. Solar Energy News .




.
ABOUT US
Scientists probe connection between sight and touch in the brain
by Staff Writers
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 13, 2011

Human brains capture and store physical sensations, and then replay them when prompted by viewing the corresponding visual image.

Shakespeare famously referred to "the mind's eye," but scientists at USC now have also identified a "mind's touch." USC scientists have discovered that as you look at an object, your brain not only processes what the object looks like, but remembers what it feels like to touch it as well.

This connection is so strong that a computer examining data coming only from the part of your brain that processes touch can predict which object you are actually looking at.

Building on previous work demonstrating a comparable link between the visual and auditory sectors of the brain, Antonio and Hanna Damasio's research group at the USC Dornsife Brain and Creativity Institute, used magnetic resonance brain scans and specially programmed computers to explore how memory and the senses interact.

The findings appear in the September issue of the journal Cerebral Cortex. The article, authored by Kaspar Meyer, Jonas Kaplan, Ryan Essex, Hanna Damasio and Antonio Damasio, was highlighted as Editor's Choice.

The Damasio team asked a group of participants to watch five video clips of hands touching various objects, then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to scan the part of the participants' brains that is responsible for processing touch sensations.

When a specially programmed computer was given the data generated by the scan, the computer was able to accurately predict, just based on how the "tactile" part of the cerebral cortex had reacted, which of the five video clips the participant had been seeing.

"When asked to imagine the difference between touching a cold, slick piece of metal and the warm fur of a kitten, most people admit that they can literally 'feel' the two sensations in their 'mind's touch,'" said Kaspar Meyer, the lead author of the study.

"The same happened to our subjects when we showed them video clips of hands touching varied objects," he said. "Our results show that 'feeling with the mind's touch' activates the same parts of the brain that would respond to actual touch."

Human brains capture and store physical sensations, and then replay them when prompted by viewing the corresponding visual image.

"When you hold a thought in your mind about a particular object, that is not just mental fluff. It is rather a detailed memory file that is being revived in your brain," Antonio Damasio said.

Related Links
University of Southern California
All About Human Beings and How We Got To Be Here




 

.
Get Our Free Newsletters Via Email
...
Buy Advertising Editorial Enquiries






. Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle



ABOUT US
Australopithecus sediba paved the way for Homo species
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 13, 2011
Researchers have revealed new details about the brain, pelvis, hands and feet of Australopithecus sediba, a primitive hominin that existed around the same time early Homo species first began to appear on Earth. The new Au. sediba findings make it clear that this ancient relative displayed both primitive characteristics as well as more modern, human-like traits. And due to this "mosaic" nature of ... read more


ABOUT US
Research offers means to detoxify mycotoxin-contaminated grain intended for ethanol, animal feed

Hog waste producing electricity and carbon offsets

Scotch whiskey waste fuels biomass plant

Biofuels Make a Comeback Despite Tough Economy

ABOUT US
Robotic Loader System Achieves Composite Material Testing Milestone

Robonaut Wakes Up In Space

Sandia Labs' Gemini-Scout robot likely to reach trapped miners ahead of rescuers

Rehab robots lend stroke patients a hand

ABOUT US
First market report on High Altitude Wind Energy

Researchers build a tougher, lighter wind turbine blade

Wind Power Now Less Expensive Than Natural Gas In Brazil

BMW to power Leipzig factory by wind energy

ABOUT US
Toyota's US production returns to normal after quake

Fitch downgrades Toyota one notch to "A"

China auto sales up 4.2% in August

GM's China sales hit record for August

ABOUT US
Slovakia, Hungary agree on gas pipeline

A guiding light for new directions in energy production

Polymer from algae may improve battery performance

Switching from coal to natural gas would do little for global climate

ABOUT US
Miner Xstrata faces climate test case in Australiaq

Honeycomb Carbon Crystals Possibly Detected in Space

Has Graphene Been Detected in Space

Pioneers get close-up view of miracle material graphene

ABOUT US
Global investment in clean energy hits $243 bn: UN

Brussels seeks more say over energy deals

Google gives glimpse into 'cloud' energy use

Uncertain trends mar Argentine energy plan

ABOUT US
US national forests can provide public health benefits

West coast log, lumber exports soar in first half of 2011

Firewood Movement Leading Cause of Oak Infestation

Forests under threat from exotic earthworm invasion


Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily Express :: SpaceWar Express :: TerraDaily Express :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News
.

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2011 - Space Media Network. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement