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A journey to the center of the mind

By neurophilosophy on October 25, 2007.



This film from the Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) website features a 24-minute talk called A Journey to the Center of the Mind, by neuroscientist and neurologist V.S. Ramachandran, who heads the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California in San Diego.

In his talk, "Rama" discusses synaesthesia, phantom limb syndrome (including the case of a woman who experienced phantom menstrual cramps after having her uterus surgically removed), and Capgras Syndrome, a bizarre condition in which patients with damage to the fusiform gyrus believe that close friends and relatives have been replaced by imposters.

As well as being at the forefront of his field, Ramachandran is a very effective communicator of science, who makes complex ideas both easily accessible and entertaining. The talk he gives here is, as always, highly engaging, and well worth watching. It is one of a series called How the Mind Works, which includes talks by Steven Pinker, Daniel C. Dennett and Sue Savage-Rumbaugh. 

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neuroscience

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Cool video.

But... why is there a set of drums on stage??