The Slowest Shared Resonance: A Review of Electromagnetic Field Oscillations Between Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems

Author: Asa Young1, Tam Hunt1, Marissa Ericson2
Affiliation:
1 Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States.
2 Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Conference/Journal: Front Hum Neurosci
Date published: 2022 Feb 16
Other: Volume ID: 15 , Pages: 796455 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.796455. , Word Count: 192


Electromagnetic field oscillations produced by the brain are increasingly being viewed as causal drivers of consciousness. Recent research has highlighted the importance of the body's various endogenous rhythms in organizing these brain-generated fields through various types of entrainment. We expand this approach by examining evidence of extracerebral shared oscillations between the brain and other parts of the body, in both humans and animals. We then examine the degree to which these data support one of General Resonance Theory's (GRT) principles: the Slowest Shared Resonance (SSR) principle, which states that the combination of micro- to macro-consciousness in coupled field systems is a function of the slowest common denominator frequency or resonance. This principle may be utilized to develop a spatiotemporal hierarchy of brain-body shared resonance systems. It is predicted that a system's SSR decreases with distance between the brain and various resonating structures in the body. The various resonance relationships examined, including between the brain and gastric neurons, brain and sensory organs, and brain and spinal cord, generally match the predicted SSR relationships, empirically supporting this principle of GRT.

Keywords: EEG; consciousness; coupled oscillators; embodied cognition; interoception; resonance.

PMID: 35250508 PMCID: PMC8888685 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.796455

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