IUBio

Brain Use/40 hertz

F. Frank LeFever flefever at ix.netcom.com
Mon Jan 11 23:17:45 EST 1999


In <369A447B.CBD4EBFE at ix.netcom.com> Richard Sargent
<dsargent at ix.netcom.com> writes: 
>
>

    A lot of nonsense with a lot of assurance.  Possibly a new         
   kkollins?

    SOME "nearly correct" points...

    ad hoc comments follow...


>
>DK wrote:
>
>> >> Here, I thought of an analogy: right now I am using 50% of my 

- - - - - - - - - - -(snip) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

>> >Try typing while dancing a jig... tough row to hoe.

>- - - - - - -(snip) - - - - - - - - -

>The human mind can learn to such expertise combinations of activities
that your
>observations do not seem logical.  (prior comment) -- Humans cannot
demonstrate
>superhuman ability, obviously, by doing with proficiciency activities
which
>require Total body coordination ( as dancing) and one which  requires
hand-eye
>coordination  during performance of which a sedentary (sitting)
position is
>preferred.
>

    An obvious distinction to be made: stage of development of a       
   skilled activity. When overlearned to the point of automaticity,    
    attention can be given to other activities concurrently.

    Do not a priori assume what activities interfere with each other.
    Bear in mind Marcel Kinsbourne's paradigm of right vs. left hand   
    dowel balancing and verbal performance.




>The human brain is only 10% functional, at best.The first to outline
this
>theory, later proved a fact by others,

        Hardly a theory; hardly a fact.

 was Australian Neurology Nobel 
Laureate
>Sir John
>Eccles. (Lecture: University of Colorado, University Memorial Center
Boulder,
>July 31, 1974.) "The brain indicates
>its powers are endless."

        Eccles did important work on spinal reflexes.  Lecture may     
        represent his thinking in his dotage, when he may have become a
        dualist and a spiritist... (MAY have; not familiar with it)

>
>In England, John Lorber did autopsies on hydrocephalics. This illness
causes
>all but the 1/6th inch layer of brain tissue
>to be dissolved by acidic spinal fluid.

            "dissolved by acidic spinal fluid" ?!?! Please tell me you 
            know this to be a joke!


 He tested the IQ's of patients before
>and during the disease. His findings showed
>that IQ remained constant up to death.

        Constant at what level? I have seen a few cases...
        Also, the "IQ" does not tell the whole story (and some IQ tests
        tell less than others).

 Although over 90% of brain tissue was
>destroyed by the disease, it had no
>impact on what we consider to be normal intelligence.

        One hears the claim from time to time: documentation?

- - - - - - - - - - -(snip) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


>Russian neurosurgeon Alexandre Luria

            Any relation to the Russian neuropsychologist of the same  
            name?  A.R. Luria??  I am on a first-name basis with THAT  
            Luria's last doctoral student...


 proved that the 1/3 bulk of frontal lobes
>are mostly dormant.

            Must be a different Alexander Luria.  The one I know is    
            famous for demonstrating the complex and devastating       
            effects of frontal lobe injury.

 He did this byperforming ablation (surgical removal)
>experiments on persons. He gave physiological and psychological tests
before,
>cut out parts and
>whole frontal lboes, the re-tested after.

            Definitely a different Luria.  The world-famous one worked 
            with patients with gunshot wounds to the head or with      
            frontal tumors.  In these cases, surgeons may have done    
            some ablation, but only the minimum necessary to treat the 
            life-threatening condition, not as an experiment.  (Yes,   
            they were communists; but they were not Nazis!)

 His conclusion: removal of part or
>all of frontal lobes causes no major change
>in brain function, (some change in mood alteration). The frontal lobes
are
>mostly dormant, asleep.

            And of course, in the light of MANY, MANY subsequent       
            observations of patients with frontal lobe injuries, some  
            by people nearly as famous as Luria, some relatively unkown
            (e.g. me), and in the light of animal experiments, this is 
            such utter nonsense that you do indeed qualify as the next 
            kkollins!
      
            (Serendipity: just moments ago I opened my email to get a  
            communication from Don Stuss, a neuropsychologist quite    
            well known for his work on "frontal lobe syndrome", who    
            will be giving an update on this at the International      
            Neuropsychology Society annual meeting in Boston next      
            month...)


-- - - - - - - -(snip) - - - - - - - - - - -


  The extent of the information you can access on the Web
>approaches absurdity, and certainly will constitute 'enough'
information for an
>informed conclusion to be postulated.
>
  
        But first one must sort it out from the absurd misinformation, 
        such as Richard/Peter/whomever has posted.


>My name is Peter, not Richard, as the Sender name may misinform you.
>
>Peter Sargent
>

        Well, let us at least hope he knows what he is talking about   
        when he tells us his name.


        F. Frank LeFever, Ph.D.
        New York Neuropsychology Group





More information about the Neur-sci mailing list

Send comments to us at biosci-help [At] net.bio.net