Becoming British Overnight: the Foreign Accent Syndrome

While greeting one of my friends who had just returned from a semester abroad, I was intrigued not by the excitement in her voice as she described London, but rather the lilting British accent she was using to recount the stories. I was baffled to imagine that she picked up such a heavy accent in such a short period of time; she herself mentioned that she hadn’t even noticed that she’d picked it up until she came back to the States. Was it possible to acquire a foreign accent so quickly?

The Geography of Thought: How Asians and Westerners Think Differently... and Why

Richard E. Nisbett (2003)

        In the second edition of his book Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses, Dr. Cytowic draws on his intimate knowledge of the development and workings of the human brain, as well as his ample experience with synesthetic patients of various ages and backgrounds, to define the basic characteristics of the phenomenon, search for a probable location for the physiological integration of synesthetic percepts, and relate synesthesia to common neurological processes that allow each one of us to interpret our surroundings.  Along the way, Cytowic provides a current model of the architecture and connectivity of the brain and neural tissues, as well as some interesting examples of how synesthesia can inspire the creation of art and music.  
 

Memory Distortion and its Connection to Reality

"Memory is the scaffolding upon which all mental life is constructed."

–Gerald Fischbach

 

                “You are getting sleepy” are the last words you hear as you close your eyes and shut out the gold watch waving in front of your face. This is the classic image that is conjured when imagining a hypnotist or circus sideshow. Hypnosis is not as simple a phenomenon as circus shows make it seem. How does the brain work to override a person’s better judgment and leave them quacking like a duck on stage? What gives the suggestions spoken by a virtual stranger such power? All of these questions and more have been studied by analyzing the brain and its various regions activated at certain times.

Throughout the course of the semester, the Bio 202 class has attempted to formulate an understanding between mechanisms of the brain and subsequent human behavior. One of the core areas of discussion has been the integrated action of neurons and its consequences on human accomplishment. Of particular interest is the way in which sensory stimulation from the external world can interrelate with groups of neurons and actually mediate change in an individual’s behavior. The book “Brain and Culture,” by Bruce E. Wexler takes the fundamental issues discussed in Bio 202 and applies them to larger ideological and socio-cultural

Manic Depression and Creativity – A Book Review

Paul Bloch

Manic depression, also known as bipolar disorder, is a mental disorder, which is characterized by a cyclic shift in moods between mania and depression. Manic symptoms include hyperactivity, inflated self-esteem, high risk activity, decrease need for sleep, distractibility, and flight of ideas (a rapid, uncontrolled flow of thoughts). Depression is characterized by dysphoria, loss of interest or pleasure in usual pastimes, decreased energy, decrease appetite, and suicidal thoughts (1). It is hard to imagine how one would be able to function regularly with such debilitating symptoms.