Ubi irritatio, ibi affluxus: a 19th century perspective on haemodynamic brain activity.
The impact of cognitive operations on haemodynamic activity in the human brain is a cornerstone of modern cognitive neuroscience. This essay presents an early speculation about why there is increased blood flow following cognitive operations: Emil Harleß, a 19th century German physiologist, proposed that this blood flow responds to irritations caused by "the will" in order to restore homeostasis. Peculiar from a modern perspective, this speculation shows how neuroscientific concepts - and corresponding perspectives on cognitive function - have changed over the centuries.
Julius-Maximilians University of Würzburg, Department of Psychology III, Germany. roland.pfister@psychologie.uni-wuerzburg.de
Roland
R
Pfister
Katharina A
KA
Schwarz
Markus
M
Janczyk
D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D049672:History, 19th Century; D006801:Humans; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000266:history*; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000266:history*