In 2009 researchers at Simon Fraser University discovered a system in the brain that helps us ignore irrelevant information – “the specific neural index of suppression“. Now their research suggests that the problem in disorders such as ADHD is that the “filter” or “anti-distraction system” is not functioning optimally due to either environmental factors (my … Read more
Here is a summary of some of the research presented at the 2014 Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting. Daisy Yuhas at Scientific American Observations blog does the summarizing. Brains in Boston: Weekend Recap of Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s Annual Meeting By Daisy Yuhas | April 8, 2014 Greetings from Boston where the 21st annual meeting of … Read more
Below is a research update from Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle (funded by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen) on some of their work in President Obama’s BRAIN Initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies). This article comes from The Independent (UK). Mysteries of the human brain revealed as scientists release detailed 3D image of … Read more
This is a brief but cool little article from Rick Hanson’s blog – and this may be preaching to the choir, but it felt worth sharing. The Effect of Relationships on the Evolution of the Brain posted on: April 10th, 2014 Your brain is the product of 3.5 billion years of intense evolutionary pressure, including … Read more
Back in the 1980s, a physicist, Per Bak, proposed that the human mind may operate on some of the same principle as a sand pile – avalanches of various sizes help keep the entire system stable overall, a process Bak named “self-organized criticality.” More precisely, “the brain’s ordered complexity and thinking ability arise spontaneously from … Read more
Our ability to image the brain is becoming quite extraordinary. How we use those images and the agenda of which they are a piece are, however, somewhat concerning. It’s wonderful to see how the brain can go wrong in development, but it’s FAR more important to understand WHY the brain goes wrong – and the … Read more
Nice talk from Cassandra Vieten, CEO and President of the Institute for Noetic Sciences, on the need for fearlessness in scientists at the “frontier of science,” the “investigation of consciousness.” This talk was given at the Science and Nonduality Conference. Fearless Science – Cassandra Vieten Published on Feb 6, 2014 The frontier of science is … Read more
Interesting research. The definitive book on this topic remains Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman, although his system I and system II distinction is slightly different than what is being discussed here. The current study is looking at developmental learning skills, but it too is distinguishing between explicit (more conscious) and implicit learning (less … Read more
This is an interesting talk between punk musician, author, and all-around interesting guy, Henry Rollins and neuroscientist David Eagleman, author of Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain (2011). Thanks to the IEET (Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies) for posting this on their site. Lucid Dreaming Brainwave 2011 | Posted: Mar 13, 2014 Henry … Read more
In a new article in the journal Social, Cognitive, Affective Neuroscience has identified the mechanism by which we tend to feel pain when we empathize with those who have been socially excluded. Here is a brief summary of the research: [A]n ecologically valid experience of social exclusion recruits areas coding the somatosensory components of … Read more