Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological sleeping condition in which people can fall asleep at unusual times during the day like at school or work. It usually appears between ages 15 and 25 and remains for the rest of a lifetime. This can occur while standing, walking, talking, eating, or performing any other daily task that usually keeps your attention level high and highly concentrated on your task. Another interesting fact about people with narcolepsy is that just after ten minutes of sleep, they may enter REM, while a normal person enters REM after an average of about ninety minutes. Additionally, in most cases, narcolepsy is accompanied by catalepsy. The latter is a condition in which muscles temporarily go weak and loose functionality. There are various levels of catalepsy from weakness of face muscles, to dropping of head, to limb paralysis, and even to total collapse. People with this condition need to have someone constantly with them to make sure that they do not severely injure themselves and to wake them up after these unfortunate fazes. The example of Mohammed in the video is really sad because he has both narcolepsy and catalepsy. Therefore, he is unable to do simple tasks like drive or work because he will be ineffective and could probably kill himself. He has a lady, I am not sure if it is his wife, who constantly follows him around, sustains him when he collapses, and wakes him up after the short naps. Narcolepsy is rare, but does exist, and it is hereditary. The condition is scary and sad because with this, a normal life is impossible.

Sleep and Dreams

We can last about a week without water, and a month without food, but there's something we can't last more than a day with, and that is sleep. If we send 1/3 of our lives doing something, that something must be extremely important. But why is sleep so important, what happens while we sleep? Many theories have emerged in the past, but the one that presently stands states that our brain needs time to recharge the brain and shut down and repair neurons. Our brain is what controls everything in our body, and it works 24/7; it needs some time to rest and fix itself in preparation for a new day. Sleep is also important in order to grow, repair muscles, replace chemicals, give the cardiovascular system a break, and to drop metabolic rate. Another fascinating thing about sleep is dreaming. We dream every night, and a lot of our sleep time is done dreaming. It can cause us pleasure, it can cause us stress, it can scare us, surprise us, motivate us, and even give us ideas. Many of the technological developments created in history are due to dreams. The theory on dreams today states that our brain needs to organize the information received during the day and put it in our memory, so that is what dreams do. Another theory on dreams is that we dream all the time, day and night; the only difference is that during the day when we are awake, our dreams are controlled by stimulus that comes through our senses. There is another interesting detail about a type of dreams, nightmares. We dream of negative things like people we know and care for dying because it prepares us for when the actual thing happens, we will not be hit as hard by reality, because we experienced it in our dreams. In conclusion, sleeping and dreaming are of extreme importance, and we do them all the time. There are multiple theories of why we do them, but theories are theories and can be disproven. However, despite the reasons, sleeping and dreaming will always fascinate us.

Sensory Deprivation

In class, we watched a video concerning sensory deprivation. Basically, this is the blocking of stimulus to a person's body, in other words, isolation. This topic is very interesting because in the past, we have only been worried about over stimulation and for the first time, under stimulation is of importance. Do you know that this could be used as a form of torture? According to the video, an experiment was conducted on six people. They were placed in dark and quiet rooms, and some even had materials like special gloves that prevented them from feeling. Most of them, if not all, went through trauma. And also, their neurological structures were temporarily damaged. Isolation is a dangerous tool! If in forty-eight hours I were to be locked up in a room, I would try my best to fall asleep. Being awake with nothing to do, literally, is chaotic. Just being alone in my room for over and hour is impossible, I would have to get up and go get some water, eat, listen to music, watch TV, or just do something. It is interesting to know about sensory deprivation, to know what the body especially the brain would do with nothing. The answer to this is, it would collapse.

Synesthesia

1. Synesthesia

Synesthesia is when the idea of a sense impression occurs as a reaction to another sense. For example, when one can taste something you feel (Apple Dictionary).

2. grapheme-color synesthesia

This is when letters and numbers are perceived as colors. This is the most usual case of synesthesia, and the most studied (Wikipedia.org).

3. ordinal-linguistic personification   

This is when animate-qualities or personalities are given to units such as letters, numbers, days and months (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17381259).

4. number-form synesthesia

This type of synesthesia is a combination of number maps that involuntarily appears when an individual with this condition thinks of a number (Wikipedia.org).

5. sound-color synesthesia

Sound color synesthesia is when after a certain sound has the appearance of a distinct color. Quite a number of musicians experience this (http://articles.cnn.com/2009-02-09/health/synesthesia.genes_1_synesthesia-brain-regions-visual-areas?_s=PM:HEALTH).

6. lexical-gustatory synesthesia

One of the rarest forms of synesthesia, lexical-gustatory synesthesia is when taste sensations arise because of written or spoken words (Wikipedia.org). 

Mental Abilities: Genius, Savant, and Autism

1. Explain in detail what "savant syndrome" means.
Savant syndrome is a rare condition in which people, who lack general life skills such as social skills, have a unique outstanding ability in a specific field such as math, science, or art (Notes taken in class).

2. What does genius mean?  Explain the difference between genius and savant.
A genius is a person with remarkable skills in particular or various fields like the one mentioned above. They have these odd abilities usually from a young age and are comparable to masters of the similar field. They are not medically identified as a specific group but much research is done on them. The difference with geniuses and savants are that savants are mentally-disabled with a specific forte, while geniuses have normal skills that on average people have, but excell because of their love of education and possibly genetic details (Notes taken in class).

3. What is a stroke and how could it affect your mental functioning?A stroke is a medical emergency where blood-flow to the brain is decreased or stopped. This often leads to inability of moving limbs, speaking or listening, or seeing. A stroke is a serious event because it can cause permanent neurological damage. It is the second cause of death worldwide and the main cause of disability in the United States and Europe (Wikipedia.org).

4. What is a functional MRI and how does it help us understand brain activity?
Fucntional MRI, a.k.a. magnetic resonance imaging, is a type of specialized MRI scan. It captures bloodflow realting to neurologic activity. It helps us understand brain activity because it uses less radiation but can capture thoughts and neurological activities in certain circumstances (Wikipedia.org).

5. What is the corpus callosum and what role does it play in your brain's activity?
The corpus callosum is a broad band of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain. This part of the brain is the largest white-matter body in the organ. It plays an integral role in inter-hemispherical communication (http://scienceblogs.com/corpuscallosum and http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-corpus-callosum.htm).

6. What is epilepsy and how might it affect your brain's abilities?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that occurs in many individuals characterized by seizures. It is identified by sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions. It is associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It affects your brain's activities by taking it off its regular tasks and damaging brain structures (Apple Dictionary and Wikipedia.org).

7. What is autism?
Autism is a mental condition that causes a person to have problems socially interacting with other people. It is recognized from early childhood and is characterized by difficulty communicating, using language and abstract concepts, and forming relationships (Apple Dictionary and Wikipedia.org).

8. What is Asperger's Syndrome?
Asperger's Syndrome is a type of autism characterized by repetitive patterns of behavior and interests (Wikipedia.org).

Genius - #3

Perhaps the most interesting video on genius was on savants. Savants, as defined in the video, are people with extremely gifted abilities in specific fields, but who lack basic abilities in everything else, especially social skills (they suffer from autism). Before I begin explaining the incredible talents and awkwardness of savants, it is important to note that every savant is different, and they should not be judged the same way. George Widener is a prodigious savant, one in about one hundred in the entire world. He can perform amazing mathematical calculations, which enables him to predict and retell what day fell on any specific date. Can anyone else in the world do such a thing? I do not believe so. Another one is Tommy, whom after having a brain hemorrhage, was able to perform amazing works of art. A peculiar thing about these savants, is that they have the urge/need to continue exploiting their skill. Tommy, for example, paints on objects all around his house, the walls, the ceilings, the floor, even on top of other finished works. However, both these people are considered socially awkward and are not active players in society like everyone else. Some savants are born, others are created by misfortunes like strokes, brain hemorrhages, etc. The case of these individuals are particular sad, but their talents are truly WOW!

Genius - #2

Another type of Genius seen in class is shown in the case of a chess player named Sara. She is one of the best chess players on Earth, and is able to do many things with this game like:
1. Play and win her opponents even through the phone.
2. Anticipate the player's move and respond quickly relying only on intuition.
3. Remember the arrangement of pieces on a board by seeing chunks.
4. Recognize different grouping of pieces just as people recognize faces.
This woman is a prodigy. She is able to do all this because ever since she was a little girl in Budapest, her father showed her all there is to know about this game and forced her to study techniques and plays up to 6 hours a day. Her sisters, who are also excellent chess players, and her children did the same. What is interesting about the study on her, is that it revealed many things. On average, a female is able to succeed in more cases than a male because they think more logically. And secondly, a skill can be mastered and supported by constant practice and learning; in other words, a genius can be made if a lot of effort is put into it. This woman is amazing! At first, it seemed that this could only be a tale and that her abilities were impossible. But after watching the video in psychology, it explained how this could be accomplished. Sara is gifted, and anyone has the chance of becoming great.

Genius - #1

The human brain is capable of many things, much more things than what we could ever imagine. It is said that we only use a minor percentage of our brain's capability. The question is, are there people who use more? There are a unique group of individuals with special abilities that ordinary people deem unusual or extraordinary. These people are referred to as geniuses. There are many different types of geniuses, each excelling in a particular field like math, science, the art or a combination of them. An example of this type of genius is a chinese-american that starred in the video viewed in class (I cannot recall his name). He is only a you child but is able to play the piano in ways only the grand masters could achieve. He can also be able to pick up notes by just playing them and has perfect pitch. His mother claims that he was first able to play the piano at age four, and every year he learns a tremendous amount more on this instrument and music in general. He has the urge to learn and is socially alright. This kid is a genius, I wish I were able to be as gifted as he is. If playing the piano from age 4 is possible, imagine all the other skills people could acquire.

Homosexuality

One of the most interesting and most important topics in the nature vs. nurture debate is homosexuality. Are we born with our sexual orientation or do we acquire it? For many years now, this topic has been studied and numerous theories have been developed. I'll start by discussing Childhood Gender Nonconformity. This basically is when a child does not behave like the rest of the members of his/her gender do. In many nations, this is called, for men, feminine or sissy, and for women, tomboy. Why does this happen? We know that this is not acquired for the most part because people who behave in this manner are often criticized and harassed by society. Therefore, why would someone want to behave this way? We also know that this has a great correlation with being gay, synonym for homosexual. Many people believe that this is caused by nature. Another thing that points towards nature is the statistic that says the more older brothers one has, the more likely that person is to being gay. This came out as a result of various surveys and investigations that prove that the chances of one being gay gets bigger by a third by every older brother. This leads to the idea that maybe its not genetics in nature, but something that happens to the boy fetus when it is in the womb. Curiosities that point towards nature however is the fact that identical twins, who have the same set of genes, and who were subject to the same conditions while in the whom, may have different sexual orientations and behaviors. The levels of testosterone and estrogen in the twins should be the same, so why does this occur? No one is one hundred percent sure, which is the answer, maybe homosexuality is determined by both nature and nurture. The quest remains and the research goes on. 

The Mind of a Murderer

It is interesting to see that many studies have emerged that try to answer the question of why serial killers commit their crimes. We know that most if not all of these killers experienced abuse at young ages and that they have irregularities in their brain patterns when scanned that ordinary people do not have. But because this area of study is not 100% accurate, nor is it reliable, one cannot declare that killers are evil because they have developed mental problems. Dr. Lewis has dedicated all her life to figuring out why the most dangerous people in the United States are labelled like that. Her findings reveal that there are two basic ingredients: physical or mental abuse at an early age, and brain damage. When these two are combined, then a wicked person arises. Many people see her as being oddly sympathetic with these criminals, but she says that she is rather open to new information than sympathetic. She believes that not everyone is able to completely control themselves whenever they are heated up, and whenever a spark is triggered, destiny fulfills its roll. Therefore, the level of responsibility is different from normal human beings. She has been a medical witness in many cases involving ruthless killings and has commonly been made fun of. However, she stays solid along her theory and accuses the justice system of the United States of America as being ignorant. Whether I personally agree or disagree with Dr. Lewis, I can't really tell. For me, a murderer is a murderer and is a danger to the population. Whether they did it because of free will or not doesn't stop them from being dangerous. This is why they must be locked up to ensure the safety of law abiding citizens. Nevertheless, the theory that violent criminals develop into this because of things in their lives does create somewhat of sympathy towards them. For this reason, I agree with Dr. Lewis that the becoming of a serial killer should be prevented at early ages of development by preventing or controlling abuse. Also, whenever one gets any sort of brain damage, one should quickly resort to medical and psychiatric aid. This way, both sides are satisfied. The mind behind a master criminal may be somewhat uncertain, therefore, further study and preventative action must be taken.

Traumatic Brain Injury

One of the most difficult types of injuries to cope with in life is traumatic brain injury or TBI. This is when something, usually unprecedented, occurs to the brain which alters either one's physical or mental self. When referring to physical self, one could have paralysis, lose skills such as walking, talking, and eating, be unable to do certain motions or tasks, etc. When referring to mental self, one could change one's personality, lose memory, lose the ability to think certain things, remember faces, etc. These occur usually when there is damage to the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, which by the way, are the most vulnerable. The most common type of brain injury, as understood by the video, occurs at high-speed motion like in a motor vehicle accidents. However, they can be mild, moderate, or severe. Mild cases usually have quick recoveries. Moderate and severe, on the other hand, usually take much more time, maybe years. In moderate and severe injuries, one may also never fully recover and have to permanently adjust one's life. Another typical example is during a fight like the case of Brian who has to move around in a wheel chair and has difficulties thinking and talking. Brian's case is very sad because he has become a completely different person in a matter of seconds, and recovery for him is extremely difficult. TBI is a very sad circumstance that happens to many people yearly. In the United States alone, about a quarter of a million people suffer from TBI yearly. For these reasons, one has to try one's best to keep oneself safe and avoid things that could put oneself in extreme danger of brain injury like speeding. A commonly mentioned proverb by my mom states, "Its better to lose a second in your life than your life in a second."

Mind Reading... OMG!!!

In response to the video about mind-reading, there is nothing to say except OMG! The capability of science and human development everyday is growing more and more; and today, the technology behind mind-reading is developing. One of the things that humans in all places and under all circumstances enjoy is the right to privacy of thought. With such technology, this right would be put into question. Who is allowed to know what you are thinking and who is not? This can be a very dangerous tool because secrets won't be secrets anymore, and consciousness won't be only yours. Definitely a legal battle will emerge, and supreme courts around the world will have to deal with this troublesome question. So far, this technology is primitive: only capable of reading extremely simple specific thoughts like objects and emotions using large and complex machines such as the MRI. However, with the start of a research field, development will continue to do things one thought could never exist. Look at long-distance communication. Before, to do this one had to shout . Then, it turned into fires, sparks, and sending messengers. During development, things like the mail, telegraph, fax, telephones, e-mail, and instant messaging emerged. Now, if you want to tell someone something all the way on the other side of the world, or even in space, you can tell them face to face through video-messaging. Where will mind reading end up in lets say a century? As said, this is extremely interesting, and somewhat scary, but its evidence that humans can achieve all things. As said in the video by one of the experts, "There is no such thing as science-fiction."

The Teenage Brain

Learning about the teenage brain is very interesting because what was once a mistery about teenage behavior now has scientific answers. According to the video about the teenage brain given in class, the frontal lobe, which is the part of the brain that makes decisions and controlls behavior, is not yet fully developed. Common belief has it that the brain fully develops around three years after birth or when the child ends puberty, but the truth of the fact is that the brain doesn't fully develop until the early twenties. This is the reason why adults and even young children do not understand why teens act in a certain way. For example, teens usually do not make could decisions, and do not think or worry about the consequences of these. Since the frontal lobe is not fully developed, the logic and reasoning center is not at its best. Teens usually resort to alcohol, drugs, and unprotected sex, definately bad decisions. Another weird behavior is the fact that teens love to sleep. The reason for this is that a teens biorhythms have moved later into the night, making it difficult to sleep until extremely late hours, which in turn causes sleepy behavior during the day. Teens are unique, and complicated, but finally the reasons behind this have been encountered; the teenage brain is enthralling.