brain quotes

all from dr. norman doidge's book the brain that changes itself: stories of personal triumph from the frontiers of brain science

"...a powerful signal has greater impact on the brain. when we want to remember something we have heard we must hear it clearly, because a memory can only be as clear as its original signal. finally, merzenich discovered that paying close attention is essential to long-term plastic change. in numerous experiments he found that lasting changes occurred only when his monkeys paid close attention. when the animals performed tasks automatically, without paying attention, they changed their brain maps, but the changes did not last. we often praise 'the ability to multitask.' while you learn when you divide your attention, divided attention doesn't lead to abiding change in your brain maps." (p68)

"on disturbing study showed that the closer children lived to the noisy airport in frankfurt, germany, the lower their intelligence was. a similar study, on children in public housing high-rises above the dan ryan expressway in chicago, found that the closer their floor was to the highway, the lower their intelligence. so merzenich began wondering about the role of a new environmental risk factor that might affect everyone but have a more damaging effect on genetically predisposed children: the continuous background noise from machines, sometimes called white noise. white noise consists of many frequencies and is very stimulating to the auditory cortex. 'infants are reared in continuously more noisy environments. there is always a din,' he says..." (p81-82)

"a major reason memory loss occurs as we age is that we have trouble registering new events in our nervous systems, because processing speed slows down, so that they accuracy, strength, and sharpness with which we perceive declines. if you can't register something clearly, you won't be able to remember it well." (p86)

"as we age, we stop seeing clearly, not just because our eyes fail but because the vision processors in the brain weaken." (p90)

"pornography's growth has been extraordinary; it accounts for 25 percent of all video rentals and is the fourth most common reason people give for going online. an msnbc.com survey of viewers in 2001 found that 80 perent felt they were spending so much time on pornographic sites that htey were putting their relationships or jobs at risk.' (p103)

"the usual view is that an addict goes back for more of his fix because he likes the pleasure it gives and doesn't like the pain of withdrawal. but addicts take drugs when there is no prospect of pleasure, when they know they have an insufficient does to make them high, and will crave more even before they begin to withdraw. wanting and liking are two different things.' (p107)

"...subjects who had done physical exercise increased their muscular strength by 30 percent, as one might expect. those who had only imagined doing exercise, for the same period, increased their muscle strength by 22 percent." (p204)

btw, this is not the most interesting book ever, but you really should read it if you're interested in how our brain works. lots of really interesting studies are mentioned. you'll be surprised at some of the crazy stuff out brains can do!