I am.....therefore I think....the basis of human consciousness and cognition

Everyone has heard the saying, "I think, therefore I am", also known as, "Cogito ergo sum". This saying, attributed to René Descartes, became a foundational element of Western Philosophy. The simple meaning of the phrase is that if someone is wondering whether or not he exists, that is in and of itself proof that he does exist (because, at the very least, there is an "I" who is doing the thinking).

Modern neuroscience research is turning this idea in reverse. Modern research suggests that a perception of self, in the form of proprioceptive input from the body, is the basis of higher cognitive function.

"In recent years, it has become evident that neuronal rhythmicity and its consequence, ensemble neuronal oscillation and resonance, are deeply related to the emergence of brain functions. Prominent in these studies was the linking of high-frequency oscillations (in the domain of 25-50 Hz) with sensorimotor and cognitive functions."

Brain waves are the readings of electrical activity in the brain. As neurons turn on and off they create electrical activity that can be perceived from electrodes attached to the skull. Most animals earlier on the evolutionary scale have more high frequency components, while mammilian brain waves were shifted toward the lower frequencies.

These brain waves have been implicated in the development of cognitive functions such as visual perceptions, attention, learning and memory. These oscillations support the functions of consciousness.

The basis of these oscillations comes from pacemaker cells in the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus in the brain. The thalamus is the sensory gateway that processes most sensory information and relays it to the cortex of the brain. The pace of these intralaminar nuclei are set in part by input from the cerebellum and second order dorsal column nuclei transmitting information from slowly adapting receptors. Primarily muscles spindel receptors (from postural muscles) and joint mechanoreceptors from the spine.

In other words the proprioceptive input from the body sets the frequency of brain wave activity and the basis of human cognition.

Therefore it's actually your perception of your own body (conscious and unconscious) which sets the basis for human consciousness and cognition.

If you are not in tune with your body, your mind will suffer and so will you.