1 How the Human Brain Developed and How the Human Mind Works

8/19/2019 1 How the Human Brain Developed and How the Human Mind Works

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How the Human Brain Developed and How the HumanMind Works

by Manfred Davidmann

SUMMARY

As a result of the work reported here there has emerged a much clearer appreciation of what happens during the course of a night's sleep, andclear explanations of the role of dreaming and the meaning of dreams.

The report explores the functioning and role of the two halves of thehuman brain and the relationship between them. It is the right half whichusually communicates with the primitive parts of the human brain andthis is related to the functioning of the autonomic nervous system andthe immune system.

The report also relates the functioning of the brain to behavior, showingto some extent how human behavior is affected by the primitive instinctsof our reptilian ancestors.

!"#$"#S

#H$ BRA%" How the Human Brain $volved Reptilian rain!ammalian rain"uman rain

Brain WavesBrain S&annin'

S($$) A"D S($$)%"* Body+#emperature and Sleep RhythmsSleepin'Deep Sleep and R$M Sleep


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Role of D$$) SleepRole of R$M Sleep

DR$AM%"* A"D DR$AMS ontent of DreamsRole of Dreams

($AR"%"*, M$M!R%S%"* A"D R$M$MB$R%"* -Re&eivin',Storin' and Re&allin'.

#ypes of Memory #rocedural !emory$eclarative !emory

Associating !emories and their %omponents&orking !emoryxternal !emoryStored %nformation -)er&eived ontent.(earnin' -Memorisin'. and Understandin'Development of Brain /un&tions in Humans $evelopment of rain (unctioning in (oetus and )ewbornRole of R! *leep in Infants%hanges in *leep+wakefulness Rhythm during (irst ear ofInfant's -ife-earning by #laying and by xperience%hange from idetic to -inear !emory

!"(US%!"S + BRA%", M%"D A"D B$HA0%!R -Human Behaviorand how the Mind works.

%nstin&ts and %nstin&tive Behavior ons&ious Behavior1 (earnin' and $valuatin', Memory andMemorisin'ommuni&atin' "on+verbally1 onveyin' %nformation byUsin' %ma'es Instinctive ehavior *ubconscious ehavior (unctioning/!emorisingAdaptin' to the $nvironment1 han'in' %nstin&tive Behavior Adaptin' to the World in whi&h we (ive1 han'in' Behavior

)atterns$valuation and Understandin'#he Stru''le for a Better (ifeMain on&lusions

"!#$S A"D R$/$R$"$S "otes 2334Referen&es 5336


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%((US#RA#%!"S %lick any illustration to see the full+si0e chart/73 Sleep )attern1 Day+"i'ht+Day83 !ne Sleep )eriod -!ne "i'ht.93 #he Human Brain

Relevant %urrent and Associated &orks

Relevant *ub1ect Index #ages and *ite 2verview

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&e slowly ascended from lower life forms to what we are today, by aprocess of natural selection from randomly occurring changes. achchange had to prove its worth by surviving the continual battle forexistence, being against being, species against species and thisprocess has gone on for many millions of years.

As far as we know the human brain evolved in three main stages 345. Its

ancient and primitive part is the innermost core reptilian brain. )extevolved the mammalian brain by adding new functions and new ways of controlling the body. Then evolved the third part of the brain, theneocortex, the grey matter, the bulk of the brain in two symmetricalhemispheres, separate but communicating. To a considerable extent it isour neocortex which enables us to behave like human beings.

*o the human brain consists of these three different but interconnectedbrains and the way in which these three brains interact with each otherunderlies human behavior. 345

"ow the brain evolved and functions is explored and described in theimmediately following chapters which cover how the brain evolved,sleep and sleeping, dreaming and dreams, and how we learn, memoriseand remember.

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The final chapters contain conclusions which describe how thefunctioning of the human brain and of the human mind determinebehavior.

&hat we see in this report raises a number of pertinent 6uestions which

need answering. 7uestions such as why do we have to struggle for abetter life and what motivates human beings.

Reptilian Brain

Innermost in our brain is what is called the reptilian brain, its oldest andmost primitive part. The reptilian brain appears to be largely unchangedby evolution and we share it with all other animals which have a

backbone.

This reptilian brain controls body functions re6uired for sustaining lifesuch as breathing and body temperature. Reptiles are cold+bloodedanimals which are warmed by the daylight sun and conserve energy byrestricting activities when it is dark. The biological clock controller/ fortheir activity+rest cycle is located in the eye itself 3895.

At this level of evolution, behavior relating to survival of the species,such as sexual behavior, is instinctive and responses are automatic.Territory is ac6uired by force and defended. !ight is right.

Mammalian Brain

)ext to evolve from the reptilian brain was the mammalian brain. Anenormous change took place as mammals evolved from reptiles, the

mammalian brain containing organs 388, 8:5;

(or the automatic control of body functions such as digestion, thefluid balance, body temperature and blood pressure autonomicnervous system, hypothalamus/.

(or filing new experiences as they happen and so creating a storeof experience+based memories hippocampus/.


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(or experience+based recognition of danger and for responding tothis according to past experience. And for some consciousfeelings about events amygdala/.

To this extent the mammal is more consciously aware of itself in relation

to the environment. !illions of neural pathways connect thehippocampal and amygdala structures to the reptilian brain andbehavior is less rigidly controlled by instincts. It seems that feelingssuch as attachment, anger and fear have emerged with associatedbehavioral response patterns of care, fight or flight. 3 per cent of the human brain mass.

This massive addition consists mostly of two hemispheres which arecovered by an outer layer and interconnected by a string of nerve fibres.3845

The brain is actually divided into its 'hemispheres' by a prominentgroove. At the base of this groove lies the thick bundle of nerve fibres

which enable these two halves of the brain to communicate with eachother.

ut the left hemisphere usually controls movement and sensation in theright side of the body, while the right hemisphere similarly controls theleft side of the body.

&e saw that with the mammalian brain emerged feelings such as

attachment, fear and anger and associated behavioral responsepatterns.

And human emotional responses depend on neuronal pathways whichlink the right hemisphere to the mammalian brain 3


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(ascinating is the way in which work is divided between the two halvesof the brain, their different functions and the way in which theysupplement and co+operate with each other.

!ost people about =9 per cent/ are right+handed ?


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Right "emisphere%ommunicates using images pictures/, has highly developedspatial abilities, is intuitive and imaginative, concerned withemotions and feelings.

ut the two hemispheres are interconnected and communicate, thehuman mind brings together these abilities and skills into acomprehensive whole whose operation depends on the way in which itsparts contribute and co+operate with each other.

The right hemisphere links to the primitive older part of the brain, and Iconsider that it communicates using images with its primitive'unconscious' functions. Thinking in pictures is fast. Think of how long it

takes to describe a picture, a scene, in words and compare this with thespeed of taking it in by looking at it. ut images may be described, ortransformed into a narrative, by the left hemisphere.

-anguage is both spoken as well as written, verbal and visual. Andspeech and language and associated pictures, images and memoriesappear to be located all over the brain. %ognition of meaning knowingand understanding sentences, for example/ is high level processingwhich includes both semantic and visual processing. And behaviorinvolves the integration of activities in many different parts of the brain.

*o now the human brain includes the processing and memorising ofimages and of their components. And the development of language andcorresponding mental processing connected with memory andmemorising. As well as the development of a wide range of emotions, of feelings, of care and affection, and the capability for ob1ective andlogical thinking and evaluation. And the later development of writtenlanguages and artificial images.


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BRA%" WA0$S

The brain functions by sending electrical signals from one place toanother. Cery small charges pass between nerve cells, accompanied bychanges in electrical potential, in voltage.

This activity can be measured and displayed as a wave form calledbrain wave or brain rhythm. The height of the wave is a measure of thepotential difference, its fre6uency is a measure of the rate at whichelectrical charges pass through a nerve cell or nerve fiber. 385

A person's brain is active all the time, waking and sleeping, producingand shifting between distinct wave forms which are commonly groupedas follows;

#able 7

Brain Waves

/re:uen&y band cyclesDsecond/

"ame ofWave

Band

Des&ription

8 + 4 $eltaBenerally strongest when aperson is in a deepdreamless sleep.

< + E Theta!ay be associated withdreamy, creative, intuitivestates.

= + 89 Alpha Associated with a calm andrelaxed state when theperson is not thinking.

8> + 49 eta Associated with being alert,with normal thinking, withprocessing information.


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&hen delta waves predominate then one is said to be in a delta state.

#eople can think of relaxing and so strengthen alpha waves, or can do

mental arithmetic and so weaken them. This enables people 'to performan on+off decision, switching a light on or off or moving a cursor on ascreen'. 3>5

BRA%" SA""%"*

$le&troen&ephalo'raph -$$*. 576

The B measures electrical activity of the brain using pairs ofelectrodes placed at different internationally specified/ points on thescalp. It is used by doctors for diagnosis and research.

It seemed that the B would provide the key to understanding how thebrain functions, but it proved very difficult to interpret these brain waves,or to deduce from where in the brain they originated.

Ma'netoen&ephalo'raph -M$*. 58, ;6

The !B, however, can measurethe oscillating millisecond fluxes of the brain in real time.(urthermore, unlike the B, granted enough mathematicalsophistication and computing power, you get a good idea of thelocation of the electromagnetic source in the brain.

And it can be used torecord magnetic and electrical fields within the brainsimultaneously, tracking impulses moving a distance of/ a fewmillimetres at up to :99 miles per hour.

In real time, that is 'in perhaps 89 milliseconds'. And 'usually accurate towithin one or two millimetres in pre+surgical mapping'.

And in this way enabling responses to be tracked within the brain.


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S($$) A"D S($$)%"*

B!DY+#$M)$RA#UR$ A"D S($$) RHY#HMS

$ay and night alternate over :< hours due to the rotation of the planet,and the start and length of daylight varies with the seasons.

*o internal biological clocks controllers/ evolved for controlling activitiesrelated to the environment such as those of cold+blooded animals whichneed to maintain their body temperature by warming themselves in thesun. Reptiles are cold+blooded animals warmed by the daylight sun andconserve energy by restricting activities when it is dark. And thebiological clock which controls their activity+rest cycle is located withinthe eye. 3895

ut about 8=9 million years ago, warm+blooded mammals evolved fromtheir cold+blooded reptilian ancestors by developing the ability tomaintain a constant body temperature by biological processes. Thisfreed them from depending on daylight and the weather for survival.$eep sleep appeared at the same time. 3


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&hile the body's temperature is held at a constant level, it varies byabout 9.> deg % from a low at about 9>.99 hours to a high at about8=.99 hours. It appears that we tend to go to sleep after our bodytemperature has began to fall and tend to wake up after it has started torise.

The length of the geophysical day is :< hours. 2ur sleep+wakefulnessrhythm circadian rhythm/ has a duration which varies from individual toindividual usually between :> and := hours/ but is always longer than:< hours. And our biological rhythms are ad1usted accordingly, day byday, by these internal biological clocks, to the external geophysical day,to the environment. #eople sleep, on average, between F.> and =.>hours. 3895

The body+temperature clock also controls the appearance of R!

sleep.

S($$)%"*

There are key mental states each characterised by its own brain wavepattern ?>@. &hen awake we can be attending or concentrating, or wecan be relaxed. &hen asleep we could be in *"A--2& sleep, $#sleep, or R! sleep.

*hallow sleep is often referred to as '*tage :' sleep, and $eep sleep as'*tage


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rain+wave fre6uency of the different sleep stages we pass through inthe course of a night are outlined in (igure 8 '*leep #attern; $ay+)ight+$ay'. (rom being wide awake before going to sleep, we relax, sleeplightly shallow/ for ten to fifteen minutes before sleeping deeply.(ollowing $eep sleep we R! sleep after which we wake up throughrelaxing to being fully awake. ?F@

$eep sleep is followed by R! sleep. In order to achieve this as far aspossible within a night, the brain arranges alternating periods of deepsleep followed by R! sleep ?=@.

The illustration shows graphically what happens to the brain's electricalactivity as the night progresses, illustrated by the fre6uency of the brainwaves. As we progress from being awake through sleep to being awakeagain, the fre6uency drops, reaching its lowest point while in deep sleepand then rises again to the wide+awake level.

Amplitude, that is voltage, changes inversely. It increases when thefre6uency drops, reaching its highest level during deep sleep, and thendecreases again to the wide+awake level.

(igure 8*leep #attern; $ay + )ight + $ay

ack to %ontents list

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%onsidering adults, that is excluding the young and the elderly, on thewhole we '$eep *leep' during the first half of the night, and 'R! *leep'during the second. ut possibly because we cannot be certain how long

we will sleep, whether our sleeping period will be interruptedunexpectedly, $eep sleep and R! sleep are divided into shorter sleepperiods which alternate, something like;

#able 8

!ne Sleep )eriod -!ne &omplete ni'ht.

2ne *leep #eriod 2ne night/

Deep Sleepminutes/

R$M Sleepminutes/

eginning of *leep #eriod

89

:>

nd of *leep #eriod

(igure :2ne *leep #eriod 2ne )ight/


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That we $eep sleep first and that R! sleep follows $eep sleep isclearly shown in (igure :. This shows how the two kinds of sleepalternate as $eep sleep ends and R! sleep begins and proceeds.

$eep *leep and R! *leep each take up about :9 to :> percent of thenight's sleep. The remainder is largely taken up by transition '*hallow'sleep' periods which enable brain and body to ad1ust to the next type ofsleep, and by occasional brief periods of intermediate '*tage 8' and'*tage 4' sleep ?F@.

D$$) S($$) A"D R$M S($$)

&e have already seen much about $eep sleep and about R! sleepso this seems a good point to include in this section also what has beensaid so far.

oth $eep sleep and R! sleep appeared about 8=9 million to 849million years ago in mammals as they evolved from reptiles.

$eep sleep and R! sleep are the core sleep activities, each taking upabout :9 to :> percent of the night's sleep, the remainder being taken

up by shallow transition sleep periods.

2n the whole we $eep sleep during the first half of the night, and R!sleep during the second. $eep sleep and R! sleep are divided up intoshorter sleep periods which alternate.



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*o now we can list the characteristics of $eep sleep and of R! sleep,as follows;

Deep Sleep

$eep sleep appeared at about the time warm blooded mammalsevolved from their cold+blooded reptilian ancestors by developing theability to maintain a constant body temperature by biological processes.

As we progress from being awake through sleeping to being awakeagain, the fre6uency of the brain waves drops, reaching its lowest pointwhile in $eep sleep and then rises again to the wide+awake level. *ee(igure 8 '*leep #attern; $ay + )ight + $ay'/

$uring $eep *leep the body's muscles are relaxed and heart beat andbreathing are slow and regular.

$eep sleep 'dream+like experiences are more like ordinary everydaythoughts and are usually rather banal and repetitive in content'. $uring$eep sleep 'one is not dreaming but thinking.' 3


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In R! sleep the body's muscles are paralysed while heart+beat andbreathing fluctuate as they would during emotional upsets in waking life.rain waves look like the waking pattern. The eyes move rapidly andcontinuously. ?E@

#ersistent rapid eye movement shows that dreaming is taking place andthe brain paralyses the sleeper so that the dreams cannot be acted out.

$reams tend to consist of sensory illusions or hallucinated dramasimagined feelings or awarenesses/, are not usually remembered unlessthe dreamer wakes up from the dream itself. The length of time takento dream of certain events is about the same as the time it would take toexperience those events in waking reality. 3


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#rofessor -avie heads "aifa Technion's *leep -aboratory. "e reports3895 that in some way or other, we can maintain contact with realityduring R! sleep and even decide when to wake up with the help of

internal signals, and that R! sleep allows a smooth and rapidtransition from sleep to wakefulness, and so can be viewed as a gate towakefulness during sleep.

(urther findings at the Technion *leep -aboratory demonstrated anadditional advantage in awakening from R! sleep. &hen weexamined how people functioned after awakening from R! sleep, wefound that they performed very well at tasks which included orientationin space. These tasks, which are controlled by the right hemisphere ofthe brain, were performed with a lesser success rate after awakening

from the $eep sleep of stages 4 and


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-avie also reports that R! sleep in cats seems to be training theirneural networks in mainly instinctive behavior and that several studieshave indicated a possibility that the consolidation of memory traces for

at least certain types of learning occurs during R! sleep.

*o the role of R! sleep appears to be that of generating dreams, offiling away memories for later use, and to enable us to wake up 6uicklyand fully orientated.

DR$AM%"* A"D DR$AMS

$reaming, whatever this may be or whatever is taking place duringR! sleeping periods, is likely to perform an essential function asotherwise the brain would not be paralysing the body to enabledreaming to take place.

Important also because it takes place regularly as a matter of routineand as all individuals are normally sub1ect to this procedure.

In other words, there must be an important reason for sleeping in thisway and for dreaming.

!"#$"# !/ DR$AMS

The content of an individual's dreams normally corresponds with thatindividual's language and memories, beliefs and culture, depends on anindividual's day+to+day life, experiences, preoccupations, likes and

dislikes.

ut at times dreams seem to originate from an unknown apparentlyinternal source which has been given labels such as the 'unconscious'or the 'subconscious'. 2ccasionally dreams contain information beyondthe experience, knowledge or understanding of the dreamer.


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The dreams of the blind do not include sights or scenes but includenoises, the sense of contact and emotional experiences. -avie foundthat there were only single eye movements during their nonpictorial

dream sleep. The longer they had been blind, the sparser the eyemovements of blind people and so -avie showed that grouped eyemovements indicate dream pictures. 3895

-avie records that early+R!+period dreams deal with the present, andin most cases lack story or central character. ut dream reports madein the early hours of the morning are richer in detail, central characters,and feelings, and, compared with dreams from the first half of the night,

they tend to deal more with the dreamer's early childhood.

(irst dreams are not remembered in the morning but last dreams are,and it is these last dreams which the psychiatrist is most likely to hear.

$reams may deal with what happened during the day which has 1ustpassed, or are about what took place more than a week ago, but do notas a rule deal with the events of the seven days or so which come in

between. This gap seems to show that two kinds of memory areinvolved, a short+term working memory and a more permanent long+term memory, and that it may take a week or so before at least some ofthe information which reached the working memory is processed andstored in the long+term memory.

R!($ !/ DR$AMS

According to Gouvet dreams arise from bursts of activity in biologicallyancient parts of the brain, and both animals and humans get up and actout their dreams when the brain centres responsible for inhibitingmovements during sleep are incapacitated. 3


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Theta rhythms have been observed not only in R! sleep periods inhumans but also in animals when performing activities such as huntingon which survival depends.

Instincts are an innate form of behavior + in other words, patterns ofmotor behavior which are not learned but stamped on the nervoussystem before birth. The behavioral patterns of numerous species whichinvolve attack, defense, or copulation are instinctive, and the animalperforms these actions from birth, without being trained to do so. 3895

According to -avie, Gouvet hypothesi0ed

that one of the roles of paradoxical sleep was to train the neural

networks which are related to instinctive behavior,

that during paradoxical sleep these neural networks are activatedindependently of the muscles which are linked to the nerve cellsand inhibited by the brain stem,

and that because of the decisive importance of the instincts tothe survival of the species, the neural networks linked to instinctsare checked every night.

$reams may provide help in solving problems or solutions to everydayproblems/, even scientific ones and may also be an inspiration forartistic creativity for discovery and creativity/ and have also been thesource of literary and musical inspiration.

There are many stories indicating that at least some dreams may be

predicting events.

$reams which predict events would be based on the situation as itexists 1ust before the dream is dreamt, and the dream itself introducesanother factor into the situation which has been predicted.


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earing in mind the vast total number of dreams being dreamt everynight by so many people world+wide, I also think that similarities ordream components which after the event has occurred are said to havepredicted it or to refer to it, cannot at this time be credited with beingmore than coincidences.

*ome people consider that dreams may be caused by supernaturalagencies such as gods or demons and are to be understood asmessages. $reams caused by gods are 'good' dreams sent to guide usHdreams caused by demons are 'bad' dreams sent to destroy us andpeople have tried to distinguish between 'good' and 'bad' dreams andto find rules for discovering what they mean. 3


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ut on the other hand we may not be able to recall a specific memorywhen we want to remember it, some stored information may have beenforgotten.

#Y)$S !/ M$M!RY

!emory and memories have been defined or classified in differentways. stablished is that there are two main types of memory, namely'procedural memory' with information about how to proceed when doingsomething, and 'declarative memory' which contains what we know.

oth procedural and declarative memories are long+term memories andwe also have a working short+term/ memory which enables the brain to

evaluate the mass of incoming information and select what is to beretained and memorised and what is to be re1ected.

$istinctions have been drawn also between different kinds of memoryand memories, such as semantic verbal/, episodic events as part of ase6uence/, eidetic detailed mental images/ and visual images asseen/. In addition to what we see, we also remember other sensoryinformation such as sounds, smells, tastes and what we touch.

)ro&edural Memory

This memory stores information about how to proceed when doingsomething, stores information such as how to drive a car, play footballor play an instrument.

This type of memory is long+lasting. The memories are actions, habits or skills which are learned by repetition and which can be changed bymany repetitions, by training. 388, 8


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)o one really knows where this enormous database is located but itseems that each type of component memory is located in a kind ofmemory location of its own.

Asso&iatin' Memories and their omponents

*uppose we remember a person saying something. The componentparts of this memory, components such as shape of face, sound ofvoice, colour of hair, are stored in different locations. They areassociated with each other, cross+indexed if you like, so that a memorycan be recalled from remembering 1ust one of its components.%omponent memories are continually being associated with other old or new component memories, enormously increasing the range and

flexibility of what can be recalled.

And so we may be able to recall a person's name by remembering thecolour of his hair, or the shape of his face.

Workin' Memory

The working memory enables the brain to evaluate the mass of

incoming information and select what is to be retained and memorisedand what is to be re1ected.

$


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S#!R$D %"/!RMA#%!" -)$R$%0$D !"#$"#.

!uch of what we are storing includes semantic information, that isinformation which consists of words and is about words, informationrelating to what words mean and imply.

And images, that is scenes, including events and se6uences of events,and their components.

Including what happened, when it happened and the se6uence in whichit happened.

#eople with an eidetic image+retaining/ memory remember images,

often clearly and in detail ?8@. !any, if not all, young childrenapparently do normally see and remember eidetically, but this capacityis lost to most as they grow up. &hat is in young children an apparentlygeneral capacity has become a remarkable rarity in adults. 3F5

The information one receives may be fact or fiction, right or wrong,intended to inform or to mislead, understood or misunderstood. venso, what is stored is the perceived content of the received information.

($AR"%"* -M$M!R%S%"*. A"D U"D$RS#A"D%"*

Rose defines an animal's learning by learning is a response by ananimal to a novel situation such that, when confronted subse6uentlywith a comparable situation, the animal's behavior is reliably modified insuch a way as to make its response more appropriate 3F5 ?4@

#ointing out that human memory is very different from that of a non+human animal, Rose says that procedural memory dominates the livesof non+human animals, ... but declarative memory profoundly shapesour every act and thought. 2ur memory includes a verbal memorywhich means the possibility of learning and remembering withoutmanifest behavior.


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ut our memory consists of much more than 1ust verbal memories.

%ontinually associating new information with older information, and

older information with other older information, is much more thanrandom cross+referencing.

It is because of the meaningful way in which we associate over suchlarge volumes of stored information, that the process of associatingamounts also to the seeking of meaningful associations.

*o to me it seems that all the information we take in and retain results in

a more comprehensive view and deeper understanding of the world inwhich we live, of our social organisation and physical environment.Thus, in the end, at some time and in some way, the information wehave taken in affects and changes what we do, changes our behavior.

D$0$(!)M$"# !/ BRA%" /U"#%!"S %" HUMA"S

Development of Brain /un&tionin' in /oetus and "ewborn

Rose describes how the human brain develops before and after birth,saying arly brain development in the foetus and newborn is itselfassociated first with a massive proliferation of cells, and then by asteady drop in numbers, but the space once occupied by the lost cells istaken up by an increase in the branching and synaptic connectionsmade by those that remain.

Role of R$M Sleep in %nfants

-avie pointed out that in animals which are born fairly mature, such assheep, R! sleep is low and near adult level. In species which are bornimmature, such as rats, cats, and humans, initial amounts ofparadoxical R!/ sleep are very large. In kittens, during the first ten


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days of life paradoxical R!/ sleep occupies 9 percent of their time.3895

&e already saw that Gouvet hypothesised that one of the roles of R!sleep in animals was to train the neural networks which are related to

instinctive behavior.

&e also saw that during the first few days after birth the actual amountof R! sleep in babies is very great and -avie concluded that it plays avital role in the maturing stage of the nervous system and that it ispossible that R! sleep is particularly important for procedural types oflearning in which humans ac6uire motor and perceptual skills. *inceduring the first few months of life infants are busy ac6uiring new motorand perceptual skills, these findings may also explain the abundance ofR! sleep at that particular time in our life. 3895

*tevens 3


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-avie notes that it is during the first months of life that the longestduration of R! sleep occurs and that this coincides with the time whensleep becomes consolidated into a single and continuous sleep period.

(earnin' by )layin' and by $5

(rom infant through child and adolescent to being an adult, we gothrough a long period in which we learn through playing and byexperience, and also absorb information from external memory, from themass of information now available to us from sources external toourselves.

And learning by experience and by gaining knowledge continues whilewe are alive. ach new experience adds to our knowledge and plays apart in shaping our view of the community and society in which we live,

of the world at large, and helps to determine what we do and how we doit, helps to determine our behavior.

han'e from $ideti& to (inear Memory

&e already saw that many, if not all, young children apparently donormally see and remember eidetically ?8@, but that this capacity is lostto most as they grow up.

Rose considers that at birth all types of input are likely to be seen asabout e6ually relevant, that all input is registered and ordered so as toenable each individual to build up his or her own criteria of significance.idetic memory gives e6ual importance to all inputs so that all inputsare analysed, are processed and stored.


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It seems that children remember everything. ut at some time beforepuberty most of us cease to remember eidetically, 'there is for most ofus a transition in how we perceive and remember the world ... as weconsciously or unconsciously learn to select salient information that weneed to commit to memory from the environment around us. 3F5

!"(US%!"S + BRA%", M%"D A"D B$HA0%!R-Human Behavior and How #he Mind Works.

%"S#%"#S A"D %"S#%"#%0$ B$HA0%!R

&e saw that instincts are an innate form of behavior, that is a form ofbehavior which is not learned but which the animal performs from birth,without being trained to do so.

ehavior relating to survival of a species, such as attack, defence andsexual behavior, is instinctive and responses are automatic. Territory isac6uired by force and defended. !ight is right.

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As mammals evolved from reptiles, there evolved the ability for storingnew experiences as they happen and so creating a store of experience+based memories.

A primitive animal's memory seems to be largely procedural. othprocedural and declarative memories are long+term memories, butdeclarative memory is located and used in a different way.

"uman beings are learning all the time, memorising information andthen recalling it when it is re6uired.


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&hat is being memorised includes what we are taught, what happens tous and to others and any lessons learned as a result. And when ithappened and the se6uence in which it happened. Including also themeaning of words and what is implied. And in addition we have the vastmass of externally prepared and stored information which isaccumulating at an accelerating pace.

!assive volumes of information are being received. The incominginformation is evaluated and we memorise only information whichseems to matter. *ome is retained, the rest re1ected. Retained short+term working/ memories are converted to long+term memories. *o onlya part of the incoming information is retained and stored, that ismemorised, so becoming available for recalling later when re6uired.

Aspects of memories ?@ are stored in different locations. Aspects such

as colour, shape, event, phrase, place, time, date. Aspects like shape of face, sound of voice, colour of hair.

!emories are associated, crossindexed if you like, with their differentaspects and can be recalled by recalling an aspect associated with thememory one wishes to recall. %omponent memories are continuallybeing associated with other old or new component memories,enormously increasing the range and flexibility of what can be recalled.

A process which continually keeps available memory components whichrelate to those of current interest, and memory components which aremore fre6uently used than others.

"uman beings store memories by means of changed neural pathways,by means of persistent modifications to the structure of neurons andtheir synaptic connections, by means of biochemical changes. 3F5 ?4@

*o we are strengthening neural pathways or associations by fre6uentlyusing or recalling them, weakening memory components which are notbeing used.

"ence using neural pathways holds memories at higher, more easilyaccessible levels of memory, makes them more readily available.


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Infre6uently recalled memories would seem to be overlaid by morefre6uently used ones, seem to be reduced to lower levels of awareness,of accessibility.

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%nstin&tive Behavior

$reaming trains animals and human beings in instinctive responses andthen keeps instinctive behavior fully trained.

$reaming does so by generating situations which re6uire responses ofthe fight, flight, affection kind. A dream produces a correspondingresponse which, however, is not translated into action as the dreamer'sbody is normally paralysed by the mind for duration of dreaming R!/sleep.

(re6uent replaying strengthens corresponding neural pathways and sotrains the individual to respond and to respond 6uickly.

Sub&ons&ious Behavior -/un&tionin'.

As mammals evolved from reptiles, the added functions included organssuch as the autonomic nervous system for the automatic control of bodyfunctions, of functions such as digestion, the fluid balance, bodytemperature and blood pressure.

A key finding of this report is that the right hemisphere of the humanbrain is able to communicate by using images with the brain's older andmore primitive component organs which have no verbal skills. And thisenables us to communicate intentionally that is 'consciously'/ with ourautonomic nervous system and ask it by visualising to control bodyfunctions and to affect our body's immune system. Any or all our sensescan be included when visualising.


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%linical trials have shown remarkable success in areas such as thetreatment of cancer and heart disease.

%ommunicating with one's autonomic nervous system by visualising is aconscious activity.

"ence it is possible to direct and use the mind's subconsciousmaintenance and control capabilities, and so enable environmentalexperience and knowledge to be applied for one's benefit. That is, one'sknowledge and experience can be consciously applied towardsmodifying the mind's subconscious control of body functions for thebenefit of the individual.

Memorisin'

It is while R! sleeping that dreams are generated and that we appearto be filing away memorising/ memories for later use.

!uch of dreaming may then be the creating and recalling of

associations. As the night progresses this process seems to becomemore intuitive, delving deeper into stored memories and associations,associating with earlier memories and their aspects, tending to go backin time towards childhood.

ecoming more intuitive by going through likely or apparentlyassociated filed images or other stored memory components aspects/in their different locations.

In this way keeping long+term memories intact and relevant by

continually associating and reassociating their various parts.

*o we are strengthening neural pathways or associations by fre6uentlyusing or recalling them.


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This process at the same time would seem to weaken those memorycomponents we are not thinking about or which are not being used.

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A key feature which distinguishes mammals from the reptiles from whichthey evolved would seem to be that the mammalian brain containsorgans for the experience+based recognition of danger and forresponding to this according to past experience. And for someconscious feelings about events.

!illions of neural pathways connect the organs which generate

experience+based memories, and also those which generate consciousfeelings with associated behavioral response patterns, to the reptilianparts of the mammalian brain.

It seems that feelings such as attachment, anger and fear haveemerged with associated behavioral response patterns, and thatbehavior is less rigidly controlled by instincts.

*o it seems that instinctive behavior can be modified by feelings of careand affection and also by experience, particularly when repeated

fre6uently.

)eural pathways are created and strengthened by being used, othersweakened by not being used. &e react accordingly and it seems as ifmemories are being created which modify instinctive behavioralresponses.

It also seems that instinctive behavior has to be controlled, and modifiedaccording to the environment in which we find ourselves, in everygeneration, and that the mammalian and human parts of the brain play

a ma1or part in this.

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&e adapt to the world in which we live in much the same way. &hathappens to us and what we do, and what happens as a result, changesneural pathways. A trace is left, neural pathways are changed,memories are formed.

#laying is one way of learning how to behave, of learning about socialco+operation and conflict, about family relations and about bringing up afamily. (rom infant through child and adolescence to being an adult, wego through a long period in which we learn through playing and byexperience. And learning by experience and by gaining knowledgecontinues while we are alive.

*ocial responsibility, the caring, giving and sharing with others, the

taking on of responsibility for others, including conflict management, canbe and is being taught.

&hat human beings do, what happens to us, is also memorised ifthought relevant. These memories can be recalled when re6uired and inthis way will affect our future behavior.

Additionally we also absorb information from external memory, from the

mass of information now available to us from sources external toourselves. And the action we take, what we do, depends on evaluatingthe situation, what we know and how we feel about it. The outcome itself is evaluated and becomes part of our memories.

It seems that on the whole people may not be able to recall feelings,that most people can only recall how they felt about something at thetime.

ach new experience adds to our knowledge and plays a part inshaping our view of the community and society in which we live, of theworld at large, and helps to determine our behavior.


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ehavior of the primitive animals from which human beings evolved isinstinctive. &hich means that behavior relating to survival, such asattack, defence or sexual, is automatic. Territory is ac6uired by force

and defended. !ight is right.

The mammalian brain includes the older reptilian brain and is linked toit. &ith the mammalian brain emerged feelings such as attachment, fear and anger together with associated behavioral response patterns.!ammalian behavior is less rigidly controlled by instincts.

The human brain see (igure 4 'The "uman rain'/ includes the

mammalian brain and human emotional responses depend on neuronalpathways which link the right hemisphere to the mammalian brain.

It takes human beings many years to bring up their children and it is theright hemisphere which is concerned with a wide range of emotions andfeelings of care and affection for the young and for the family, and thenfor other people and the community.

(igure 4The "uman rain


(or human beings, primitive reptilian/ instinctive urges and behavior

are overlaid by mammalian care and affection for one's young andhuman care and affection for one's family and community. ehavior isaimed at survival of the young and of the family, and then is for the goodof family, other people, community.



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The right hemisphere is linked to the primitive older part of the brainwhich has no verbal, semantic or reasoning ability and so functionssubconsciously below the level of consciousness/. "ence the righthemisphere communicates with the 'subconscious' functions of the older part of the brain by using images. %ommunicating by using images isfast.

And so the right hemisphere communicates using images pictures/ andhas highly developed spatial abilities, is intuitive and imaginative, isconcerned with emotions and feelings.

*peech, that is thinking and communicating by using words, seems tohave evolved later. The left hemisphere communicates by using words,

has highly developed verbal and semantic abilities, is logical andsystematic, concerned with matters as they are. Images may bedescribed, or transformed into a narrative, by the left hemisphere.

"ence behavior is not only determined by feelings but also byknowledge, understanding and reason.

*o the human brain includes the processing and memorising of images

and of their components, and the development of language andcorresponding mental processing connected with memory andmemorising. It also includes a wide range of emotions, of feelings, ofcare and affection, and the capability for ob1ective and logical thinkingand evaluation. And the later development of written languages andartificial images.

&e are continually gaining information by learning, by reading or

studying, learning from the experiences of others, gaining verbalinformation and pictorial images from external memory. The mindevaluates this incoming information and decides what is to be retainedand memorised, re1ecting the remainder. Information about what hasbeen happening to oneself is treated in the same way.


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And when something is happening to oneself, when one is doingsomething or planning to do something, we recall relevant informationfrom memory, add other available information, and before taking actionwe evaluate all the information we now have. &hat happens as a resultof the action we took is again evaluated and memorised for later use.

*o we are continually evaluating information and this is a key feature ofthe human mind. valuation means estimating significance, relevanceand reliability. In other words, estimating meaning and importance,bearing on or reference to the matter in hand, whether it can be reliedon. In this way continually becoming more aware of explanations andcauses, gaining understanding.

&e memorise both verbal and image information. "owever, we do notmemorise feelings, possibly because they may originate within theearlier mammalian parts of the brain . &hat is recalled is how we felt atthe time, the actual feeling is not reproduced, cannot be recalled.

And memorising images is fast and this would seem to apply to theircomponent parts and to associating. The eidetic memory of youngchildren usually changes to linear memory as they become more adult.

It appears that as we grow older so we start evaluating and then ceasemerely to take in such information as we come across. As we becomeadult we start to evaluate and develop and extend our evaluating skills.In other words, as adults what we memorise and how we recall and userecalled information is then governed by reason and aidsunderstanding.

%ontinually associating new information with older information, and

older information with other older information, is much more thanrandom cross+referencing.

It is because of the meaningful way in which we associate over suchlarge volumes of stored information, that the process of associatingamounts also to the seeking of meaningful associations.


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*o to me it seems that all the information we take in and retain results ina more comprehensive view and understanding of the world in which welive, of our social organisation and physical environment. And thus, in

the end, at some time and in some way, the information we have takenin affects and changes what we do, changes our behavior.

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&hen identical same+sex twins are brought up in exactly the sameenvironment and treated exactly the same clothing included/, theyusually behave and feel much the same.

ut identical same+sex twins brought up as individuals have differentpersonalities, are different people. Jsually one is more dominant whilethe other is more emotional.

It is apparently easier for people who are 'cold and calculating' to bedominant, to dominate those who are 'emotional'.

Add that those dominating others may in this way ac6uire power overothers, or social and economic gains from using, and from misusing,

people.

*uch a system rewards primitive inhuman brutal beastlike/ behaviorac6uiring territory by force, might is right/, held in check only by the fear of conse6uences.

&e also see that dominating others is conditioned, that is unnatural,behavior which is destructive of humane behavior. A throw+back to thelevel of the unthinking unfeeling primitive animal.

"umane behavior is based on feelings of care and affection for theyoung and for the family, and then for other people and the community.(rom this emerges a sense of social responsibility; people matter andare important, need to be treated well and looked after, are entitled toshare e6ually. acked up by knowledge, understanding and reason.


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And, in the hostile environment in which humanity finds itself, what isalso needed is dedicated effort, strength and power to achieve ahumane way of living, to achieve a good standard of living and a high6uality of life.

#art of the hostile environment is an almost intentional+seemingconditioning which fre6uently portrays brutal behavior as a norm, bymedia and other opinion+forming sources. This has the effect ofbrutalising society, seemingly legalising, making acceptable,inconsiderate and unfeeling behavior towards other people.

&hat we see is a world+wide struggle for a humane life 3=, 5 whichshows people struggling to achieve a humane way of life, each

struggling to advance at their own level of development andachievement, struggling against those who wish to dominate others,against those who wish to exploit others, against those who wish tooppress so as to exploit.

*truggling to achieve the satisfaction of needs which are entirely in linewith what we have seen here in this report about the evolution anddevelopment of the human brain and human mind. )eeds and wantssuch as those for survival food, shelter, clothing/ and secure existence,affection and esteem, friendly and trustful co+operation and

companionship, independence from domination by others, high 6ualityof life and living, self+realisation and development. And people will co+operate with each other and work hard and well to satisfy these needsand gain much satisfaction from doing so. 3=, 5

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As a result of the work reported here there has emerged a much clearer

appreciation of what happens during the course of a night's sleep, andclear explanations of the role of dreaming and the meaning of dreams.

The report explores the functioning and role of the two halves of thehuman brain and the relationship between them. It is the right half whichusually communicates with the primitive parts of the human brain.


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A key finding of this report is that the right hemisphere of the humanbrain is able to communicate by using images with the brain's older andmore primitive component organs which have no verbal skills. Thisenables us to communicate intentionally that is 'consciously'/ with ourautonomic nervous system and ask it by visualising to control bodyfunctions and to affect our body's immune system. Any or all our sensescan be included when visualising.

"ence it is possible to direct and use the mind's subconsciousmaintenance and control capabilities, and so enable environmentalexperience and knowledge to be applied for one's benefit. That is, one'sknowledge and experience can be consciously applied towardsmodifying the mind's subconscious control of body functions for thebenefit of the individual.

The report also relates the functioning of the brain to behavior, showingto some extent how human behavior is affected by the primitive instinctsof our reptilian ancestors.

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?8@

The name 'photographic' memory is not anade6uate description of this kind of memory sincethe memoriser can manipulate the image. 3F5

?:@

The original report was submitted to the Royal%ollege of #sychiatrists in the summer of 8F,watered+down guidelines were issued in 2ctober8E, and a revised version of the original report isto be published as an article in the ritish Gournal of #sychiatry in April 8= thus distancing the %ollegefrom the controversy.

?4@ This book 3F5 is a comprehensive description of thebiochemical, physiological, chemical and electricalprocesses which are and may be taking place in the


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brain, and of the structures of neurons, theirsynaptic connections and electrical properties. Alsocovered is the author's leading work on what takesplace in the brain when learning, memorising orrecalling information.

?


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R$/$R$"$S

3 85

"ow it &orks; lectroencephalograph

"elen $aviesBuardian, 8DF

3 :5

*canner can see rain in ActionGohn Illman2bserver, 89D88DF

3 45 A Triune %oncept of the rain and ehavior # $ !ac-eanJniversity of Toronto #ress, 8E4

3 5

*cientists aim to 'talk' to patients in comaTim RadfordBuardian, 88D9DF

3 F5

The !aking of !emory (rom molecules to mind/#rofessor *teven Roseantam ooks, 84

3 E5

The -ife of the rain#rofessor *teven RoseBuardian, 98D8:D<

3 =5

!otivation *ummaryhttp;DDwww.solhaam.orgD

!anfred $avidmann

3 5

The &ill to &ork; &hat #eople *truggle to Achievehttp;DDwww.solhaam.orgD!anfred $avidmann

3895 The nchanted &orld of *leep

http://www.solhaam.org/articles/motvtnsu.htmlhttp://www.solhaam.org/articles/willwork.htmlhttp://www.solhaam.org/articles/motvtnsu.htmlhttp://www.solhaam.org/articles/willwork.html


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#eret0 -avieale Jniversity #ress, 8F

3885

-imbic system$iana &eedman !olavi&ashington Jniversity *chool of !edicinehttp;DDthalamus.wustl.eduDcourseDlimbic.html84D=DE

38:5

"ypothalamus and autonomic nervous system$iana &eedman !olavi&ashington Jniversity *chool of !edicinehttp;DDthalamus.wustl.eduDcourseDhypoA)*.html84D=DE

3845

rain and !ind %ogito/http;DDwww.educ.drake.eduDromigDcogitoDbrainKandKmind.html*ep 8E

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1 How the Human Brain Developed and How the Human Mind Works

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Transcript of 1 How the Human Brain Developed and How the Human Mind Works