Neurons, Consciousness and Believing you are Dead
Wednesday, September 28, 2005 → by Danieru
I love the Mind Hacks website. Constantly updated with cutting edge, brain related topics, today being no exception...Want to get up close and personal with the base of your very own consciousness? The winning illustration from The National Science Foundation's Scientific Visualisation Contest was this image of a neuron, in a state moments before it transmits a signal across the synapse. Click the picture for a full-blown expansion of your mind.
What is that whole consciousness thing anyway? The new edition of Scientific American Mind gives the age old question a(nother) bash:
"The brain is an amazingly dynamic organ. Millions of neurons in all corners of our gray matter send out an endless stream of signals. Many of the neurons appear to fire spontaneously, without any recognizable triggers. With the help of techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and microelectrode recordings, brain researchers are listening in on the polyphonic concert in our heads. Any mental activity is accompanied by a ceaseless crescendo and diminuendo of background processing. The underlying principle behind this seeming racket is not understood. Nevertheless, as everyone knows, the chaos creates our own unique, continuous stream of consciousness." - linkEnough to send you spiralling into delusion! Take your pick:
The Cotard delusion or Cotard's syndrome is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief they are dead, do not exist, are putrifying or have lost their blood or internal organs. - wikipedia linkFor more brain, consciousness & reality based nonsense click the appropriate word and avoid all delusions by limiting all beliefs about yourself, The Huge Entity and anything else you happen to trip over today, this week or your imagined future.
The Capgras delusion or Capgras' syndrome is a rare disorder in which a person holds a delusional belief that an acquaintance, usually a close family member or spouse, has been replaced by an identical looking imposter. - wikipedia link
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My name's Victoria E & I just surfed onto your blog from BlogExplosion. Since I'm here, checking out your thoughts, I figured I'd take the time to say hi.
Victoria E
http://victoria-e.com/wordpress
September 29, 2005 1:13 AM
September 29, 2005 6:06 AM
As a psychologist I have never heard of Capgras Syndrome....
There WERE days I thought my father was an alien...Actually, he was from Kentucky...
And I am reminded of Stephen Wright who said the absolute definition of paranoia was coming home to find that your house had been robbed and replaced by exact duplicates...
September 29, 2005 6:13 AM
ultimate paranoia for me usually comes but once a year... i wouldn't be surprised if there was a recognised psychological disorder associated with christmas shopping
September 30, 2005 9:57 AM
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