¶ … cerebral cortex, using rats. The researchers noted that there were two beliefs about the areas of the cerebral cortex dedicated to the five senses. Some believed that information came in from each sense separately and was not combined immediately. However, other research suggested that activating one sense area could also activate others. In the research, the scientists mapped the cerebral cortices of rats for sight, sound and touch.
The researchers found that while specific areas were dedicated to one or another sense only, in the areas bordering between two senses, both senses could be stimulated at once. They suspect that these border areas may explain why one sense may develop more strongly if another sense is lost. For instance, if a person becomes blind, their sense of hearing may become more acute and discriminative. The research also suggests that the brain may combine information from multiple senses much sooner in the process than previously thought.
The researchers pointed out that we live in a very multisensory world, with lots of sights, sounds, smells, etc. around us. How the brain processes all that information can tell us a lot about how we perceive and think about the world.
I found this report interesting because everything we learn about the world, whether it is in a classroom or just walking in the woods, begins with information that comes in through our senses. What if the sense of touch is connected to the sense of sight? Does a child chewing on a ring help it learn what a ring looks like? I was also surprised to see that researchers haven't completely figured out yet how the five senses work in the brain. It surprised me that they don't really know yet how the brain combines this information.
Stein, Barry, Ph.D., and Ramachandran, Ramnarayan. 2004. "Study provides new insights about brain organization." Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. February 20.
However, there are alternate therapies that may be considered first. Providing an anti-obesity drug to overweight patients with diabetes has been estimated to cost $8,327. Certain studies have indicated that there may be available a variety of cost-effective anti-obesity interventions (Cawley 2006: 74). Furthermore, extreme obesity usual requires a multi-dsici0plamnry approach and more than surgery is often required to complete the process (Folope, et.al. 2008). For decades, the psychological literature
Air Pollution The air that surrounds us is a mixture of 78% nitrogen; 21% oxygen; less than 1% of carbon dioxide, argon, and other gases; and varying amounts of water vapor. Any other particles, gases or unoriginal constituents hanging in the air which are not part of its original composition are called 'Pollutants' and this kind of air is called Polluted Air. Even inhaling small amounts of such air pollutants can
The success was remarkable, according to the researchers: Even muscles that had already lost half of its mass, recovered visible. (Leppanen et al. p5549-65) At the same time, the mice survived for several weeks longer than their untreated counterparts and also developed a healthy appetite again. (Mantovani, p296) The new study is therefore interesting in two respects: First, it demonstrates that the muscle loss at least in animal models in
Gender Identity The factors that mediate and account for gender identity and sex differentiation include those attributed to nature, such as hormones and genes, and those attributed to nurture, such as environment. Research has demonstrated that hormones and genetics play an integral role in gender identity and associated behaviors (Wilson, 1999; Hines, 2006; Hines (2008). What are these hormones and how exactly have they been determined to influence gender identity? The
The user's mouth feels dry, and he or she may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty. His or her hands may tremble and grow cold. The euphoria passes after awhile, and then the user may feel sleepy or depressed. Occasionally, marijuana use produces anxiety, fear, distrust, or panic http://www.starliterecovery.com/marijuana.asp. Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form memories, recall events (see Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus), and shift attention from
Cognitive Aspects of the Aging Process The purpose of this work is to define cognition and to explain the effects of aging on the brain in relation to memory, attention, metacognition, effects on languaging and the effects of aging on the executive function and finally cognitive function in very old age. This will be inclusive of primary cognitive diseases found in aging adults such as dementia and Alzheimer's. Medical science continues to
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