Psyc 169
Chapter 1: “The Phantom Within”
Modularity vs. Holism
Modularity – different parts of the brain are highly specialized for mental capabilities. (i.e., FFA, module for language, and etc…)
Holism – “connectionism”; many areas, especially cortical regions, can be recruited for multiple tasks.
*** Ramachandran believes these two views are not mutually exclusive. The brain is a dynamic structure that employs both “modules: in a marvelously complex interplay. (uses Baywatch as an analogy, saying localization is not a bad place to start, so long as we avoid the pitfall of thinking that it holds all the answers. (how instead of where)
Smiling at a good friend vs Smiling in front of a camera
Smiling at a good friend
Visual message of friend’s face -> limbic system (brain’s emotional center) -> basal ganglia orchestrate the sequences of facial muscle activity needed for producing a normal smile.
Smiling in front of a camera
Processed through the auditory cortex and language centers -> motor cortex (specialized in producing voluntary skilled movements)
H.M – had hippocampus removed due to a particularly intractable form of epilepsy
Could not form new memories, yet he could recall everything that happened before the operation.
Illustrates the power of modular approach
Bill – angular gyrus damaged due to stroke injury (dyscalculia)
This region somehow necessary for numerical computational tasks but is not need for other abilities such as STM, language or humor.
People with dyscalculia also have an associated brain disorder called finger agnosia: They can no longer name which finger the neurologist is pointing to or touching.
Chapter 2: “Knowing Where to Scratch”
Tom Sorenson – lost his arm in a car accident; phantom arm
Phantom limb – an arm or leg that lingers indefinitely in the minds of patients long after it has been lost in an accident or removed by a surgeon (some patients also experience phantom breasts, phantom erections, phantom
Modularity vs. Holism
Modularity – different parts of the brain are highly specialized for mental capabilities. (i.e., FFA, module for language, and etc…)
Holism – “connectionism”; many areas, especially cortical regions, can be recruited for multiple tasks.
*** Ramachandran believes these two views are not mutually exclusive. The brain is a dynamic structure that employs both “modules: in a marvelously complex interplay. (uses Baywatch as an analogy, saying localization is not a bad place to start, so long as we avoid the pitfall of thinking that it holds all the answers. (how instead of where)
Smiling at a good friend vs Smiling in front of a camera
Smiling at a good friend
Visual message of friend’s face -> limbic system (brain’s emotional center) -> basal ganglia orchestrate the sequences of facial muscle activity needed for producing a normal smile.
Smiling in front of a camera
Processed through the auditory cortex and language centers -> motor cortex (specialized in producing voluntary skilled movements)
H.M – had hippocampus removed due to a particularly intractable form of epilepsy
Could not form new memories, yet he could recall everything that happened before the operation.
Illustrates the power of modular approach
Bill – angular gyrus damaged due to stroke injury (dyscalculia)
This region somehow necessary for numerical computational tasks but is not need for other abilities such as STM, language or humor.
People with dyscalculia also have an associated brain disorder called finger agnosia: They can no longer name which finger the neurologist is pointing to or touching.
Chapter 2: “Knowing Where to Scratch”
Tom Sorenson – lost his arm in a car accident; phantom arm
Phantom limb – an arm or leg that lingers indefinitely in the minds of patients long after it has been lost in an accident or removed by a surgeon (some patients also experience phantom breasts, phantom erections, phantom