Introduction
Written by Ramachandran, the book The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes us Human is a must-read research on the main incredible and contentious topics in the field of neurology specifically the human brain. Ramachandran presents an eye of a teller of tales for compelling case learning and a stylishness of a researcher for innovative approaches to the prime of life queries. Indicating the bizarre links flanked by neurology and performance, this paper reviews the book by unveiling the affluence of evidences into the sincere mysteries of the mind of an individual.
Uniqueness of the Brain
Ramachandran’s talent in the field of neuroscience is evident based on how he explains the uniqueness of the brain as the most fascinating and mysterious human organ. In his effort to drive his point home, Ramachandran presents a series of people with complications. They range from people with head damages who cannot identify or detect others even when they are right there with them, others who respond to damages contrary to what is expected like yelling when one ought to be crying of discomfort, and others suffering from Capgras syndrome who do not interpret other people as ‘real’ but imaginary figures. Ramachandran presents all these complications in an effort to depict their link with the brain whose malfunction at a specific part is responsible for each. The reader would refer Ramachandran’s strategy as unique and reliable since he draws conclusions from reliable experiments.
The Information Transfer Puzzle
One would wonder how information is transmitted based on the many things that the brain captures at ago. Does the capture of some information interfere with the capture of interpretation of another? Do there exist some cases of conflicts? Reading Ramachandran’s work will help in unravelling the mystery behind the posed questions. Firstly, based on how he presents the function of the neuron (a crucial element of the brain), it is clear that information transfer happens in one direction and that no conflict of information is possible since the flow is from the axons of one neuron to the dendrites of the other.
Additionally, Ramachandran is also seen as an exceptional narrator who researches into areas outside his direct proficiency. He further explains why the human brains are synthetic, the reasons of as to why amputees discern their absent limbs, the amalgamation of senses acknowledged as synaesthesia, and conjectures regarding the conundrum of autism. The mirror visual feedback shown below is applied in various hospitals as a strategy of reducing the twinge that comes with phantom cramp since the victim experiences a feeling of restoration of the lost body organ upon seeing it reflected on the mirror.
However, he goes further to extend his exploration outside neuroscience by presenting insights keen on art and the reasons explaining its appealingness to people. He scrutinises this highly cross-intellectual human venture through the latest neurasthenics’ sphere. The central argument of Ramachandran despite him going away from it is the set of brain cells networked together that are known as mirror neurons (as hinted above), which were founded in apes in the belated 1900 thus playing an exceptionally important component in the advancement of humankind. The cells gain life in the mind of any living thing not only when it carries out certain actions but also when the organisms observes its fellow organism carrying out the similar deeds. Ramachandran considers that mirror neurons in one-way or another make it possible for people to appreciate and value the brainpower of others, to gain knowledge by imitating others, and a sense understanding. He also suggests a number of dramatic courses in the improvement of mirror neurons or rather the origin of characteristically human psychological aptitudes and a way of life in relation to 150,000 years in the past. He additionally puts forward that autism engages some imperfection in the performance of the neurons.
The Subject of Autism
Ramachandran strategically presents the subject of autism, which has become a global phenomenon. He believes that autistic children have difficulties in acting and copying the actions of others. He succeeds in proposing the solution to unravel this obscurity as the employment of mirror neurons, which is a working strategy of curbing their powerlessness to detect intensions, observe automatically, and or interpret the attitude of others. Nonetheless, the strategy does not necessarily qualify as surveillance since “it does less than reiterate autistic indications – deficiency in understanding, intention reading is worsened, mimicry absence, non imaginary play and hindered learning in verbal communication” (Ramachandran 20). Ramachandran mastery as a neuroscientist is evident when he digs deep into the cause of autism despite the complexity of the responsible neuron. The expert has the mind of the ordinary person in his mind based on the way he employs the strategy of illustration in a bid to make the concept known to all. He therefore uses the illustration of Justin who was a medium-operating autistic youngster. The victim does not engender corresponding brain indicators just as a common child does. Distinctively, when the boy observes someone undertaking a trouble-free action like the releasing and locking of fingers, the electrodes on Justin’s scalp do not to display the control of the mu emissions, which are electromagnetic changes in deviations of eight to thirteen Hz that come out in disintegrates of nine to eleven Hz. The models of the wave indicators take place from synchronous and logical electrical bustle of gigantic neurons that form part of the mind of a human being. Why does Ramachandran link neurons, brain, and autism?
A good share of Ramachandran’s work revolves around the subject of neuroscience and that any reader with no hint of the subject might choose to discard the work based on the complicated processes that translate into the said complications i.e. their link with the brain. Ramachandran inferred that the motor-control harmonisation of Justin was in one piece since he managed to do activities like drawing and feeding despite his weak mirror arrangement. As a path maker, other scholars in the same field have ever since adopted Ramachandran’s working experiments on autism for modification and or improvement using other modus operands. Consequently, Ramachandran goes beyond shedding glow on autism to educating readers with reference to the scientific technique, which is his modus operandi in the entire Tell-Tale Brain masterpiece.
The Mind and Art
Ramachandran’s presentation of the section on The Mind and Art is fascinating but not as much of triumphant. As he writes, at the base of all shocking assortment of styles of art, there are universal central artistic viewpoints that slash across confines of traditions. He inquires if it is possible obtain a “science of art” (Ramachandran 145) regardless of the claim that art is an honour of individual thoughts and power of mind, which assumes universal commandments or rules corresponding to the eightfold course to astuteness of Buddha and illumination. The record of Ramachandran in fact has nine regulations of aesthetics, which he protects by affirming that the record does not weaken the vital role of customs in the formation and positive reception of art. They are consortium, peak shift, dissimilarity, segregation, peek-a-boo (or perceptual predicament solving), detestation of twist of fate, neatness, regularity, and figure of speech.
Ramachandran explains the rule of grouping (the using of a colour repeatedly on bits and pieces that are unrelated all over a work of art in provisions of advancement that the rule progressed to overcome disguise and to distinguish bits and pieces in disorderly scenes. However, Ramachandran captivates with his dialogue of segregation relating the artistic works of Nadia, a girl who was also autistic. The three-year-old girl sketched a horse with tremendous lines that brought to mind momentum and resentment so that the mammal gave the impression to jump from the document. Nevertheless, the artist barely knew how to fasten a bootlace or even converse. A number of people favoured her equine version to one done by Da Vinci. In addition, Ramachandran proposes that the deprived functioning of several other parts of Nadia’s brain frees her correct parietal to acquire the lion’s allocation of her possessions in concentration. The reason behind this illustration intrigues the minds of the readers based on the many questions that arise. Firstly, is it probable for people who have a reduced amount of gift, or people who are ordinary, to possess hidden aptitudes of art that are in anticipation of being unshackled by any form of disease that can attack the brain? Moreover, should this be the case, would it be probable to give a free rein to these aptitudes without bringing harm to the brain or paying the penalty of wiping out other dexterities?
The Aptitude of the Brain
Neuro-technology dominates Ramachandran’s arguments throughout the work. In fact, he presents vigorous cures of several regions whose operation he steered namely optical awareness and soreness in the operation of phantom limbs. Besides, he also steered the synaesthesia dilemma where the brain’s ability to interpret pigments is impaired such that colourless objects are interpreted as coloured. Ramachandran puts in plain words how some minds may build up this aptitude, which give the impression to be additionally common in the perceptions of artists than in the wide-ranging people. Ramachandran illustrates the revolutionary effort by extra scientists in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) that soundly and briefly inactivated the segments of brainpower in ordinary adults (213). Fascinatingly, subjects that were used in the assessment produced good-looking diagrams. The flabbergasted Ramachandran imagines up an approach to make use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) to see the sights of this matter further.
It is worth noting that the nine rules of Ramachandran are proposed to reveal why artists engage in the creation of an art and why people engage in viewing that art. However, the reader needs to unravel Ramachandran’s metaphor as he gives enthusiastic description of an Indian sculpture of the twelfth century known as the Nataraja, which was of the outer space dance of Shiva. He adds by suggesting that the sculpture is largely more than what people can comprehend and that it represents a figure of speech of the universal dance namely the progress and vigour of the outer space. He adds by saying that the artist who did the sculpture depicts the feeling using several other devices competently (Ramachandran 255). For instance, the centrifugal repositioning of upper limbs and lower limbs of Shiva floundering in dissimilar directions and the undulating tresses fluttering off his cranium give out the symbolism of confrontation and the fury of the outer space.
Conclusion
What people see and regard as more pertinent is a kind of cultural development, which is a dissimilar thing. People improve by giving out thoughts and conventions that they posses with the survival of the most vital ones taking place. People’s minds have the capacity to adjust based on the surroundings in an attempt to match their wishes even appropriating natural assortment to have an effect on other species. Ramachandran does not provide this illustration. However, the several classes of dogs that are present in today’s existence are a classical illustration of what individuals would describe as a design of high intelligence. In this case, it is not just the aptitude of God, but moreover the aptitude and the willingness of humanity. People domesticated the wolf and produced breeds that best matched their requirements for work animals, friends, and even preferred them in favour of what they regarded as attractiveness and fine personality. Darwin is not responsible for this kind of propagation that took place far more rapidly and more radically than any other thing in the natural world. The reader appreciates Ramachandran’s emphasis on the uniqueness that he suggests separates humankind from other natures of the world, which is a disagreement that is frequently embezzled by those who put up with the merciless handling of animals. The complexity of Ramachandran’s work may leave the reader out of course based on the much symbolism and metaphors that his work employs. Therefore, the work needs to be simple and accommodative of all readers by providing clear links between the symbols used and neuroscience.
Reference
Ramachandran, Vilayanur. The Tell-Tale Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Quest for What Makes Us Human. New York: W. W. Norton Publishing, 2012. Print.