Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Florida, 2004. / Typescript. Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 162 pages. Includes Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Ohio University, June, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-65)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, March, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 166-179)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, May, 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss.--Linz--Universität, 1990.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ball State University, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Nov. 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 134-157).

Diss.--Philosophische Fakultät--Freiburg im Breisgau--Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 267-281. Index.

This thesis is about the ontology of living beings as natural systems, their behavior, and the way in which said behavior, under special conditions of social coupling, may give rise to mental phenomena. The guiding questions of the thesis are: 1) What kinds of systems are living beings such that they behave the way they do? 2) How, through what kinds of mechanisms and processes, do living beings generate their behavior? 3) How do mental phenomena appear in the life of certain living beings? 4) What are the natural conditions under which certain living beings exhibit mental phenomena? To answer these questions the thesis first assumes, then justifies and defends, a Strict Naturalistic (SN) stance with respect to living beings. SN is a metaphysical and epistemological framework that, recognizing the organizational, dynamic and structural complexity and peculiarity of living beings, views and treats them as metaphysically ordinary natural systems; that is, as systems that, from the metaphysical point of view, are not different in kind from rivers or stars. SN holds that if in natural sciences rivers and stars are not conceived as semantic, intentional, teleological, agential or normative systems, then living beings should not be so conceived either. Having assumed SN, and building mainly on the second-order cybernetic theories of Ross Ashby and Humberto Maturana, the thesis answers question 1) by saying that living beings are (i) adaptive dynamic systems, (ii) deterministic machines of closed transitions, (iii) multistable dissipative systems, and (iv) organizationally closed systems with respect to their sensorimotor and autopoietic dynamics. Based on this ontological characterization, the thesis answers question 2) by showing that living beings’ behavior corresponds to the combined product of (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv). Points (i) and (ii) support the idea that living beings are strictly deterministic systems, and that, consequently, notions such as information, control, agency or teleology—usually invoked to explain living beings’ behavior—do not have operational reality but are rather descriptive projections introduced by the observer. Point (iii) helps to understand why, despite their deterministic nature, living beings behave in ways that, to the observer, appear to be teleological, agential or “intelligent”. Point (iv) suggests that living beings’ sensorimotor dynamics are closed circuits without inputs or outputs, where the distinction between external and internal medium is, again, an ascription of the observer rather than a functional property of the system itself. Having addressed the basic principles of living beings’ behavior, the thesis explores the possible origin of (truly) mental phenomena in the particular domain of social behavior. Complementing Maturana’s recursive theory of language with Vygotsky’s dialectic approach the thesis advances, though in a still quite exploratory way, a sociolinguistic hypothesis of mind. This hypothesis answers questions 3) and 4) by claiming that the essential properties of mental phenomena (intentionality, representational content) appear with language, and that mind, as a private experiential domain, emerges as a dialectic transformation of language.

With the rapid and alarming rise in the obesity epidemic that continues to plague both developed and developing nations, increasing efforts are being directed toward solving this pressing issue that is associated with multiple metabolic complications. Research efforts continue to target this population for greater insight as to causes, preventative measures and treatment options that may provide health benefits to those suffering from the physical and psychological manifestations of this newly classified neurobiological disease, in addition to cut down on excruciating obesity-related costs affecting the current health care budget. Alongside an emphasis on physical activity and proper nutrition to both prevent and ameliorate the effects of obesity, pharmacological treatment has garnered an appreciable appeal as an additional interventional approach in an urgency to slow the progression of this widespread problem. The introduction of lorcaserin (Belviq®), a serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) agonist that selectively targets the 5-HT receptor subtype 2C (5-HT2C), has already exhibited great potential for combating the obesity epidemic since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012. With its ability to decrease appetite and enhance weight loss with few side effects, lorcaserin is a promising treatment option. However, the mechanisms behind the drug are still not fully known. Determining the exact role that lorcaserin plays in appetite control would provide valuable insight into appetite regulation and could illustrate the medication's potential for reversing the health-impairing effects of obesity on our current populations. This study examined, through the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the effects of lorcaserin on the centers of the brain that control appetite and food intake, in addition to areas of cognition that are thought to be affected by obesity. Due to the nature of the double-blind trial, only baseline characteristics were obtained and analyzed. However, observed correlations from these data largely confirm previously established relationships seen in obese populations providing support for the validity of this study. These correlations were also important to obtain to set the stage for assessing any short-term or long-term neuroimaging changes and neurocognitive effects of lorcaserin on brain responses to high and low calorie food imagery.