Category: Video Content

Inside the networked brain

This video shows the transition from a network showing the connections between different brain regions in their anatomical locations, and a new layout emphasizing the network’s structure, with nodes relocated and re-coloured based on their membership in network communities.

The Neuroscience of Internet Addiction

Is your brain being altered due to our increasing reliance on search engines, social networking sites and other digital technologies? That is the question I  posed at last year”s 3D Bar Camp in Limerick. It is a subject I am increasingly becoming involved in and so I was interested to see this video from Nicholas Carr, author of  the best-selling book “The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google,” and “”The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains”, a book I referred to in my talk.

The Brain That Changes Itself

The cliché that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks may soon be obsolete. The more we learn about the human brain, the more we understand the potential that it has to change, adapt and grow. Traditionally the brain was seen as being like a machine, its neural pathways set in stone from childhood. But new studies have shown that the brain can be trained to recover from strokes or paralysis, lifelong habits can be broken, and aging brains be rejuvenated. Through new experiences and brain exercises we can alter our brain’s anatomy to improve cognition, perception, memory and intelligence. In this enlightening session at the Sydney Writers Festival, Norman Doidge talks about the remarkable plasticity of the brain, and shares some examples of how we can open it up to new realms of possibilities.

How does addiction change the brain?

How does addiction change the brain? According to Dr. Gabor Mate, it’s a difficult struggle for hard core drug addicts to kick their habit because their brains are impaired. In a new book, he looks at the common roots of addictive behaviours and what can be done about them. It’s called “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction”.

A tale of mental illness from the inside

Elyn Saks asks bold questions about how society treats people with mental illness.

A legal scholar, in 2007 Elyn Saks came forward with her own story of schizophrenia, controlled by drugs and therapy but ever-present. In this powerful talk, she asks us to see people with mental illness clearly, honestly and compassionately.

 

Towards an understanding of synesthesia

Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which information between the senses is blended.  For instance a synesthete (a person who experiences this condition) might see colors when listening to music, or taste flavors when hearing a spoken

In this documentary, Dr. David Eagleman of Baylor College of Medicine explains synesthesia  and four synesthetes explain how they perceive the world.