The human brain and the mind are two things that have always
intrigued me. I’ve wondered how it is that complex network of cells can just somehow
spark into consciousness and create one’s character. It is staggering to think
all that we are, our art, our culture, our literature and our science, has
arisen out of the chemical reactions in our brain. Each of our personalities,
our idiosyncrasies, are simply derived from a network cells in our brains.
An even more staggering thought, however, is that each of
the neurons that constitute our brain are made up of proteins and acids, which
are subsequently made of molecules which are made of atoms; how is it that a
group of specially arranged atoms can have a conscience, begin to ask questions
about its origin and the universe. This begs the question, at what point can
does something become conscious? On the atomic or molecular scale? On the scale
of proteins or acids? On the scale of
cells? Or on the scale of the brain as whole?
I wrote the following article for our school’s ‘Einstein
society’ newsletter. I wrote this article when I was just beginning to realize
the grand arcane phenomenon that is the human mind. It is about a couple of neurological
disorders which I found very fascinating, I hope you enjoy it:
A Brief Venture Into the Exciting World of
Neurology
By Murtaza Tunio
The brain, a jelly like mass consisting of 100 billion
(that’s 1011) neurons and 7000 synapses per neuron, that’s 1015
synapses! Neurology is the study of the
brain and the nervous system. Although neurology has made considerable advances,
many still feel this field of science is still in its infancy and there are
many aspects of the brain which we still cannot begin to understand. In this
article I will be going over some of the most intriguing neurological disorders
known to man. These disorders provide insight into what it may feel like to
have an altered sense of perception and lead one think that our senses may not
be as absolute as we’d like to imagine. For example what one perfectly healthy
person perceives as the color white may not even be remotely close to what
someone else may perceive ‘white’; a certain quality of an object is known to
everyone, but the way we actually PERCIEVE and IMAGINE it may greatly differ. The
following neurological disorders have greatly helped neurologists to further their
understanding of the brain and how the mind perceives the outside world:
Phantom Limb Syndrome (PLS):
A phantom limb
is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb (even an organ, like the appendix) is still attached to the body and feeding
sensations to the brain. People who suffer from phantom limb may experience
excruciating pain due to inaccurate sensory feedback from the muscles; hands which
don’t exist anymore may feel as if they are tightly clenched or even burning,
legs which have been amputated due to injury may still feel the pain as if the
feedback from the leg just froze in time. The pain that those suffering from
PLS are experiencing is not ‘real’ pain in the traditional sense, the pain the experience
is merely in the mind. Sadly this means that sufferers can’t even take pain
killers to relieve the pain!
The Capgras Delusion:
The Capgras Delusion is a condition that makes the sufferer
feel as if their friend, spouse, parent or other close family member has been
replaced been replaced by an identical looking imposter. A renowned
neurologist, Dr. VVS Ramachandran explains this is due to a disconnection
between the temporal cortex (place where faces are recognized) and the limbic
system (involved with emotions) which may occur after a stroke or brain trauma.
Patients fail to recognize even their own parents due to lack of an emotional
response that comes from looking at ones loved ones. Those suffering from
Capgras delusion often detach themselves from their family and friends, people
they’ve known all their lives and shared so many memories with, simply because
their brain does not give them the ‘feeling’ that they are really with people
they know.
Synesthesia:
It is a neurological disorder which causes the inputs from
different senses to get confused and mixed up. This may lead patients to, for
example, be able to ‘taste’ colours and ‘see’ sounds! One synesthete describes how
Beethoven’s 9th symphony looks like bursts of colour, “almost like
fireworks”. Another synesthete, Carl Crane, describes how she can “feel guitars
on (her) ankles and violins on (her) face”. Neurologists say this is caused by cross-talk
between regions specialized for the different senses we have.
More on the above:
- Phantoms In The Brain ( a documentary featuring Dr. VVS Ramachandran)
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