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.