"MYTH BRAIN STIMULATION"
Is the so called "Mid brain stimulation" a myth.
Well at the outset I will say that I will refrain from being judgemental but would leave the answer to some brain exercises which any man can usually do without any 'stimulation'! The information is around us, only that we need to ponder a bit deep.
The claim goes that by stimulating the centre of brain, lying deep inside (mid brain) intellectual ability can be improved. Children can read blindfolded. I am no expert on the blindfolding part, but believe that Mr Muthukad, the famous Magician is and would naturally tend to believe him in this regard. This is what he said. http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/Huge-Fraud-in-the-Pretext-of-Invoking-Sixth-Sense/2015/04/28/article2786736.ece
(for those who prefer a capsule and cannot read the entire news paper report, he says its a sheer technique in magic which he and his colleagues routinely perform)
Now on to a bit of science
Nervous system has many regions including Brain, spinal cord and nerves. Brain is the highest centre which sends and receives signals through nerves and various tracts which travel through the spinal cord. The main bulk of brain is what is called the Cerebrum, the superficial layer, the most vital part being cortex. This is the ultimate seat of all functions like movement, sight, hearing and what are known as higher mental functions like judgement, memory, concentration etc.
The midbrain is located near the center of the brain, under the cerebral cortex and on top of the hindbrain region. This region joins the spinal cord and the brain together and is commonly referred to as part of the brainstem primarily due to its location.
The midbrain is the smallest region of the brain that acts as a sort of relay station for auditory (hearing) and visual information.The midbrain controls functions such as the visual and auditory systems as well as eye movement (though the ultimate centre for seeing is in the cerebral cortex).
Portions of the midbrain called the red nucleus and the substantia nigra are involved in the control of body movement. The midbrain lies deep within the brain and has an important role in reward, motivation, movement and the pathophysiology (scientific reason) of various neuropsychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, depression and addiction.
Functions of the midbrain are achieved through the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and substantia nigra. Input is collected from the environment and sent to the cerebral cortex. The substantia nigra uses input sent from the cerebral cortex to regulate voluntary movements and moods.
Can midbrain be manipulated?
http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v3/n6/full/tp201344a.html
To date, the primary means of acting on this region has been with pharmacological interventions (drugs) or implanted electrodes. A new noninvasive technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex, experimented recently could only achieve increases in participants’ appraisals of facial attractiveness.
To put it simply scientists are trying to use some methods to modify functions of this area to treat certain diseases like Parkinsonism, Depression etc. but has not achieved substantial gains so far. This being science is it possible to believe that with few hours of some exercises mid brain can be stimulated.
These are certain basic questions.
1. Can midbrain be stimulated at all? Would it be safe to subject kids to techniques which are not scientifically substantiated?
2. Cerberal cortex and not mid brain is the highest centre of vision and how stimulating midbrain can help see blindfolded?
3. Cerberal cortex and not mid brain is the centre of higher mental functions like memory, judgment, concentration and how can midbrain stimulation help achieve better mental ability?
If I have stimulated some thoughts in your brain (of course not midbrain!) the purpose is served.
I would suggest some further reading as well the links of which are given below.
Dr Sreejith
ReplyDeleteappreciate your spreading the facts as an expert ,we as doctors need to communicate properly to prevent falsehoods and arm chair porfessionals convincing a public which is attuned to listen more to such idiocies
Well done, sir.
ReplyDeleteOur experts are reluctant to speak out against the well rooted superstitions even to the point that there is not a single ray of light is seen in the fog. I admire your courage and openness and am pretty sure the coming generations will venerate you as the beginning of a revolution, as a courageous visionary and genius.
Keep up the magnificent work.