The
New York Times has
an interesting article on neuroscientists’ growing ability to map the human
brain, in much the same way they geneticists have mapped the human genome. Human brains are much too complicated and
work much more quickly than modern computers can analyze them. Scientists can take MRI’s of the brains of
rats, and they have an effective map of the cornea (the window to the brain),
but have only recently started to be able to map the brains of humans.
Doctors
are making great strides with epileptic patients, who can only be helped if a
doctor severs misfiring parts of the brain.
“Because the brain has no pain receptors, patients are awake and can
describe what they are experiencing as their neurons are stimulated – something
a mouse cannot do.” Doctors literally zap neurons while patients are awake. And they can stimulate parts of the brain and ask what people see.
The
Times reports that there is a specific Jennifer Aniston neuron:
Her own neuron? Impressive |
The
neuroscientists “found a neuron that would fire when it saw a picture of
Jennifer Aniston,” Dr. Sanes said. “It wouldn’t fire for any of the other
people from ‘Friends’ or a table or a car.”
What evolutionary edge a person gets from
such a neuron awaits more study.
It is now believed that diseased
circuits cause diseased brains, which we experience as psychiatric disorders.
She's cute, but I wouldn't think that cute.
The scientists' point seems to be that the brain has specific neurons for specific people or things,and that's fascinating. Then they tried to take it to criminal law and the idea of criminal insanity and culpability and there it gets less fascinating.
The scientists' point seems to be that the brain has specific neurons for specific people or things,and that's fascinating. Then they tried to take it to criminal law and the idea of criminal insanity and culpability and there it gets less fascinating.
The
Times asks what that means for criminal culpability. It is the old nature versus nurture
debate. It’s the question of if someone’s
brain is “messed up” do they deserve criminal culpability. We have long had criminal laws for insanity
and competency. If someone does not know what they are doing is wrong, they
aren’t punished for it, but they are locked up for treatment, if they have
committed a crime while insane. If they are not sane, but know what they did
was wrong, for whatever the reason (think John Hinckley – the man who shot Reagan
– who said he did it because Jodie Foster wanted him to do it, and cemented the change in the
insanity defense across the country), they are not deemed "criminally insane," even if what they said is completely nuts.
The law hasn’t been concerned with which
neuron triggered the insanity, be it the Jennifer Aniston neuron or the Jodie
Foster neuron and I doubt it will. The law is concerned criminals know what they did was wrong - even if their reasons for doing it were completely nuts. Whether it was one neuron or a series of neurons doesn't seem to matter much.
But it is interesting that Jennifer Aniston has her own neuron. Nicki Minaj likely has a host of them in my brain.
Nicki Minaj: taking up brain space |
But it is interesting that Jennifer Aniston has her own neuron. Nicki Minaj likely has a host of them in my brain.
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