Biology 202 Neurobiology and Behavior Spring 2004

So what is to occur, if someone without the symptoms associated with ADD or ADHD is to take the medications prescribed for them in order to gain the benefits of them, such as increased concentration, and ability to focus? Wouldn't this be seen as a positive benefit to the medications, and would it not seem like everybody, even those with attention disorders should be under this synaptic potential increasing drugs?

Also, in talking about languages and the affect on the brain; I was born in the United States, however both of my parents come from Slovakia. So when I was growing up, the most common language for me itself was Slovak, and entering preschool proved slightly interesting, as I spoke English only in situations I needed to. But once I had become accustomed to school and speaking English, I would return home and refuse to speak Slovak. In the end, I didn't speak the language for 3 years, but the moment I would return to Slovakia, I could speak it as fluently as I had before. So, my question is this, are there parts or functions of the brain that can change the perception of language and reception over the period of development in humans? Why are children able to learn languages so much easier?

I have been doing quite a bit of research on phantom limbs. Although there is a popular theory that phantom sensations arise from stimulation of the nerves/nerve fiber path in the residual limb, there is a neurobiologist at UCSD named Ramachandran who proposes that once a limb is amputated, that part of the nerve path goes silent, and shortly after, a referred area of the body which corresponds to the amputated limb turns on. He conducted a Q-tip test, where he brushed a Q-tip along the face (specifically chin) of an amputee who had lost his arm. Surprisingly, the amputee felt sensations in his arm when a certain area of his chin was stroked. Further, the topographical, sensitive area on his chin precisely mapped out his arm. Apparently, the Q-tip test also works for leg amputees, and the referred area is along the chest. Ramachandran's theory of a referred area of sensation may be able to explain why amputees feel pressure, shocks, even the feeling of wetness. Perhaps all these feelings arise from a completely different area of the body being stimulated. It is fascinating.

Antonio Damasio discusses phantom limbs and the importance of body mapping to conciousness in his book Looking for Spinoza. In a nutshell his premise is that conciousness is largely based on how our brains constantly map our bodies based on desires and emotions. It's a pretty interesting take on the mind/body question.

"Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them."

David Hume
Essays

Pretty much sums up how I think about reality. My reality is different from anyone elses. I may also enjoy the smell of gasoline and bananas but my preference may be different. The reasons I enjoy the smells may not be the same. An old boss of mine told me that perception is reality and while he meant that in the context of the perception of the customer (I was in sales) he summed up how I think of reality. The only reality I know for certain is what I perceive. While it may not be TRUE it is all I have.

I was thinking a bit about the definitions of reality and the extent to which we allow ourselves to question them. For example, if this really was a matrix, some sort of illusion set up for us that we couldn't comprehend, what would be the worth to exploring it? Is there some sort of defense mechanism built in to allow us only to explore those ideas that will not be detrimental? What would be the consequence of "discovering" a different reality that we could not control?

Akudo had mentioned that mental illness can be classified as social deviance. Perhaps it is because the mentally ill are often unwilling or unable to accept reality as we see it? By not conforming to the world as the majority of people see it, because some who are mentally ill do not believe the world exists as we think it does, they fail to follow the approriate rules and expectations of society.

Maybe there IS another world out there, real or imagined, another set of circumstances and rules, but what would we accomplish by convincing ourselves that this world isn't real, isn't within our control or isn't worthwhile?

I think we want to confirm our preexisting notions that what we've perceived to be real is real.

Ideas about learning: I agree with the ideas with practice makes perfect/perfect practice makes perfect/practice makes permanent. For example, think about studying for exams. Yes, even though we all try to be great students, I'm sure there has been some point in everyone's academic career where they've crammed for an exam/quiz. You don't know the information well at all, and the night before, you study until your brains are fried. You retain the information well enough to take the exam/quiz the next day, but when it comes time to take the final exam, that material was long gone from your brain, because you only studied it once. People often make flashcards to help them study, because it's something they can always go back to easily and review their topics. The Chinese courses require you to do homework that consists of writing a single character repeatedly. In chemistry, math, and physics classes, you often have to do variations of the same problem over and over again in order to understand the concept. If we don't consistently practice something, it's easy to forget.

Reality: Reality can certainly be a function of perception, because we want to believe that what we see is true, is actual, is real. I don't know if anyone has ever experienced a situation where it is possible to walk on air, instead of on the ground, or flap your arms fast enough that you fly...Unless you're on drugs, and that adds a new dimension to reality. If you trip on acid or shrooms, you think you can do things that you probably couldn't do (and wouldn't) if you were sober. You think that you can fly, you think you're floating, you may even have some incredible spiritual awakening. And while you're tripping, to you it IS reality, because it's your perception, and you believe that it's real.

He also considered volition as a mysterious and perplexing problem. If volition means will power and intentionality, he wondered how the initial impulse to action was generated? I was excited by this question he raised because we had just studied how an action potential can be generated in the middle of the box. His conclusion was that the "impulse to action" preceded the actual "action" and that was part of the casuality triggered by the brain. This impulse to action goes back to what we talked about for the central pattern generation and the reafferent loop! Ultimately, the novel came back to the larger question of "circularity"—excessive reflection within the brain about the brain itself. Was this dangerous? Why? Is his situation a result of circularity? What are the implications of us thinking about our brains? Although the question seems absurd, do we have the power to negate our perception of reality and ultimately, ourselves?

More on mysteries of learning, though... I always wondered why for some people learning is a pleasurable experience, while for others it is a torture. And why do we all like to learn different things? For instance, my friend goes into a euphoric state when she cracks a difficult math problem. She says that she feels physically happy when it happens. I can understand her feelings, since I myself feel like skipping when I read a good poem. But I will never be able to feel this way about a math problem, whether I solve it or not. What is it about our I-functions that makes us so different (and so alike)? We perceive color and smell differently because of different receptors. Is it something like this? And also, how is the I-function, which I would think regulates the rational acts of reading and problem solving, connected to our emotions?

Also, about this "feeling physically happy," when one is engaged intellectually. When I read a particularly remarkable poem, I experience a strange but very pleasant pain-like tingling sensation in my chest and almost stop breathing. I'm sure I'm not the only freak who does that, whether in response to a poem, a musical piece, a painting, or a math problem. How does a purely "brain" activity like reading engage us to such an extent that we respond in physical ways? I think that might be pretty good evidence for brain=behavior.

And lastly (sorry, this is getting long), if it's merely something about our biological makeup that makes us appreciate (or be bored by) art, music, etc., can we justly talk about "smart" people (in the sense of college students who like to learn) and "dumb" people (who hate studying)? Wouldn't it be the same thing as saying that people who hate the smell of bananas are in some way deficient? Maybe the maxim that there is no "normal" and "abnormal" people, but we're all just different applies to this as well. And what does it then do to the concept of high art? If my biological makeup makes me appreciate a ballerina figurine from Dollar General more than Giotto, does it mean I'm "dumber" or "lower" or less refined than someone who sees it the other way around?

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