Neuroscientist Daniel Toker's focus on unconsciousness arose from a tragic incident he witnessed at a music festival, where he saw a concertgoer's consciousness fade after a severe accident. This painful experience shifted his interest from solely studying consciousness to exploring unconsciousness, which he regards as crucial for understanding personhood and moral values. Now a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA's neurology department, Toker balances his research on the neurobiology of unconsciousness with an emphasis on maintaining his mental and physical health through exercise and gratitude practices.
It was this very strange experience of watching his consciousness wink out of existence. I was very confused. Here was this person, this body, this brain, and something was lost.
It felt not only really mysterious what this thing was, but so ethically and medically important, because that's the thing where we place all of our moral value; that was the personhood.
Unconsciousness was on my radar only as a means to further elucidate consciousness. But my firsthand brush with death catalyzed a new focus on unconsciousness itself.
Outside of the lab, I put a lot of work into my physical and mental health, exercising regularly and gratitude journaling daily, pausing to reflect on the things I'm thankful for.
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