligence, thought and sensation
  • brain cools the blood to counteract the heat generated by the heart
  • at the time there was no concept of the brain generating electrical impulses or facilitating neurochemical transmission
  • theory represents an early attempt to explain to explain the brain's function based on empirical evidence and prevailing theories at the time
• Galen


  • cerebrum was responsible for sensation
  • cerebrum - soft structure that is responsible for sensation and high cognitive functions such as thought and reasoning
  • cerebellum - firmer structure associated with motor control and movement coordination
  • hypothesised that the softness of the cerebrum made it suitable for processing sensory information
  • believed the brain produced animal pneuma
  • the flow of the pneuma through nerves was the mechanism by which the brain controlled motor functions
• Descartes

  • believed the mind and the body are separate entities - substance dualism
  • mind (res cogitans) - non material thinking substance which is not bound by physical laws
  • body (res extensa) - material substance which occupies space and follows physical laws
  • pineal gland - site where the immaterial mind influences the physical body
  • problem of causal interaction - how can an immaterial mind and physical body interact