Columbia University Press Subconsciousness: Automatic Behavior and the Brain

We are conscious of only a small fraction of our lives. Because the brain constantly receives an enormous quantity of information, we need to be able to do things without thinking about them―to act in “autopilot” mode. Automatic behaviors―the vast majority of our activities―occur without our conscious awareness, or subconsciously. Yet the physiological basis of subconsciousness remains poorly understood, despite its vast importance for physical and mental health. The neurodegenerative disease expert Yves Agid offers a groundbreaking and accessible account of subconsciousness and its significance. He pinpoints the basal ganglia―the ancient “basement of the brain”―as the main physiological hub of the subconscious. Agid examines its roles in the control and production of automatic behavior, including motor, intellectual, and emotional processes. He highlights the consequences for various brain pathologies, showing how malfunctions of the subconscious have clinical repercussions including not only abnormal involuntary movements, as seen in Parkinson’s disease, but also psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorders and depression. Based on this understanding, Agid considers how seeing the basal ganglia as a therapeutic target can aid development of potential new treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. Shedding new light on the physiological bases of our behavior and mental states, this book provides an innovative exploration of the complexities of the mind, with implications ranging from clinical applications to philosophy’s thorniest problems. Review Written by one of the world's great experts in neurology, this brilliant work shows Yves Agid to be not only an accomplished neuroscientist but also an elegant essayist. Agid brilliantly summarizes, in sparkling prose, how our conscious and subconscious worlds intersect, and how conscious behaviors can be revealed by understanding the subconscious forces at work. In the great tradition of medical science, he uses examples from his clinical experience, in patients with Parkinson disease and other ailments, to illuminate how circuits within the basal ganglia of our brain regulate and influence many aspects of "voluntary" decision making. I cannot imagine a more approachable or enjoyable introduction to modern neuroscience than this beautiful little volume. Wise, charming, and playful, it should be essential reading for anyone who cares about how we think and behave.--Stephen L. Hauser, director, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences Yves Agid, one of the great neurologists of our time, guides us through the nonconscious functions of the brain and how they shape our behavior. We are under the illusion that we are the masters of our actions and interactions with the environment--Agid reveals to us that this is far from being the case, based on experimental evidence. This revelation could be unsettling, yet Agid brings us to accept this essential "unknown" aspect of what we are in a natural and appealing way. His descriptions are lucidly documented and illustrated with simple yet impactful drawings and clinical vignettes. A must-read for every person interested in better understanding the biological bases of our behaviors.--Pierre Magistretti, professor emeritus, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and distinguished professor, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology From the storied halls of Salpêtrière hospital, the neurologist and neuroscientist Yves Agid has written Subconsciousness, a volume worthy of his predecessor, the great neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot. In a speculative and brilliant treatise, Agid asks science and society to reimagine the role the basal ganglia might play as a repository of subconscious behavior, not simply the pathological locus of Parkinson's disease. Subconsciousness is a courageous and compelling account reminiscent of the best traditions of the Paris School of medicine.--Joseph