19 March 2009

Where does consciousness originate? All over our brain

New Scientist is running a fascinating article on new brain research happening at INSERM that appears to show that consciousness arises from activity distributed across the brain -- rather than any single locus or "seat."

Gaillard's team flashed words in front of volunteers for just 29 milliseconds. The words were either threatening (kill, anger) or emotionally neutral (cousin, see).

The words were preceded and followed by visual "masks", which block the words from being consciously processed, or the masks following the words weren't used, meaning the words could be consciously processed. The volunteers had to press a button to indicate the nature of the word, allowing the researchers to confirm whether the volunteer was conscious of it or not.

Read the full article.

And watch Dan Dennett's fun, intriguing 2003 TEDTalk on consciousness.

Posted by TED Staff | Permalink

Permalink | Comments () | TrackBack (0)

14 October 2008

The brain and the banjo

Bluegrass legend Eddie Adcock had brain surgery last month to correct an essential tremor -- an uncontrollable shaking that left him unable to play the banjo. During the surgery, he stayed awake to give feedback while surgeons prodded his brain, looking for the exact spot to stimulate to control the tremor. His method of feedback during surgery? He played the banjo. Astonishing footage from the BBC is here, or watch a news report from Good Morning America below:

Looking for more amazing tales from the brain? Watch Vilayanur Ramachadran's TEDTalk on the journey to the center of your mind; or Christopher deCharms' real-time fMRI of the brain in motion; or Jill Bolte Taylor's powerful stroke of insight.

Posted by TED Staff | Permalink

Permalink | Comments () | TrackBack (0)