The Power of fMRI

Studies that utilize fMRI scans are very interesting, and not to mention extremely powerful, both in their abilities and results. By far one of the most profound fMRI studies I learned about came from numerous trials throughout Europe and the US. They involved studying psychopaths and trying to find out what made them so dangerous.

            Various clinical psychopaths were put through fMRI scans are compared to more normal criminals. It was found that several brain regions dealing with emotion, especially the amygdala, were far less active in psychopaths than other people during times where emotion should be natural (for example, after seeing scared or sad faces from other people). The research paved the way for our understanding that psychopaths lack empathy and the ability to understand and comprehend social rules and morals.

            The research from fMRI is valuable indeed. I wonder what else it will help us learn about people’s personalities and behaviors in the future.

My Mind-Reading Machine

If I were to create a mind-reading machine, I would only attempt to use it for the most beneficial goals possible. I would work with as few people as possible, and even then I would ensure they are of impeccable character. Powers like the ability to read minds are far too dangerous to fall into the wrong hands.

            I would gather numerous volunteers of various demographics, backgrounds, and personalities for the machine. My machine would focus on and record their thoughts, feelings, and memories, and then store them in a database anonymously. After all the scans were completed, I would use the information I gathered to learn exactly how and why these people became the way they are. I suspect I would find a lot of powerful evidence showing how and why our society today is very unhealthy and inhumane. Thus, I think my research would demonstrate just how imperative it is that we create a much more sustainable and humane world.

Neurological Disorders: My First Experience

The first time I ever had an encounter with individuals suffering from a neurological disorder was during my senior year of high school. I had taken a service trip to a very poor and run-down area in Camden, New Jersey, and I was working at one of the nursing homes there. The patients I worked with had several disorders. At the time, I was not familiar with neurological disorders. Hindsight and college education, however, has allowed me find out what the people in the clinic were suffering from.

            One very elderly man had a severe case of Alzheimer’s. He could not remember anything that he or other people had said more than a few minutes ago, and he was constantly repeating the same details of the same story about his past. It was a truly heartbreaking sight to see him struggle so hard with his memory.

            Another fairly younger woman experienced an incredible amount of difficulty with her coordination. Whenever she attempted to move, her body shook quite hard. She could not walk without help. Additionally, when she would try to do an activity such as writing or drawing, her hand wobbled, thus ruining her intended work and causing her to restart again and again. It turns out she was suffering from Parkinson's Disease.

            Yet, despite my initial horror and sadness from my experience in the clinic, I am determined to learn more about neurological disorders. After all, the only way we can truly help those experiencing these conditions is to research the disorders and find solutions.

This video features a woman with Parkison's. It is an excellent case study.

Numbers and Jargon

            As much as I enjoy psychology and neuroscience and want to study them, they involve a lot of statistics. While I do value and try to understand statistics, countless research papers, journals, etc. have all too often contained far too many numbers, percentages, and other values that boggle my mind. Simply put, those kinds of values do very little to assist me in comprehending the topic I am currently studying/reading about, partially because they tend to take a long time to get to the point.

            I understand that these papers, journals, and other materials are written to appeal to the scientific community, but less scientific terminology-savvy people, including me (at least for now), don’t fully understand what the all the statistical jargons. To put it bluntly, my head often aches from trying to make sense of that stuff. While I will perhaps improve my comprehension of statistics with time and practice, I would prefer to study from and work with material that is not quite so keen on causing my brain to explode all over the place.

            This kid’s expression says it all: