Here are two cutaway views of the cerebellum, which coordinates movement. The top drawing has a rich diversity of cells, including treelike Purkinje cells, seen in red and tan, and stellate cells, shown in black. The bottom drawing is a longitudinal cross section of the cerebellum.
Source: Discover
Gestalt psychology contends that the human brain organizes what the eyes see based on traits such as similarity, common background, and proximity. But a new illusion that took second place in the 2011 Best Illusion of the Year Contest—a competition held annually by the Neural Correlate Society—illustrates that our brains can also organize what we see based on changes in contrast.
Arthur Shapiro, professor of psychology at American University, Erica Dixon, a first-year PhD student at AU, and Kai Hamburger, a researcher at Universität Giessen (Germany), created the illusion called “Grouping by Contrast.”
A freeze frame from the illusion "Grouping by Contrast."
“We perceive a world that can be divided into objects with boundaries,” said Shapiro. “According to Gestalt psychology, the objects constitute the foreground, while the rest of the world acts likes the background for these objects. Our illusion illustrates that the visual system can organize the world based on the transition between the foreground and the background.” [continue reading…]
As I write this post I am slowly waking up, ( its 7.00am here is sunny Vancouver). In 30 minutes I will doff my trainers and ipod and start my daily workout. Here’s the thing, without music I struggle through, however the ‘right’ music energizes and spurs me on.
Science all but confirms that humans are hard-wired to respond to music. Studies also suggest that someday music may even help patients heal from Parkinson’s disease or a stroke.
In The Power of Music, Elena Mannes explores how music affects different groups of people and how it could play a role in health care.
She says scientists have found that music stimulates more parts of the brain than any other human function. That’s why she sees so much potential in music’s power to change the brain and affect the way it works.read more or listen to the podcast
Is there a particular song that you find yourself singing, just can’t get it out of your head? This one is mine at the moment.
Source: NPR The Power Of Music: Pioneering Discoveries In The New Science Of Song By Elena Mannes *this is not an affiliate link
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered two mutations responsible for a devastating neurological condition they first identified 15 years ago. The researchers say their study — appearing in Nature Genetics — has revealed a new neural pathway that may help understand a variety of similar conditions. [continue reading…]
