"ILLUSTRATED WONDERS"
| "ILLUSTRATED WONDERS" | |
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"The requirements of language and of logical thought are not always the same; demands of syntax may lead to errors in thinking." P. W. Nathan, Neurologist. |
| This becomes apparent when we set out to study human behaviour, much of which results from the processes of the mind. Yet, to neurologists, there is no such thing as the mind. They recognise that the conscious brain exhibits certain activities that are convenient to consider as mental activities. Although this may initially seem to be nothing but obfusciation, their argument has validity. The brain and central nervous systems may be examined by dissection, yet the mind is an abstract concept that can only be comprehended via its effects. |
| The examination of emotional responses takes us even further afield. If the mind is something that the brain does, then emotions are a result of the interplay of the mind and physiology. To attempt to comprehend what we are, and what we can do to alter our personalities, requires some understanding of the underlying mechanics. Although the mind can be studied without knowledge of the brain's architecture, to do so is akin to attempting to learn automotive mechanics without making the effort to lift the bonnet (US=hood).Structure is cause of effect. The body is continuously aware of what is going on internally and in the external environment, but not all of this information reaches consciousness. (q.v.The Ear that Remembered ) Were it to do so we would be totally swamped by input overload and be rendered incapable of reasoned action. The brain has the ability to control the input of these messages, blocking that which is deemed unimportant yet galvanised into action by urgent communications from its early warning system. This is the right time to look at the mechanics of the central nervous system, before we move on to the crux of the matter which is how we can modify these largely autonomic responses by conscious effort. |
| All animals, including ourselves, have built-in ways of reacting to situations. The surface of our bodies are covered with a layer of peripheral nerve endings that respond to stimuli; touch, warmth, cold, etc., keeping us aware of our environment, warning us of possible damage to ourselves. Other receptors line the alimentary canal and bladder and are found in muscles, tendons and joints. These receptors connect to the central nervous system and connect that system to muscles and glands. Some receptors come together in a mass to form our eyes and ears. Our central nervous system is composed of the 40 cm. of the spinal column and the brain. Information perceived by the sense organs are passed to the spinal cord and/or brain and throughout the whole system. The agents by which this information is transmitted are nerve cells known as Neurones (US=neurons). The human brain contains about ten thousand million of them, each one of them having contact with several thousands of other neurones via branches known as Dendrites; the largest of these being the Axon. The illustrations show an artists impression of their form. GOTO This extensive network of dendrite branchings is an adaption forced upon us by evolution due to our need to cope with an increasingly complex environment and, by providing maximum surfaces, allows us contact with myriad pathways. Almost 95% of the brain's volume is taken up with the abundantly multi-limbed branching of Purjinke cells in the cerebellum. A pyramid cell is likely to be in contact with approximately 10,000 other neurones, while a Purjinke cell's contacts can total some 30,000. |