biology

Hans Helmut Kornhuber

Hans Helmut Kornhuber is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hans Helmut Kornhuber rather than just read about it. In short: Hans Helmut Kornhuber (24 February 1928 – 30 October 2009) was a German neurologist and neurophysiologist. Biography From 1949 on Kornhuber studied medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Göttingen, the University of Freiburg, the University of Basel, and Heidelberg University.

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Reference excerpt

Hans Helmut Kornhuber (24 February 1928 – 30 October 2009) was a German neurologist and neurophysiologist.

Biography From 1949 on Kornhuber studied medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Göttingen, the University of Freiburg, the University of Basel, and Heidelberg University. In 1955, he was promoted to doctor of medicine in Heidelberg. In 1955, he married Ursula Heesch, they had five children. He absolved his clinical education at the Neurological University Hospital at the University of Freiburg, where he was habilitated in 1963. He spent one and a half research years at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. In 1967, he was appointed the chair of Neurology at the newly founded University of Ulm and there built the Neurological Hospital of the University of Ulm (until 1984 situated in Dietenbronn). In 1996, Kornhuber has been professor emeritus. One of his sons is the Psychiatrist and Psychotherapeut Johannes Kornhuber. Kornhuber saw the achievement of a scientific break through in 1965 with the discovery of the Bereitschaftspotential (or readiness potential), together with his doctoral student Lüder Deecke.

Scientific contribution In 1965 Kornhuber (together with Lüder Deecke) discovered the Bereitschaftspotential, a brain potential in the EEG which precedes all our willed movements and actions. The publication, even though originally in German, became a citation classic. He spent early interest in epistemology and brain function. He worked on the sensory systems/perception, conducting many experiments at Baltimore with Vernon Benjamin Mountcastle and his team on skin receptors, and also measuring the channel capacity of sensory systems (and consciousness). He conducted his own research into new therapies with particular emphasis on multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, movement disorders, etc. He also made contributions for psychiatry, e.g. the glutamate theory. He contributed to Otorhinolaryngology (hand book articles such as Physiology and Clinic of the Vestibular System). Kornhuber also discovered the eye muscle field in the cerebellum.

Awards and recognition In 1967 Kornhuber received the Hans-Berger-Award of the German EEG society (DGKN) for his discovery of the cerebral foundations of will and purposeful actions (willingness to act). The Bárány Society honored him with the Hallpike-Nylén-Award for his pioneering research on the vestibular system. He was awarded honorary membership by foreign oto-neurological societies. Universities awarded him as honorary professor and honorary doctor (University of Brussels). The Belgian neurophysiological society awarded Kornhuber an honorary membership. The Federal Republic of Germany honoured him for his efforts concerning the rehabilitation of patients with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Society of Psychiatry honoured him for his research in the field of schizophrenia by awarding him the Kurt-Schneider prize.

Publications (selected) Scientific articles

with Richard Jung: Neurophysiologie und Psychophysik des visuellen Systems. Springer, Heidelberg 1961. with Lüder Deecke: Hirnpotentialänderungen bei Willkürbewegungen und passiven Bewegungen des Menschen: Bereitschaftspotential und reafferente Potentiale. In: Pflügers Archiv für die gesamte Physiologie des Menschen und der Tiere. Bd. 284 (1965), H. 1, S. 1–17, doi:10.1007/BF00412364, PDF. Geist und Freiheit als biologische Probleme. In: Roger Alfred Stamm, Hans Zeier (Hrsg.): Die Psychologie des 20. Jahrhunderts. Band 6: Lorenz und die Folgen. Kindler, Zürich 1978, S. 1122–1130. Attention, readiness for action and the stages of voluntary decision. In: Experimental Brain Research. Supplement 9 (1984), S. 420–429. Von der Freiheit. In: Manfred Lindauer, Alfred Schöpf (Hrsg.): Wie erkennt der Mensch die Welt? Grundlagen des Erkennens, Fühlens und Handelns. Geistes- und Naturwissenschaftler im Dialog. Klett, Stuttgart 1984. with Lüder Deecke: Readiness for movement: The Bereitschaftspotential-Story. In: Current Contents Life Sciences. Bd. 33, H. 4 (22. Januar 1990), S. 14 (online; PDF; 250 kB). Gehirn, Wille, Freiheit. In: Revue de métaphysique et de morale. Bd. 97 (1992), H. 2, S. 203–223 (JSTOR). Alkohol: Auch der „normale" Konsum schadet. Urban & Vogel, Munich 2001. Zur Willensfreiheit: On Free Will. In: Fortschritte der Neurologie – Psychiatrie. Bd. 74 (2006), H. 8, S. 427–430, doi:10.1055/s-2006-944233 (positioning against Gerhard Roth and Wolf Singer). with Lüder Deecke: Wille und Gehirn. Edition Sirius im Aisthesis-Verlag, Bielefeld/Locarno 2007; 2nd, ed. 2009. Books

with Deecke, L (2003) Human freedom, reasoned will, and the brain: The Bereitschaftspotential story. In: M Jahanshahi, M Hallett(Eds) The Bereitschaftspotential, movement-related cortical potentials. Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers New York, pp 283–320 ISBN 0-306-47407-7 with Deecke, L (2009) Wille und Gehirn. 2nd. rev. ed. Edition Sirius im Aisthesis-Verlag, Bielefeld/ Basel 2009, ISBN 978-3-89528-628-5.

See also Bereitschaftspotential Free will Benjamin Libet

References

External links Experiments Into Readiness for Action: 50th Anniversary of the Bereitschaftspotential (Lüder Deecke)

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hans Helmut Kornhuber

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hans Helmut Kornhuber claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hans Helmut Kornhuber before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hans Helmut Kornhuber ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hans Helmut Kornhuber

In research: Hans Helmut Kornhuber appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hans Helmut Kornhuber in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hans Helmut Kornhuber is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1928 births, 2009 deaths, Alzheimer's disease researchers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hans Helmut Kornhuber outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Hans Helmut Kornhuber in simple terms?

Hans Helmut Kornhuber (24 February 1928 – 30 October 2009) was a German neurologist and neurophysiologist. Biography From 1949 on Kornhuber studied medicine at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Göttingen, the University of Freiburg, the University of Basel, and Heidelber…

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Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

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Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

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It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hans Helmut Kornhuber.