The Brain as a Tool: A Neuroscientist's Account

Part I How Do We Relate To The World?
1. The role of the brain
2. The pathways for perception
3. The pathways for action
4. The subcortical motor centres

Part II My Route To The Thalamic Gate
5. Starting to study the brain
6. The mamillothalamic pathways: My first encounter with the thalamus
7. Comparative studies of the hypothalamus that led to studies of thalamic synapses

Part III Arriving At The Thalamic Gate
8. Defining the functional components of the thalamic gate
9. Thalamic higher order driver inputs as sensorimotor links
10. The hierarchy of cortical monitors

Part IV Higher Cortical Functions
11. Relating the neural connections to actions and perceptions
12. Interacting with the world
13. The role of the thalamocortical hierarchy
14. The neural origins of a sense of self with a brief note on free will conclusions