Robustness of the Mind-Body Interface: case studies of unconventional information flow in the multiscale living architecture

Neuroscience, and behavioral science more broadly, seek to characterize the relationship between functional cognition and the underlying processes operating in living tissue. The current paradigm focuses heavily on the brain, and specific mechanisms thought to underlie mental content and capabilities. One of the most interesting approaches to any field, which often leads to progress, is to highlight data which do not comfortably fit a specific dominant framework. Here, we review clinical and laboratory data in several unconventional systems which are not predicted by the current models in the field. Reduced brain mass or absent brain tissue without the expected loss of function (e.g. hydrocephalus, hemihydranencephaly), discrepancies between cognitive state and brain function (e.g. accidental awareness during anesthesia, terminal lucidity), and cases of cognitive abilities exceeding the apparent skill of the individual, all highlight interesting features of the immense plasticity of the mapping between cognition and its living substrate. These cases suggest new avenues for research that at the very least stretch existing frameworks, and parallels to discoveries being made in the emergent form and behavior of synthetic constructs. We speculate on a roadmap for the study of interesting and still poorly-understood features of embodied minds that could be impactful for biomedicine and engineering, as well as foundational philosophical issues.