The human brain is a multilayered mystery, which challenges scientists to make epistemic experiments, neurological studies, and psycho-social analysis. Those experiments, as a path to decode the mysterious language of the brain, try to illuminate the cognitive darkness of the unknown. In your perspective, what are the most interesting dimensions of the human brain?
I like the Rdoc Framework and how it categorises the different parts. I am fascinated my the dopamine system, Amygdala and its interaction( feedback loop) with the PNS
Thank you for your response. The RDoC Framework is indeed an innovative approach to mental disorders, contributing to the transformative development of behavioral medicine.
Hi Amalya,
Thank you for posting this discussion!
Personally, I am fascinated with the brain centers responsible for language perception and language production.
This fascination was further developed upon seeing the emphasis placed by my Neurology attending physicians during clinical rounds.
You see:
Our brain (the cerebrum, specifically) has 4 lobes responsible for different functions.
A frontal lobe for decision-making and personality.
A parietal lobe for sensations.
A temporal lobe for memory and emotions.
An occipital lobe for vision.
Within each lobe, there are different areas with more specific functions.
- The Wernicke's area (area 22) is located in the temporal lobe. It is responsible for understanding speech (language perception).
- The Broca's area (areas 44 and 45) is located in the frontal lobe. It is responsible for the production of speech and language.
Following a neurological injury (such as a stroke), patients may develop different abnormalities in their speech:
- Individuals with Wernicke's "aphasia" (cortical speech disturbance) have trouble understanding speech but are fluent. Therefore, such patients may provide completely irrelevant information to the question being presented before them.
- Individuals with Broca's aphasia have trouble producing speech. They fully understand the content of the speech provided to them and can be compliant when asked to perform motor functions. However, they are non-fluent and have difficulties producing language.
What's interesting is that Neurologists can "predict" whether a patient may develop aphasia or not based on their affected side by the stroke/neurological injury:
These language areas are located in the brain's "dominant" hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere, in most cases, is the left side of the brain (especially if the person is right-handed).
Someone with left-sided weakness most probably has a stroke in the right hemisphere of the brain.
Someone with right-sided weakness most probably has a stroke in the left hemisphere of the brain.
Therefore, someone presenting with new-onset, sudden right-sided weakness is considered more liable for aphasia - provided that their dominant hemisphere is the left one.
I remember our attending Neurologists paying extra care to those patients who are presenting to the stroke unit with right-sided weakness.
Aphasia, particularly Broca's aphasia, can be severely distressing to patients.
Imagine yourself understanding everyone around you and wanting to respond, only to be unable to produce language.
Such patients with Broca's aphasia can be prone to depression due to their inability to express their thoughts and ideas coherently.
Our brain's complexity doesn't end there!
Other forms of aphasia exist, such as sensory transcortical aphasia (similar to Wernicke's, albeit with preserved repetition of words) and motor transcortical aphasia (similar to Broca's, albeit with preserved repetition of words).
Not to mention the various forms of dysarthria (motor, non-cortical articulation disturbances).
Fascinating, right?
Thank you, Mohamed I. Mohamed, for your insights. The structure and complexity of the human brain represent a socio-cognitive universe, where the galaxies of thoughts, the satellites of memories, and the planets of imagination form one's metacosmic entity. One's psychological dimensions, states of consciousness, and perception of life share similarities with the cosmic atmosphere, which provides either clean or polluted air. In a non-metaphorical context, the human brain is a neurological miracle, full of endless secrets and cognitive discoveries. Language perception and production are indeed among the most interesting aspects of the brain. Psycholinguistics, which is a branch of general linguistics, studies the mental processes taking place in the human brain when speech is received or produced. This academic discipline is linked to various sciences, including medicine, neurolinguistics, psychology, etc. The neurological disorders mentioned can significantly affect one's daily activities, sense of autonomy, and, as a result, cause psychological consequences. The main goal of science should be improving human life, transforming illnesses into groundbreaking advancements, and taking epistemic victories over existential uncertainties.
I come at it from the angle of the diverse behaviours we observe in the workplace, using Jung's comparative personality types and its development into the HEXACO model. I've published briefly about it here which includes a link to the published article:
Research The Dark Side: The link between organizational risk and the ...
Thank you for your response. Behavioral peculiarities represent socio-cognitive challenges, which are subject to context-dependent analysis and interpretations.
I've been away from brain research for almost 30 years, it's quite interesting that Broca & Wernicke areas still seem to be a main area of focus, as per above. I was drawn to brain research as i had assumed it was responsible for everything i every read or learnt.....i.e. all reports of & by cephalic living beings.
Thank you for your response. Brain research is indeed a complex and cognitively layered sphere, which requires new methodologies, and groundbreaking discoveries in neurological sciences.
The brain's most interesting feature is its plasticity. Even though regions of the brain are typically associated with particular abilities and functions, it is remarkable that other regions of the brain can often take these over in the case of injury, disease, or hemispherectomy:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahad_Israfil
- https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.3679117/scientists-research-man-missing-90-of-his-brain-who-leads-a-normal-life-1.3679125
- https://leftfieldwander.blogspot.com/2009/10/if-you-had-half-brain.html
Thank you for your response. The plasticity of the brain reflects its neurological and psycho-cognitive flexibility, as well as its adaptability to challenging mental situations. However, on a worldview level, a fixed mindset, stereotypical thinking, and a lack of intellectual and creative engagement can represent rigidity, which limits brain function to one's epistemic preferences.
Human brain, in its nature, is one of the biggest secrets in this universe. For me, the most important dimension of human brain is the ability to control all of our body functions and the ability to think not like the other creatures.
Thank you for your response. The ability to think is indeed a higher-order cognitive dimension that no other creatures have, except humans.
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