Karl H. Pribram

Karl H. Pribram (born February 25, 1919 in Vienna, Austria) is a professor at Georgetown University and George Mason University, and an emeritus professor of psychology and psychiatry at Stanford University and Radford University. Board-certified as a neurosurgeon, Pribram did pioneering work on the definition of the limbic system, the relationship of the frontal cortex to the limbic system, the sensory-specific "association" cortex of the parietal and temporal lobes, and the classical motor cortex of the human brain. To the general public, Pribram is best known for his development of the holonomic brain model of cognitive function and his contribution to ongoing neurological research into memory, emotion, motivation and consciousness. American author Katherine Neville is his significant other.

Holonomic model

Pribram's holonomic model, developed in collaboration with quantum physicist David Bohm, theorizes that memory/information is stored not in cells, but rather in wave interference patterns. Pribram was drawn to this conclusion by two facts:
* There are visual cortex response functions that correspond to Gabor functions, which in turn are related to hologram image functions.
* Drastic lesions can be made in animal brains which reduce, but "do not extinguish" memories (training), as demonstrated by Karl Lashley in the 1920s.

To formulate his model, Pribram utilized Fourier analysis, based on the Fourier Theorem, a variation of calculus that transforms complex patterns into component sine waves. Some believe that Pribram's theory also explains how the human brain can store so many memories in the engram in such limited space. Pribram believes the brain operates according to the same mathematical principles as a hologram. Bohm has suggested these wave forms may compose hologram-like organizations.

Technological advances associated with brain wave patterns, such as neuroimaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), have provided understanding that was foreshadowed by the insights of Pribram and Bohm. TMS offers the potential for improving diagnostic objectivity and the efficacy of psychiatric interventions. Researchers have made significant advances with TMS brain implants, which focus magnetic pulses on specific brain regions, thereby perhaps altering the neurological wave patterns that Pribram describes.

Other contributions

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Pribram's work and neurobehavioral experiments established the composition of the limbic system. Over the next decades, much was learned about the function of the limbic system, the executive functions of the anterior prefrontal cortex, and the role of the basal ganglia in organizing our emotions and motivations. Pribram also discovered the sensory specific systems of the association cortex, and showed that these systems operate to organize the choices we make among sensory stimuli, not the sensing of the stimuli themselves.

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Edited by Pribram

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Articles

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External links

* [http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~sai/pribram.htm "The Holographic Brain"] - Dr. Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Karl Pribham
* [http://www.acsa2000.net/bcngroup/jponkp/ "Comparison between Holographic Brain Theory and conventional models of neuronal computation"] – academic paper on Pribham's work
* [http://www.katherineneville.com/karl_havel_prize.htm "Pribram Receives Havel Prize For His Work in Neuroscience"] – news article
* [http://www.immaginehdv.com/detail.php?c=2&i=b90c95bf29b3909ced9b95a10d865cd329684d33 Global Lens Interview ] (Video)