Michael Gazzaniga
Encyclopedia
Michael S. Gazzaniga is a professor of psychology
at the University of California, Santa Barbara
, where he heads the new SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind. He is one of the leading researchers in cognitive neuroscience
, the study of the neural basis of mind. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Institute of Medicine
, and the National Academy of Sciences
.
. In 1964, he received a Ph.D.
in psychobiology from the California Institute of Technology
, where he worked under the guidance of Roger Sperry, with primary responsibility for initiating human split-brain
research. In his subsequent work he has made important advances in our understanding of functional lateralization
in the brain and how the cerebral hemisphere
s communicate with one another.
Gazzaniga's publication career includes books for a general audience The Social Brain, Mind Matters, and Nature's Mind. He recently published The Cognitive Neurosciences III, from MIT Press
, which features the work of nearly 200 scientists and is a sourcebook for the field. His book The Ethical Brain was published by the Dana Press in June 2005.
Gazzaniga founded the Centers for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis
and at Dartmouth College
, the Neuroscience Institute, and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
, of which he is the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. Gazzaniga a member of the President's Council on Bioethics. He also is the Director of the Law and Neuroscience Project, a project to study the intersection of law and neuroscience.
by Stanisław Lem.
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
, where he heads the new SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind. He is one of the leading researchers in cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience
Cognitive neuroscience is an academic field concerned with the scientific study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a specific focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. It addresses the questions of how psychological/cognitive functions are produced by the brain...
, the study of the neural basis of mind. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the Institute of Medicine
Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization founded in 1970, under the congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences...
, and the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences commonly refers to the academy in the United States of America.National Academy of Sciences may also refer to :* National Academy of Sciences of Argentina* Armenian National Academy of Sciences...
.
Biography
In 1961, Gazzaniga graduated from Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. In 1964, he received a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in psychobiology from the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, where he worked under the guidance of Roger Sperry, with primary responsibility for initiating human split-brain
Split-brain
Split-brain is a lay term to describe the result when the corpus callosum connecting the two hemispheres of the brain is severed to some degree. The surgical operation to produce this condition is called corpus callosotomy and is usually used as a last resort to treat otherwise intractable epilepsy...
research. In his subsequent work he has made important advances in our understanding of functional lateralization
Lateralization of brain function
A longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The sides resemble each other and each hemisphere's structure is generally mirrored by the other side. Yet despite the strong anatomical similarities, the functions of each...
in the brain and how the cerebral hemisphere
Cerebral hemisphere
A cerebral hemisphere is one of the two regions of the eutherian brain that are delineated by the median plane, . The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres. Each of these hemispheres has an outer layer of grey matter called the cerebral cortex that is...
s communicate with one another.
Gazzaniga's publication career includes books for a general audience The Social Brain, Mind Matters, and Nature's Mind. He recently published The Cognitive Neurosciences III, from MIT Press
MIT Press
The MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
, which features the work of nearly 200 scientists and is a sourcebook for the field. His book The Ethical Brain was published by the Dana Press in June 2005.
Gazzaniga founded the Centers for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
and at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, the Neuroscience Institute, and the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
The Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience is a peer-reviewed academic journal for scientific research on cognitive neuroscience and the interaction between brain and behavior...
, of which he is the Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. Gazzaniga a member of the President's Council on Bioethics. He also is the Director of the Law and Neuroscience Project, a project to study the intersection of law and neuroscience.
Cultural influence
Gazzaniga's work is referenced in the book Peace on EarthPeace on Earth (novel)
Peace on Earth is a 1987 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem. The novel describes in a satirical tone the ultimate implications of the arms race....
by Stanisław Lem.
External links
- University of California Santa Barbara faculty web page
- The Law and Neuroscience Project
- Sage Center for the Study of the Mind
- "The Effects of Crack" — an exchange between Gazzaniga and the conservative commentator William F. Buckley, Jr.William F. Buckley, Jr.William Frank Buckley, Jr. was an American conservative author and commentator. He founded the political magazine National Review in 1955, hosted 1,429 episodes of the television show Firing Line from 1966 until 1999, and was a nationally syndicated newspaper columnist. His writing was noted for...
- Video of Gazzaniga demonstrating the effects of split brain surgery
- Video (and audio) of interview/discussion with Gazzaniga by Carl ZimmerCarl ZimmerCarl Zimmer is a popular science writer and blogger, especially regarding the study of evolution and parasites. He has written several books and contributes science essays to publications such as The New York Times and Discover...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers...