Mancuso dove into this topic the first day of class. His argument is multi-faceted, going from the fact that thinking that the human brain is the center of human behavior is limiting, since it has been shown that people who have lost large portions of their brains still express many cognitive functions associated to those specific areas. To the plant side, by showing that plants produce neuron-like molecules in the root apex transition zone; [Baluška et al. (2004)](http://www.esalq.usp.br/lepse/imgs/conteudo_thumb/Root-apices-as-plant-command-centres-the-unique--brain-like--status-of-the-root-apex-transition-zone.pdf). 

I wonder if all this focus on the brain has prevented us from really understanding how consciousness and behavior work?

I recently read *[Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life](https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780008226275/other-minds/)* which talked about the fact that Octopuses do not rely on just their brains, and in many cases, the brain does not even track what the arms are doing. It is as if their brains and arms are "curiously divorced" (*Cephalopod Behaviour*, Hanlon and Messenger, 1998), which could lead to the brain emitting an order that the arms decide not to follow.

So what if this is the case for humans? What if our cognitive and behavioral functions are diffused, much like they are for plants?

When I used to teach people dream retention and astral travel, I often told them that an effective technique for remembering dreams and travels was to not move upon returning as they repeated they relived their experiences over and over again in their "minds". By not moving, they could tap into muscle memory, which is where much of this was stored. I never even though it in relation to the brain, given that it was considered common knowledge in spiritual circles.