Cerebral Localization

Cerebral Localization
Author: K.J. Zülch
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3642662048

The demonstration of the basic brain mechanism through studying the partially commissure-sectioned case appears to be a most prom ising enterprise. The work with animals of HAMILTON and others in elucidating psychological brain process heretofore not imagined are mere indications of what the potential seems to be. Study of the partially disconnected patient seems equally revealing and productive in showing how many high level cognitive activities are managed in the cerebral flow of information. With respect to the issue of localization of function, it would seem clear that those cerebral areas clearly involved in the im mediate processing of raw sensory information can be selectively and specifically isolated and disconnected. In other words, the informational products of the long axonal type cells of Golgi, which MARCUS JACOBSON claims are the brain cells under strict genetic control, can be isolated, whereas the products of more complex and integrative mental activities which are managed by the more mutable Golgi type II cells do not seem to be so spec ifically disposed. Thus, these data suggest the lateralized spe cialities of the various left and right brain areas can make their contribution to the cerebral activities of the opposite hemisphere through almost any callosal area regardless of its size and loca tion. Indeed, this interpretation suggests to me that the long standing issue of the extent of localization could be better un derstood by considering the dichotomy in genetic specification as offered by HIRSCH and JACOBSON (1974).

Sensory Substitution and Augmentation

Sensory Substitution and Augmentation
Author: Fiona Macpherson
Publisher: Proceedings of the British Aca
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780197266441

Sensory substitution and augmentation devices are built to try to replace or enhance one sense by using another sense. For example, in tactile-vision, stimulation of the skin driven by input to a camera is used to replace the ordinary sense of vision that uses our eyes. The feelSpace belt aims to give people a magnetic sense of direction using vibrotactile stimulation driven by a digital compass. Fiona Macpherson brings together researchers -neuroscientists, psychologists and philosophers -who are developing these technologies, studying the minds and behaviour of subjects who use them. Sensory Substitution and Augmentation has three specific aims. The first is to present the latest empirical research on sensory substitution and augmentation. Second, philosophers and scientists who adopt a very different approach comment on the empirical work. Their commentaries are often critical of the assumptions of the work, but often they make and call for clarifications, suggest extensions to the work, or comment on features of the application of the work that the original authors do not. This is one reason why Sensory Substitution and Augmentation is more than simply a collection of papers on the same topic. Finally, philosophers look at the nature of sensory substitution and augmentation, tackling issues such as the nature and limitations of sensory substitution, the nature of the sensory experiences, theories of perception, and the potential for these devices to help those people with disabilities, in part due to future amendments of the devices that are suggested. Throughout, there is a particular focus on the nature of the perceptual experiences, the sensory interactions, and the changes that take place in the mind and brain over time that occur while using and training to use these technologies.

Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia

Oxford Handbook of Synesthesia
Author: Julia Simner
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 1104
Release: 2013-12
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0199603324

Synesthesia is a fascinating phenomenon which has captured the imagination of scientists and artists alike. This title brings together a broad body of knowledge about this condition into one definitive state-of-the-art handbook.

Assistive Technology for Blindness and Low Vision

Assistive Technology for Blindness and Low Vision
Author: Roberto Manduchi
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 441
Release: 2018-09-03
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1439871558

Assistive technology has made it feasible for individuals with a wide range of impairments to engage in many activities, such as education and employment, in ways not previously possible. The key factor is to create consumer-driven technologies that solve the problems by addressing the needs of persons with visual impairments. Assistive Technology for Blindness and Low Vision explores a broad range of technologies that are improving the lives of these individuals. Presenting the current state of the art, this book emphasizes what can be learned from past successful products, as well as what exciting new solutions the future holds. Written by world-class leaders in their field, the chapters cover the physiological bases of vision loss and the fundamentals of orientation, mobility, and information access for blind and low vision individuals. They discuss technology for multiple applications (mobility, wayfinding, information access, education, work, entertainment), including both established technology and cutting-edge research. The book also examines computer and digital media access and the scientific basis for the theory and practice of sensory substitution. This volume provides a holistic view of the elements to consider when designing assistive technology for persons with visual impairment, keeping in mind the need for a user-driven approach to successfully design products that are easy to use, well priced, and fill a specific need. Written for a broad audience, this book provides a comprehensive overview and in-depth descriptions of current technology for designers, engineers, practitioners, rehabilitation professionals, and all readers interested in the challenges and promises of creating successful assistive technology.

Touching for Knowing

Touching for Knowing
Author: Yvette Hatwell
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2003-01-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 9789027251862

The dominance of vision is so strong in sighted people that touch is sometimes considered as a minor perceptual modality. However, touch is a powerful tool which contributes significantly to our knowledge of space and objects. Its intensive use by blind persons allows them to reach the same levels of knowledge and cognition as their sighted peers.In this book, specialized researchers present the recent state of knowledge about the cognitive functioning of touch. After an analysis of the neurophysiology and neuropsychology of touch, exploratory manual behaviors, intramodal haptic (tactual-kinesthetic) abilities and cross-modal visual-tactual coordination are examined in infants, children and adults, and in non-human primates. These studies concern both sighted and blind persons in order to know whether early visual deprivation modifies the modes of processing space and objects. The last section is devoted to the technical devices favoring the school and social integration of the young blind: Braille reading, use of raised maps and drawings, “sensory substitution” displays, and new technologies of communication adapted for the blind. (Series B)

Plasticity in Sensory Systems

Plasticity in Sensory Systems
Author: Jennifer K. E. Steeves
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2013
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1107022622

This broad exploration of research in plasticity in sensory systems focuses on visual and auditory systems. Topics include visual and visuomotor learning, sensory adaptations as a result of visual loss in childhood, plasticity in the adult visual system, plasticity across the senses, and new techniques in vision recovery, rehabilitation, and sensory substitution.

The Neural Bases of Multisensory Processes

The Neural Bases of Multisensory Processes
Author: Micah M. Murray
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 800
Release: 2011-08-25
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1439812179

It has become accepted in the neuroscience community that perception and performance are quintessentially multisensory by nature. Using the full palette of modern brain imaging and neuroscience methods, The Neural Bases of Multisensory Processes details current understanding in the neural bases for these phenomena as studied across species, stages of development, and clinical statuses. Organized thematically into nine sub-sections, the book is a collection of contributions by leading scientists in the field. Chapters build generally from basic to applied, allowing readers to ascertain how fundamental science informs the clinical and applied sciences. Topics discussed include: Anatomy, essential for understanding the neural substrates of multisensory processing Neurophysiological bases and how multisensory stimuli can dramatically change the encoding processes for sensory information Combinatorial principles and modeling, focusing on efforts to gain a better mechanistic handle on multisensory operations and their network dynamics Development and plasticity Clinical manifestations and how perception and action are affected by altered sensory experience Attention and spatial representations The last sections of the book focus on naturalistic multisensory processes in three separate contexts: motion signals, multisensory contributions to the perception and generation of communication signals, and how the perception of flavor is generated. The text provides a solid introduction for newcomers and a strong overview of the current state of the field for experts.

After Phrenology

After Phrenology
Author: Michael L. Anderson
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2014-12-12
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0262028107

A proposal for a fully post-phrenological neuroscience that details the evolutionary roots of functional diversity in brain regions and networks. The computer analogy of the mind has been as widely adopted in contemporary cognitive neuroscience as was the analogy of the brain as a collection of organs in phrenology. Just as the phrenologist would insist that each organ must have its particular function, so contemporary cognitive neuroscience is committed to the notion that each brain region must have its fundamental computation. In After Phrenology, Michael Anderson argues that to achieve a fully post-phrenological science of the brain, we need to reassess this commitment and devise an alternate, neuroscientifically grounded taxonomy of mental function. Anderson contends that the cognitive roles played by each region of the brain are highly various, reflecting different neural partnerships established under different circumstances. He proposes quantifying the functional properties of neural assemblies in terms of their dispositional tendencies rather than their computational or information-processing operations. Exploring larger-scale issues, and drawing on evidence from embodied cognition, Anderson develops a picture of thinking rooted in the exploitation and extension of our early-evolving capacity for iterated interaction with the world. He argues that the multidimensional approach to the brain he describes offers a much better fit for these findings, and a more promising road toward a unified science of minded organisms.