Researchers at the Weizmann Institute say that it is possible that these brain waves open a window that will allow us to glimpse the history of cognitive processes in the brain, and also to diagnose abnormal brain function, which characterizes, for example, mental retardation, autism and mental disorders.
How good it would be if we could "dig" into the cerebral cortex, like archaeologists, and discover findings there that would reveal our talents, our past experiences, things we learned - to get a unique and complete picture of the personality. New research suggests that this wish may one day come true. The research reveals that spontaneous waves of activity in the human brain express the "traces" of important things that happened in the brain - even a day after they happened. It is possible that these brain waves open a window that will allow us to glimpse the history of cognition processes in the brain, and also to diagnose abnormal brain function, which characterizes, for example, mental retardation, autism and mental disorders.
The source of the current discovery is a finding that was discovered in the human visual system several years ago in the group of Prof. Rafi Malach, from the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and in other areas of the brain by other research groups, according to which the brain does not rest for a moment - even in situations where the person himself is at rest. It turned out that even when the person is not exposed to any stimulation, real or imagined, for example at rest with eyes closed, slow waves of neural activity appear in the brain - very different from the short and fast bursts that characterize normal information processing in the brain. These slow waves, called "spontaneous waves" or "resting-state waves," move in a remarkably organized manner between parts of the cerebral cortex, forming complex, repetitive, symmetrical patterns. The intriguing question is what can be learned from these complex patterns and what do they mean?
A study led by research student Tal Harmelach, under the guidance of Prof. Rafi Malach and Dr. Son Preminger, started from the hypothesis that the patterns of brain activity during rest constitute a kind of "archive" of the individual's previous experiences. In fact, every experience we go through activates the brain networks, and this activation leads to a long-term change in the connections between the brain cells. This ability to change is called the cerebral flexibility of the brain (brain plasticity). The researchers' hypothesis was that as a result of various experiences throughout our lives, embedded brain patterns are created that are a kind of "preliminary expectations" that are present in the brain even before performing any mental task - expectations that play an essential role, for example, in our ability to create a meaningful image from the partial information coming from the eyes. Such preferences determine, for example, that the brain will express an increased ability to recognize faces or to make decisions. The collection of all this early knowledge is built into the connections between the nerve cells. These relationships are expressed in the resting wave pattern.
The scientists designed an experiment in which the subjects experienced an experience that produced a focused and controlled activation of a neural network. The long-term effect of this focused experience on resting brain waves was measured under laboratory conditions. In the first stage, the volunteers were put into a magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) device, where they were asked to imagine themselves in a situation of needing to make a decision quickly. In this way, a specific area in the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making processes, was activated in a targeted manner. The subjects received immediate feedback on how successful they were in activating the area: the brain activity in this area was translated into a sound, and the more the activity increased, the stronger the sound. In this way, the subjects were able to activate in a strong and continuous way a network of areas related to decision-making. The scientists hypothesized that as a result of this activation, the connections between the parts of the network would be strengthened, so that it would be possible to see the traces of the strengthening in the spontaneous activity of the cerebral cortex even in a state of rest.
The spontaneous waves in the resting state of the subjects were scanned using fMRI before the targeted activation, immediately after it, as well as the next day, in order to examine the effect of the process on the resting waves over time. The findings, recently published in the scientific journal Journal of Neuroscience, showed that the activation indeed reshaped the structure of the connections, and this new construction left its mark on the pattern of the resting waves. Surprisingly, it turned out that the redesign of the resting waves continued and became even stronger the day after the workout. The way the patterns of brain activity were designed corresponded to theories of brain learning. According to the classic theory of Donald Hebb, from the middle of the 20th century, when two neurons with a connection work at the same time, the connections between them are strengthened. Conversely, in a state of uncoordinated activity, the connections between the two nerve cells weaken. Similarly, the resting wave patterns after training showed the strengthening of coordination (synchrony) between brain areas that were activated together during training, and a decrease in coordination between areas that were suppressed during training.
The research opens up the possibility of using the brain's resting waves as a tool for mapping "cognitive events" that occurred in the individual's brain in the recent past. Beyond that, in a broader aspect, he implies that the resting activity in the human brain constitutes a detailed record of the imprint formed by the individual's cognitive history. More generally, it is possible that our entire personality profile - every talent, limitation, tendency and learning, leave their mark on the resting wave pattern in our mind, and contribute to its design. "Today we know more and more about the general principles according to which the brain works, but we do not know what causes the differences between people", says Prof. Malach. "It is possible that the activity of the brain while resting will allow us in the future to get an objective expression for the unique profile of each individual." This possibility may be especially important when it comes to pathologies of the brain, such as autism, schizophrenia, or loss of consciousness. It is possible that mapping brain activity in a resting state will provide additional insights into the disruptions caused to the brain in these states, and will facilitate their diagnosis.
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Point, according to you there is no pathology. Let me share with you, a person with Down syndrome suffers from so many completely objective problems such as health problems, etc. Leave evolution aside, it's not really directly related to the topic.
Read HERE And especially the This link
point:
I'm not arguing but I'll just repeat your audacity in the opposite direction.
Only after you realize that you are wrong will you also understand where the mistake came from.
Mikey I agree with you there is no debate. Only after you realize that you are wrong will you also understand where the mistake came from.
Eric, disability is a concept in social insurance, ask them.
And again regarding normality from a purely scientific point of view, since we already understood that there is no such thing as normal or abnormal in nature, therefore it makes no sense to say that someone with Down syndrome is normal or abnormal. Yes, you can say about him that he probably won't survive without support or something like that.
Bringing prejudices into science (regarding what a normal person is or is not normal) is just like bringing creationism into science.
point:
You are welcome to continue talking to people in your own language.
Just don't expect them to understand you.
Of course, I do not accept any of the claims in your last response, but since it is clear to me that this is not a discussion, but a predetermined goal - I will not continue arguing.
And I recommend everyone to read This article
point
Does a person with Down syndrome or retardation not suffer from a disability? Is such a person 'normal'?
Mike,
Standard is what you said, standard. And since there is no standard in nature, then there is no standard.
To say that in nature the norm is a standard, is basically to say that any substance that is not hydrogen, is an improper substance.... In short, to say that there is a norm in nature is to introduce purposefulness into nature, and this belongs to Aristotle's old thought about nature.
Anyone who understands what evolution is, understands that there is no norm. It's all a breeding ground for genetic experiments. We are all mutants.
And about the suffering. The suffering does not arise from the structure of the brain. Suffering comes from having unfulfilled needs. So it is certainly possible that autistic people have unmet needs. (It is possible that they have needs that even theoretically cannot be satisfied, but this is just a hypothesis. In any case, this is not related to the concept of normality)
point:
This nihilism again!
Autistics suffer (at least in part) from the problem, but since the issue does not interest you and it is more important to you who you support and who you oppose - you join one of the parties.
For your information, the term "proper" is not related to nature.
It is related to the word "standard" which in "Hebrew" is standard and in terms related to nature this is the norm.
In general - in your opinion there can be nothing abnormal in the world because everything obeys the laws of nature and that is why I mentioned your nihilism.
By the way, this does not mean that one should feel 'defective', but it is a limitation like other limitations that must be taken into account in order for the individual who has them to live a fuller and happier life.
There is no such thing as something in nature being abnormal. The brain develops according to the laws of biology. And these are driven by the laws of physics and chemistry.
An abnormal brain is a brain that does not function according to the laws of biology, and I find it hard to believe that they will ever find something like that. There really isn't any way the mind is supposed to work. Anyone who claims this brings in the whole purposefulness thing that modern science did away with long ago.
Therefore, anyone who wants can say, autistics bully us, and either autistics can't take care of themselves or they suffer....but all this is just a subjective definition.
The DSM is just like a fashion magazine where the writers decided for themselves what is normal and what is not.
The autistic citizen
The abilities to recognize intonation or body language are objective abilities, just like proprioception or the ability to recognize faces or any other ability. And those who lack it lack an ability that helps other people get objective information about the world around them. Everything can be made subjective so to speak, homosexuality on the other hand is not a problem that creates a disability. (only one that stems from prejudice)
The autistic citizen Chen:
Not true.
There are many minority groups in society.
There are redheads, there are geniuses, there are those whose first names start with the letter K and in fact there are as many minority groups as you could wish for.
The fact that someone belongs to a minority group does not necessarily require that society invests resources and efforts in him.
The people you gave as an example at the beginning of the debate also think differently than you, but I will not continue the debate.
Society needs to make a special effort so that we can integrate, but only because we are a minority group.
If we, the autistics, were the majority, then we wouldn't have to make special efforts to fit in. If we were the majority, then we might have to make special efforts for neurotypicals to fit in.
Therefore, the current need to invest special efforts for the inclusion of autistics does not make autism people with "abnormal brain function".
This is called the "social model of disability". (The Social Model of Disability)
The autistic citizen Chen:
After you brought me two links that you claimed supported your position and after it became clear to me that they actually support my position, I'm not going to get any more homework from you.
It should also be understood that the "opinions of most autistics" (if the sites you bring up now at all express them and this in itself requires proof) do not determine the matter.
Apart from a thousand thousand differences, I guess if you take a poll among psychopaths they will tell you that they are perfectly fine.
What ultimately determines this is the question of whether in order for them to be able to live and integrate, society needs them to make a special effort, and the answer to that is clearly yes.
The disabilities of the autistics arise from their brain function and not from the function of their skeleton or their muscles.
A function that creates a disability is not normal and puns will not help here.
I find the opinions of most autistic people in the following places -
* The largest forum system of the global autistic community, in which tens of thousands of autistics express their opinions every day: http://www.wrongplanet.net
* The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the largest organization run by autistic people: http://autisticadvocacy.org
* The International Autistic Network, the oldest organization operated by autistic people: http://www.autreat.com
* AS - the community of people on the autistic spectrum in Israel: http://www.acisrael.org
and so'
A person with a disability is not necessarily a person with "abnormal brain function".
By the way - the 14-year-old autist also opposes the law for different reasons than the ones you mentioned, and he also defines the autistic as disabled
The autistic citizen Chen:
I don't know what most autistics say and I guess you haven't done any research on the matter either.
Are you talking about all autistics or only those who can speak at all?
The matter is not a question of self-determination but a question of a situation that can be improved by appropriate treatment.
Homosexuality cannot be treated and usually does not burden the people excessively in their lives (when it does - it is precisely because of brainwashing that others have undergone and not because it is forced by reality).
In my opinion - the word "disease" should not attach a negative stigma to a person on a value level and therefore there is no need to fight against it either.
Would you define high blood pressure as a disease?
People usually don't feel him at all - that's why they call him the "silent killer". People are also not ashamed (for the most part) that their blood pressure is high and they really have nothing to be ashamed of - that's who they are, and when they recognize it, they can improve their life expectancy through treatment.
The situation with autistics is similar and when someone claims that autistics are completely normal it just leads to avoiding treating the treatable problems they have.
The play on words is not really important to me, so it doesn't really matter to me if they define homosexuality as a disease, because it is a condition that cannot be improved by treatment (and all the "treatments" that people try to "treat" the matter are just throwing sand in the eyes and they only cause damage).
On the other hand - the autistic person can benefit greatly from appropriate treatment - on the one hand - and from the special conditions that society is willing to grant him due to his abnormality - on the other hand, therefore defining the autistic person as a person without problems is only harmful.
By the way - the matter of defining autistics as "legitimate human beings" is simply funny.
What are legitimate humans? Are there people who are not legitimate? "Legitimate" is legal. What law can a person break in his very existence?
Ronan Gil (an impressive man in his own right) defines autistics as "people with disabilities".
His opposition to the law is not because of the argument that autistics are free of impairment but for completely different reasons and anyone who watches the video understands this. Did you expect me not to watch the video and therefore not notice?
Most autistics claim that the autistic brain is indeed normal. Therefore, this claim must be respected.
In the past, homosexuality was also defined as a pathological disorder in the DSM. Only following the protests of members of the homosexual community, the psychiatric community agreed to remove them from the DSM.
The autistic community hopes to lead a similar move, which will lead to the recognition of autistic people as legitimate human beings. Even Temple Grandin, one of the most famous autists in the world, supports this move:
http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2013/06/temple_grandin_on_the_autistic.php
I suggest treating autistic people as unique people, but not "defective", "defective", "abnormal", etc.
The Autism bill was created by some non-profit organization that stands to make a lot of money if the bill is passed. Unfortunately, the management of the aforementioned association managed to convince many Knesset members to support the bill.
The vast majority of the members of the autistic community in Israel oppose the bill. Here, for example, are the words of autistic activist Ronan Gil against the bill, on Channel 2:
http://reshet.tv/Shows/Medabrim_al_ze/video/.aspx?bo=12289&vml=219463
And here, for example, is an article by a 14-year-old autistic boy against the bill:
http://dror.acisrael.org/?p=290
Grace
Does your last name start with C?
The autistic citizen Chen
So you suggest treating autistic people as normal people?
And factually, it is nonsense to say that "there are also many actions that autistic people perform better than the general population." There is no connection between the two things.
True, not every deviation from the norm is a pathology. But a phenomenon that impairs human functioning clearly constitutes a pathology.
What is this nonsense you said…..Autism is defined as a pathological disorder in the DSM!!!!
Not acknowledging the problem can only achieve one thing and that is that it will not be addressed.
The autistic brain is not normal, even if there are autistics here and there with this or that talent.
The Autistic Law was not created in a vacuum
You write "diagnose abnormal brain function, characteristic of, for example, mental retardation, autism and mental disorders" ???
Autism is not characterized by "abnormal brain function"!
Autism is characterized by legitimate neurological variation, which creates a unique and interesting neurocognitive structure.
There are many actions that autistics perform less well than the general population, but there are also many actions that autistics perform better than the general population.
Not every deviation from the norm is a pathology!