Anton Lethin

With emotional motivation the organism prepares the body to obtain a goal. There is an anticipatory sensitization of the sensory systems in the body and the brain. Presynaptic facilitation of the sensory afference in the spinal cord is probably involved. In a second stage the higher centers develop an action image/plan to realize the goal, modifying the initial preparations in the body. The subject experiences the changes in the body as a feeling. Three empirical studies supporting this description are summarized. This description of how feelings develop from emotion circuits is discussed from a phenomenological viewpoint.

: Marcel says that the experience of ownership of actions is given in the specifications for action. He is referring not to a bodily movement but that which precedes it. Is the body involved or are all the changes in the brain? This paper examines the evidence for changes in the spinal cord and muscles that occur with motor imagery, simulation and preparation. There are changes in the alpha motoneurons and in the gamma motoneurons to the muscle spindles. These may be caused by stimulation from the covert efferent arm to the body. To experience the ownership of covert actions in the body requires feedback to the owner as their spatially perspectival source. There is evidence that an ascending pathway from the muscle spindles to the brain carries such feedback. This view of the feedback loop is integrated into the sensorimotor view of the genesis of consciousness of Ellis and Newton.

The enactive view states that mental processes are embodied in the sensorimotor activity of the organism. This paper seeks to show how it is possible to be conscious of intentions in an embodied way, by adding detail about muscle spindle action to a theory put forward by Damasio. Consciousness is here understood as the awareness of our intentionality. This is a motor plan to interact with the environment, and is expressed in the body. As the body prepares the muscles to act, there is propioceptive feedback from the spindles. The muscle spindle system needs to be added to Damasio's body loop to clarify how intentionality is embodied. He feels that core consciousness is based on the proto-self. I believe that the muscle spindle feedback is part of the proto-self, and enables the proto-self to sense the body's motor preparation

The sense of self as a covert agent is a key component to the sense of self. This paper focuses on covert action as a preparation to interact. This activates the entire motor system, including the gamma motoneurons innervating the muscle spindles. The proprioceptive stimulation is fed back to the network of origin, contributing to a sense of self as generating the covert activity. A study of motivated behavior in the rat is presented to clarify how the motivation potentiates actions in the body. This is set into Panksepp's subcortical action system of emotional circuits, where the motivation arises.This sets the motor tone for the planned action. This picture if interpreted with Ellis' and Newton's model portraying how emotional motivation can lead to phenomenal consciousness. It is proposed that no motor imagery occurs without involving the body. The higher levels of awareness depend on the subcortical bodily intentionality.

The enactive view states that mental processes are embodied in the sensorimotor activity of the organism. This paper seeks to show how it is possible to be conscious of intentions in an embodied way, by adding detail about muscle spindle action to a theory put forward by Damasio. Consciousness is here understood as the awareness of our intentionality. This is a motor plan to interact with the environment, and is expressed in the body. As the body prepares the muscles to act, there is propioceptive feedback from the spindles. The muscle spindle system needs to be added to Damasio's body loop to clarify how intentionality is embodied. He feels that core consciousness is based on the proto-self. I believe that the muscle spindle feedback is part of the proto-self, and enables the proto-self to sense the body's motor preparation.