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In Secrets of the Mind we gain insights through
various tragedies that have affected others,
thanks to the logic and insights of Professor
Ramachandran regarding what he calls the
most complex organized matter in the universe.
The
documentary begins with "phantom limb syndrome
" - pain and sensation in missing body areas.
Ramachandran's reasoning, confirmed through a
CAT-scan, is that the brain has a map of various
body areas, and that eg. the right arm and
right face areas of the brain are adjacent. Thus,
missing body areas can lead to interference by
those associated brain areas trying to
cope with stimulus deprivation - eg. "cross-wiring."
However, we are still left with the problem of treating
pain in a body-part that no longer exists. Dr.
Ramachandran found that placing the remaining
opposite body part (eg. hand) into a mirror-box
fools the mind into receiving feedback
from the missing part and no longer sending
ever-increasing (and unmet) signals that cause the pain.
Visual activities take up almost half the human
brain. Dr. Ramachandran is confronted with an
individual who can "see" (detect) movement but not
recognize what the object is. His explanation
is that there are two pathways from the eye in
humans: one to the visual cortex that recognizes
the object, and other to the brain stem that simply
senses movement. Thus, when the visual
cortex link is severed, one would only be able to
recognize movement of a fly, but not the fly
itself - perhaps the way a lizard views the world.
Similarly, he says to driving - most of the
time it is done without consciousness while
the conscious
brain is taken up in talking of other thinking.
Dr. Ramachandran believes that there are some
30 areas in the brain concerned with seeing -
separate areas for color, movement,
shape, distance and depth perception, etc.
Interference/damage to any one of these areas
can lead to oddities - eg. an individual believing
his parents are
impostors when the emotional response area is cut.
Finally, viewers are told that some people with temporal seizures have intense religious or emotional experiences, possibly believing they are a prophet or even God, or sensing an intense emotional reaction to everything - even a grain of sand.
various tragedies that have affected others,
thanks to the logic and insights of Professor
Ramachandran regarding what he calls the
most complex organized matter in the universe.
The
documentary begins with "phantom limb syndrome
" - pain and sensation in missing body areas.
Ramachandran's reasoning, confirmed through a
CAT-scan, is that the brain has a map of various
body areas, and that eg. the right arm and
right face areas of the brain are adjacent. Thus,
missing body areas can lead to interference by
those associated brain areas trying to
cope with stimulus deprivation - eg. "cross-wiring."
However, we are still left with the problem of treating
pain in a body-part that no longer exists. Dr.
Ramachandran found that placing the remaining
opposite body part (eg. hand) into a mirror-box
fools the mind into receiving feedback
from the missing part and no longer sending
ever-increasing (and unmet) signals that cause the pain.
Visual activities take up almost half the human
brain. Dr. Ramachandran is confronted with an
individual who can "see" (detect) movement but not
recognize what the object is. His explanation
is that there are two pathways from the eye in
humans: one to the visual cortex that recognizes
the object, and other to the brain stem that simply
senses movement. Thus, when the visual
cortex link is severed, one would only be able to
recognize movement of a fly, but not the fly
itself - perhaps the way a lizard views the world.
Similarly, he says to driving - most of the
time it is done without consciousness while
the conscious
brain is taken up in talking of other thinking.
Dr. Ramachandran believes that there are some
30 areas in the brain concerned with seeing -
separate areas for color, movement,
shape, distance and depth perception, etc.
Interference/damage to any one of these areas
can lead to oddities - eg. an individual believing
his parents are
impostors when the emotional response area is cut.
Finally, viewers are told that some people with temporal seizures have intense religious or emotional experiences, possibly believing they are a prophet or even God, or sensing an intense emotional reaction to everything - even a grain of sand.
Watch the full documentary now (playlist - 55 minutes)
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