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molivares's picture

Anosognosics

I was completely fascinated by the article Mind Over Body: Stroke victims cannot perceive paralysis in themselves--or others in Scientific American. This notion that, “Some anosognosics not only are unaware of their own paralysis, they are also unable to perceive paralysis in others. This finding seems to indicate that our awareness of ourselves is inextricably entwined with our awareness of others” is something that I’m having trouble understanding in terms of corollary discharge. If corollary discharge is a mechanism in the brain that allows one to distinguish between self-generated and external stimuli or perceptions then what role does it play in the awareness of others in the case of anosognosics? I guess I’m just having trouble applying this neurobiological concept to a case that involves not just a self-awareness but an awareness apart from ourselves. This articles certainly does add, “a new twist on the old mind-body problem; our bodies are, in a sense, self-projected constructs, an integral part of our minds” – a concept that brings us back to the beginning of the semester in talking about Dickinson’s and Descartes stories on the brain and behavior.

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