Laughter can be heard during the most inappropriate times; during a funeral, without any noticeable reason, or after a very bad joke. Others may wonder why a person would laugh without what people would consider as normal stimuli for laughter. Most would consider tickling, a funny joke, or a release in tension as normal stimuli for laughter. Is a person rebelling against social boundaries and expectations or being insensitive when he or she laughs as he or she administers shocks to someone next door? Parts of the limbic system are involved in laughter. The limbic system is a primitive part of the brain that is involved in emotions and helps us with basic functions necessary for survival.

“The brain is a full-fledged sexual organ,” wrote Nicholas Wade in the New York Times Science section (1). Although the not first bodily structure to spring to mind—I can think of a few more prevalent organs—this idea follows logically with what we know about the brain, as well as how the brain relates to other systems within the body. Like the gonads, the brain has an active role in the endocrine system. There are physical differences between the brains of the two sexes, just like the genitalia, which lead to differences in sexual behavior. Our sex behaviors, whether involving the I-function or not, all stem from the brain.

Abstract:

Previously consciousness has been a concept to which only philosophers, and later psychologists, have aspired to describing. However, it is now believed that neuroscience may offer a means for reaching a better understanding of consciousness, including locating a neurological correlate of consciousness (5). The phenomenon known as “blindsight” has given rise to several rounds of research that have produced multiple theories pertaining to visual consciousness, the consequences of which force one to question previous notions of awareness, experience and the mind-body relationship. This paper begins to examine some of the major theories that have emerged from studies of blindsight and discuss their implications on our previous notions of consciousness, including as it relates to Aristotle’s notion of the soul. Within this subject, there are yet to be any truths to conclude. Consequently the goal of this paper is not to innumerate truth, but instead to provoke thought about everyday experiences of consciousness.

“The intention of the Holy Ghost is to teach us how one goes to heaven, not how heaven goes.”[1] Galileo’s trope is characteristic of the mutual hands-off policy between science and religion—until very recently. Evolutionary biologists and cognitive neuroscientists have joined anthropologists and psychologists to make the belief in God the study of scientific inquiry. A recent suggestion exists which states there are three attributes in humans which may result in a belief in God: agent detection, causal reasoning and theory of mind. [2] These three traits may have had an evolutionary advantage and have been selected for via natural selection. The adaptive advantage of these traits is illuminated by examining human conditions where these traits are absent. Despite the strong evidence that points in favor of this contemporary theory, many questions remain about why these three are so determinate toward religious belief and furthermore to what degree consciousness is involved. The correlation between the evolutionary benefits of these traits and a belief in God demands further inquiry in order to understand how these traits have been advantageous and why these three traits in particular have come together to shape belief.

As a long time sufferer of bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder characterized by episodes of bingeing on food followed by purging either through the use of self-induced vomiting or by the abuse of laxatives and/ or exercise, often including episodes of self-starvation, I have struggled with the negative stereotypes that insist on eating disorders as being the result of vanity, the desire to be thin, a characteristic highly promoted in our culture as a key element to feminine beauty and attractiveness (2). While social and environmental factors cannot be discarded as playing a crucial role in the development and perpetuation of eating disorders, resulting in abnormal and often extremely dangerous extremes as an attempt to control weight, we must take into consideration the other factors, such as abnormal brain chemistry and genetics, that are now shown to influence and even predispose the development and persistence of eating disorders in certain individuals.

Neuroscience and Biology

Manic Depression Beautiful?

There is a Chinese saying that before you can conquer a beast, you must first make it beautiful. Is it possible to make the ugliness of depression beautiful? Yes. It’s a word we hear so often that most of the time; we just let it pass over our heads, thinking of it as just another statistic. The scientific definition for depression is: a syndrome that reflects a sad mood exceeding normal sadness or grief. More specifically, the sadness of depression is characterized by a greater intensity and duration and by more severe symptoms and functional disabilities than is normal.[i] Like a vacuum cleaner, depression sucks even the most normal and conscientious person into a space of bewildered darkness. How do I know this? May it is because I have been around people who are manic -depressive and am possibly plagued by this unrelenting disease as well. Scientific definitions such as the one above will never thoroughly explain what depression is; no clear or concise way. It is like an abstract painting, leaving the viewers to interpret it whichever way they deem fit; and like that painting, some might see it as beautiful while others only see a mess of colors splattered on the wall.

Many people are said to suffer from learning disabilities such as dyslexia or, very commonly, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Characteristic symptoms displayed by individuals with ADHD are impulsivity, hyperactivity, and lack of inhibition. Some people consider these types of conditions to be learning differences rather than learning disabilities. This paper argues that ADHD, in particular, is only a disability because society has been created in a way that caters to those who possess brain and social behavior that is closer to the average or the accepted norm. To do this I will start with an overview of the neurobiology of ADHD followed by a discussion of how the neurobiological differences contribute to the social construction of the idea of it being a disability. ADHD is more of a difference than a disability because disabilities are only socially constructed based on conditions that deviate from the norm. Individuals with ADHD have brains that function in different ways and at different speeds and intensities. As a result, they receive and process input differently than the average person but that does not necessarily have to qualify them as disabled.

With vast amounts of research and testing going on all over the world it is important to incorporate some method of control comparison. A placebo, a pharmacologically inert substance distributed in order to observe a medical effect or non at all.[1] A response to the placebo is known as the placebo effect. If a placebo is considered a blank, why are they used? In order to answer this question one must consider the amounts of various tests and experiments currently in progress. There are psychological, neural, social, physical and philosophical tests performed throughout the world. Not only do the types of tests make an impact on the experiment but the subjects themselves; they vary in environmental conditions, financial situation, personality, time and age. [5].With a placebo one can somehow attempt to group the variables because they are already being combined in the experimental group.

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder is a neurologically based behavioral disorder that afflicts children and adults alike (1). Characterized by inability to pay attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive actions, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, or ADHD for short, this disorder has become a popular diagnosis for students who claim that they are unable to concentrate or focus on their studies (2). Much research has been done in recent years regarding ADHD, its neurological basis in the brain, and how to treat it effectively (1). Many prescription drugs have been released onto the market that effectively target the levels of certain hormones which in turn enable one to counteract the symptoms of ADHD (3).

The relationship between the subjective and the objective is something that superimposes on every aspect of life, whether realized or not. No two individuals are identical, and the simple fact that we are isolated non-identical beings implies that we must lead non-identical lives. That may sound like an obvious statement but the pervasiveness of this “different-ness” is not so obvious. It exists on many levels, some more tangible than others. It is one thing to say that person A and person B see different things when looking at a Picasso, it is another to say that reality as person A experiences it, and reality as person B experiences it are fundamentally different things. If this question is to be approached, if we are to attempt to understand the relationship between the subjective and the objective, the relationship between ourselves, others, and the world, it is valuable to look at the various levels at which this relationship is defined.