If you would like to submit a question or make a comment, please email Dr. Taylor at thebrain@arlenetaylor.org.
Yes. Actually, I do have a suggestion. You might want to take him to his physician—sooner than later—and have him checked for yeast infections in his Gastrointestinal Tract. There is a condition dubbed Auto-Brewery Syndrome or ABS. It is also known by other names including: “Drunkenness disease” and “Gut Fermentation Syndrome.” His microbiome (bacteria) may be involved as well as a whole host of types of yeast. If he has taken antibiotics recently, that may play into this as well. Studies have shown that even one dose of antibiotics can pretty much wipe out many of the beneficial bacteria in a person’s microbiome. Gastrointestinal dysbiosis is a term that refers to a condition in which there is an imbalance of the beneficial microorganisms (e.g., bacteria) versus the harmful microorganisms within one’s intestines. This can occur when individuals are prescribed antibiotics, because they are not very discriminating when it comes to killing bacteria. Sometimes antibiotics can be life-saving. Taking them when it is not absolutely necessary, can contribute to this imbalance. Couple that with a typically high intake of simple carbohydrates (especially sugary desserts) and the presence of yeasts such as Candida Albicans floating around in the intestines—and you have the recipe for Auto-Brewery Syndrome. This condition is characterized by the fermentation of ingested carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract of the body with the help of specific types of bacteria and/or fungi (yeasts).
What happens when carbohydrates ferment in the small intestine (and sometimes in other parts of the body)? The result is the production of intoxicating quantities of ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol. Bottom line: The ethanol is absorbed in the small intestine, causing an increase in blood alcohol concentrations that produce the effects of intoxication without the consumption of exogenous (from the outside) alcohol. As levels of ethanol increase, the individuals exhibit behaviors common to alcohol intoxication. This can include slurred speech, difficulty walking, headaches, drowsiness lack of mental acuity, vomiting, and so on. The individual may protest that “I ingested no alcohol!” Unfortunately, people may not believe that because the person looks and acts ‘drunk.’
Although once believed to be a very rare condition, it may be very underdiagnosed, especially as the ingestion of carb-heavy foods such as pizza, bread, pasta, beer, ice cream, and other desserts seems to be increasing in many industrial countries. Individuals with diabetes may be at higher risk for developing Auto-Brewery Syndrome. What can be done? Reduce the amount of surgery desserts and carbs that are ingested. Consult a physician to obtain testing for fungi or yeast in the system and for a possible prescription of antifungals. See a health-care professional for blood-alcohol level testing when symptoms arise. Eat a heavy meal of carbs one night, and by next day you likely will be showing symptoms of alcohol intoxication if you have ABS. Sometimes probiotics are taken to help grow the health bacteria in a person’s microbiome. Bottom line: if someone you know is exhibiting symptoms of drunkenness and you can find no evidence of alcohol ingestion, he or she just might have an active brewery operating in their gastrointestinal track and will likely need medical help
Someone once said that holding onto anger against another person is like holding onto a burning coal that you plan to throw—eventually. You’re the one who ends up getting burned, however. Use the energy that the emotion of anger generates to take constructive action to prevent placing yourself in a similar situation in the future, to heal from the injustice, and to set appropriate boundaries. Fuming burns up that energy in a rather unhelpful and futile fashion. It is your choice how much energy you want to devote to this issue.
Linking immunizations to a variety of illnesses or conditions has been quite popular. Unanswered questions include whether or not the individual already had some inflammatory process going on in brain or body or if the immunization might have functioned as a co-factor to surface an already underlying (although perhaps dormant) condition or none of those. Just this year The New York Times reported on an article published in the Lancet, a British Medical Journal, that provided some interesting results based on examination of genetic data from more than 60,000 people worldwide. Researchers identified common genetic risk factors linking five diagnoses [schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, major depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD, and autism], which pointed to a specific signaling system. According to Dr. Jordan Smoller, lead author of the paper and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital: “What we identified here is probably just the tip of an iceberg. As these studies grow we expect to find additional genes that might overlap.”
Which disease, if any, develops is thought to depend on other genetic or epigenetic (environmental) factors. Sometimes one individual with a genetic mutation developed one condition, a relative with the same mutation might develop a different one. Reportedly the researchers had already seen some clues of overlapping genetic effects in identical twins. One might have schizophrenia while the other had bipolar disorder, meaning that two different diagnoses may have the same genetic risk factors. This could help explain the reason that some of these diagnoses seem to cluster in families.
Recently while driving in my car, I heard an interview with Jennifer Stone broadcast on National Public Radio. She was reminiscing about her visit to Muir Woods, that famous and majestic stand of redwoods near the coast in Northern California. Jennifer described that walking into the redwood forest seemed almost like walking into a great green and gold cathedral. She perceived those giant redwoods as stretching upward for the light; as reaching for the chlorophyll of consciousness, as she put it.
I enjoyed that metaphor. When things seem rather chaotic and oppressive around me, down here on the ground, I now perceive my brain as standing tall and straight, stretching upward for the light. While taking a few deep brain breaths, I imagine I’m reaching for the chlorophyll of consciousness. It doesn’t always change what’s going on down here on the ground. It usually does alter my perception of what’s really important and whether or not I need to take in all the craziness around me.
Brain breathing? Breathe in through your nose to a count of four, hold your breath for a count of twelve, and then breathe out through pursed lips to a count of eight. I do several brain breaths while activating the 20:80 Rule.
The 20:80 Rule? The 20:80 Rule goes back to the 2nd Century Greek Philosopher, Epictetus. He taught that it’s not so much what happens to you that matters, rather it’s what you think about what happens to you, the weight you give to it and the relative importance you assign to it that really matters. Think of the chaos in your environment as the 20 percent. Picture your metaphor as the 80 percent.
Brain breathing, plus living the 20:80 Rule, are two key tools in my life-strategies trunk. They make a huge difference in my life.
Admittedly, this can be not only a touchy situation but also one with potential safely and legal concerns. Most family members want to retain a good relationship with the individual and still be responsible citizens in terms of safety for everyone.
Sometimes an opportunity pops up when the car needs repair or relicensing or when the individual gets an eye exam that shows less than stellar eye function. Sometimes the individual will acquiesce to a written prescription by their doctor: “You are not to drive a motorized vehicle on public roads.”
Recently I heard of a family who confronted a very headstrong elderly father with this proposition: “We obviously have differing perspectives on your driving ability. We have made an appointment with a driver’s rehabilitation specialist for an independent safety assessment. If the specialist believes you are still a safe driver, then we will no longer talk about your driving.” Interestingly, the rehab specialist said their father was still capable of driving safely, which just goes to show that sometimes family members can be a bit overly concerned.
I say you want to figure out what would work for your son to give him the best advantage in life. Dr. Steven Campbell recently had this little piece in one of his newsletters. The story is as follows.
A little boy came home one day from school and gave a paper to his mother. “My teacher gave this paper to me and told me to only give it to my mother.” His mother’s eyes teared up as she read the letter to her child: “Your son is a genius. This school is too small for him and doesn’t have enough good teachers for training him. Please teach him yourself.”
Many years after his mother had died, this little boy now grown, was looking through old family things in her desk. When he saw a folded paper in the corner of a drawer he opened it and read, “Your son is addled. We won’t let him come to school anymore.”
That little boy was Thomas Edison, the genius of the 20th century. He had always been so, but his genius came to the world because one person—his mother—believed in him enough to teach him how to believe in himself. Years later, when a reporter from the New York Times asked Edison how it felt to fail 999 times as he looked for the filament of a light bulb, he answered, “I did not fail 999 times! I simply found 999 ways that did not work!”
This school may not be the best match for your son. He may be another genius, unrecognized by the typical school or teacher. Look for a better match. And that could be a homeschool option.
My father had a form of dementia and although I do not understand the dynamics you are dealing with, I recall clearly the dynamics I had to deal with—in someone who I absolutely adored as a child, a person who was my “nurturing” parent in many ways. It was brutal watching someone I loved as much as I loved my dad to see him deteriorate. I did discover that he always knew the sound of my voice, whether he visually recognized me—at least he always seemed to know who I was… Smile. All I can tell you is this: it wasn’t your fault; it isn’t your fault; and no one is really prepared to deal with a brain that is functioning improperly, especially someone who is or was emotionally important to you. I read an article recently by Bob DeMarco on the Care of Dementia Patients, from the Alzheimer’s Reading Room. You might get some ideas from that article and reinforce that “It’s Not Your Fault.” www.Alzheimer’sReadingRoom.com
The behaviors you described sound like behaviors exhibited by an individual with Borderline Personality, a type of response that can develop when a child feels abandoned early in life. It is one of the most difficulty mental behavioral dysfunctions to correct and almost impossible to deal with unless the individual is willing to get help and work on growing up emotionally, and developing, implementing, and maintaining more functional behaviors.
Individuals may stop growing emotionally when they have a traumatic event—losing your father and your mother at the age of two can be very stressful for a child. If you mother is willing to go to a good counselor and deal with her childhood and the way in which they have impacted her adulthood behaviors, she could likely grow up emotionally and develop healthier and more functional behaviors, but she must want to do this and be willing to put in the work.
Remember the 20:80 Rule. Approximately 20% of any negative impact to your brain and body from a stressful situation is due to the event; 80% is due to the weight you give to the situation or event and your thoughts about it. Your mother may believe that her behaviors are acceptable and that it’s all the other people who have the problems. If that is the case, you can just love her and set your own personal boundaries to protect yourself from her dysfunctional behaviors. It may be necessary to get Meals on Wheels and a volunteer or paid person to take her to appointments. Take care of yourself. Sometimes the caregiver dies before the patient.
These labels can be tricky. I understand depersonalization to describe a sense of being detached from one’s body, sometimes referred to as an “out-of-body” experience. Derealization, on the other hand, describes a perception or sense that the world is not real or appears to the individual as being foggy or far away.
Amnesia is a label for a brain’s failure to recall significant personal information that is so extensive it cannot be blamed on ordinary forgetfulness. There can also be micro-amnesias where the discussion engaged in is not remembered, or the content of a meaningful conversation is forgotten from one second to the next.
Some think that dissociated states do not represent fully-mature personalities. Instead, they may represent a disjointed sense of identity. You may want to look up these topics on the internet as a great deal of information is finding its way into that medium.
That is a tall order because I have no idea what is going on with your neighbors or exactly what your husband meant. I can make a few general comments. The phenomenon of dissociation can be described as a process that alters a person’s thoughts, feelings, or actions so that, for a time, specific types of information are not associated or integrated with other information as is normally the case. This process, which manifests along a continuum of severity, produces a range of clinical and behavioral phenomena involving alterations in memory and personal or self-identity.
Dissociation is sometimes seen in children (and later on into adulthood) who have experienced abuse. No doubt you already know that mandated reporting of child abuse in the United States began in the 1960s. Since then, the number of reports to children’s protective services (CPS) and law enforcement agencies has steadily increased. Because most abuse cases occur during the preschool years, children may be particularly vulnerable to dissociation during those years.
In 1991, the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System indicated that 24% of 838,232 reports were for physical abuse and that 7% of children who were abused were younger than 1 year, 27% were younger than 4 years, and 28% were aged 4-8 years. Early age at onset was also correlated with a higher degree of dissociation. Exposure to family violence is estimated to impact a significant minority of children (physical abuse ranges from 4% to 16%).
In 1999, a study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry entitledMemories of childhood abuse: dissociation, amnesia, and corroboration. Two of the study conclusions were:
Childhood abuse, particularly chronic abuse beginning at early ages, is related to the development of high levels of dissociative symptoms including amnesia for abuse memories.
This study strongly suggests that psychotherapy usually is not associated with memory recovery and that independent corroboration of recovered memories of abuse is often present.
The results of a study by Eamon McCrory of University College London and his team were published in December 2011 in Current Biology. The study involved the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to measure blood flows in the brains of 43 children (exposed to violence at home) as they looked at pictures of sad or angry faces. The brains of children raised in violent families resembled the brains of soldiers exposed to combat. The children’s brains appear primed to perceive threat and anticipate pain, adaptations that may be helpful in abusive environments but that produce long-term problems with stress and anxiety.
In terms of ritual abuse, incidents have reportedly occurred for generations, although there are skeptics. If you really want more information, you might refer to the book entitled Ritual Abuse and Mind Control: The Manipulation of Attachment Needs. According to the authors, the younger the child is in age at the time of involvement with forms of ritual abuse, the more likely the child’s brain is to be impacted in major ways. Dissociation is certainly one of those ways.
Recently someone sent me a copy of Bishop Glenn L. Pace’s description of the correlation between child ritual abuse and dissociation. It is as good as any. Ritualistic child abuse is the most hideous of all child abuse. The basic objective is premeditated to systematically and methodically torture and terrorize children until they are forced to dissociate. The torture is not a consequence of the loss of temper, but the execution of well-planned, well-thought out rituals often performed by close relatives. The only escape for the children is to dissociate. They will develop a new personality to enable them to endure various forms of abuse. When the episode is over, the core personality is again in control and the individual is not conscious of what happened. Dissociation also serves the purposes of the occult because the children have no day-to-day memory of the atrocities. They may go through adolescence and early adulthood with no active memory of what is taking place. They may even continue in rituals through their teens and early twenties, unaware (consciously) of their involvement.
Dyscalculia is an interesting topic. It seems to involve an innate genetic or developmental origin. Estimates are that perhaps 3-6 percent of the general population has some form of Dyscalculia. Studies have also established that one in every ten or eleven children with dyscalculia also has ADHD. It has also been seen in individuals with Turner Syndrome or spina bifida.
Dyscalculia has been confused with dyslexia—even more confusing as some brains have both. It has also been confused with acalculia: mathematical disabilities due to some types of brain injury.
Dyscalculia can present as difficulty in learning or comprehending the concept of arithmetic; trouble understanding numbers and how to manipulate them; inconsistency in how to recall facts about numbers and mathematics, or frustration when trying to do calculation involving numbers. Sometimes it can present as problems with all these mathematical aspects.
When I was a school nurse and a child was struggling with math, we first asked for a history of any head injuries. Next vision and hearing assessments to rule out problems with the sensory systems. After that, we would put the child in touch with a learning specialist for some testing. The school nurse at your son’s school would likely know some sources for that. The tests I am familiar with check for several areas such as:
An ability to remember facts related to basic math and numbers
An ability to do math operations (add, subtract, divide, multiply, fractions)
An ability to do math problems in his head
An ability to understand and solve word problems involving math
You might also do an internet search for tips on how to help a child with Dyscalculia. Every brain has something
There is an old saying, “Every pathology has an ecology,” meaning that dysfunctional behaviors do not come out of a vacuum. Here is one metaphor that might help describe this phenomenon. Imagine that you are holding a glass of lemonade and someone bumps into you. You exclaim: “Hey, you made me spill my lemonade.” Is that true? Probably not. The person who bumped into you triggered a movement that resulted in you spilling something. You only spilled lemonade because that was what was inside your glass. If water had been in your glass, you would have spilled water. If chocolate milk, you would have spilled that. You would have spilled whatever was inside your glass.
Think of yourself as a “glass.” When you experience trauma or an event that could be disruptive or have a communication misunderstanding, or something triggers unhappy memories from childhood, think of yourself as having just been bumped into. What spills out is whatever is in your “glass.” If your glass contains “low levels of Emotional Intelligence (EQ),” it will spill out JOT behaviors such as Jumping to conclusions, Overreacting, and Taking things personally—behaviors that will likely give you negative outcomes that may involve “messes” that will take some doing to clean up (if they even can be cleaned up).
If your glass contains “high levels of EQ,” it will spill out behaviors that will likely avoid or minimize conflict, be reasonable, and that will result in positive outcomes. Your choice. So, no person makes you exhibit dysfunctional behaviors. The behaviors that you exhibit—that come out of your glass—are ones that were already in there.
Yes, people can fake a mental illness, sometimes called malingering or a factitious disorder. It often involves some type of underlying personality disorder. For example, antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, histrionic, etc. There is always a motive for faking mental illness: to get attention and sympathy, avoid work, manipulate the system for personal gain, get notoriety, and so on. They may lie about or exaggerate their symptoms. Many go to great lengths to try and prove they their illness—sometimes injuring themselves in the process. Perhaps even worse, those who fake symptoms of mental illness may actually start believing they have it.
It is possible to force people, especially children, to experience traumatic experiences that increase the risk of developing mental illness. The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study by CDC-Kaiser Permanente is one of the largest, including some 17,000 participants who have been followed for years. ACEs are traumatic experiences that occur before the age of 18. These experiences range from verbal, mental, physical/sexual abuse, to being exposed to alcoholism, drug use, neglect, and domestic violence at home. The more ACEs a child experiences growing up, the higher their risk of developing mental illness throughout life. In the military, estimates are 30 percent of Viet Nam Veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime.
I am very pleased you are interested in drinking enough water. You might want to stop arguing, however. That is a stressor to both the brain and the immune system.
So, you are both correct, depending on what the temperature is, what you are doing, how you are dressed, and so on. In the USA, estimates are that most people over age 50 are chronically dehydrated and drink less than 1 quart (32 oz.) or 1 liter (1,000 ml) of water per day. Thirst sensation falls over age 50 and many eat when they are actually thirsty—but do not recognize it.
In addition, Mayo Clinic estimates are that the average adult loses more than 80 oz. or 2365 ml of water every day through sweating, breathing, waste elimination, which puts them 48 ounces or 1420 ml in deficit compared to amount of water taken in. And as the water level in the brain cells falls, brain tissue can begin to shrink and pull away from the skull. Dehydration is linked with dementia. Just a one percent level of dehydration (and at the point you probably are not even thirsty) results in a five percent reduction in cognition.
Doctors I know have suggested that it is easier to just stop trying to count how many ounces or milliliters of water you are drinking each day. Instead, just drink enough so you pee one or two pale urines per day. Personally, I find that a much easier way to track my level of hydration.
The short answer is probably. The longer answer involves some specifics about brain function. The human brain actually consists of several interconnecting brains, sometimes referred to as functional layers. Each is known for distinct functions, though all functional systems constantly interact.
Thinking brain layer—composed of two cerebral hemispheres, this portion of the brain orchestrates conscious rational/logical thought including executive functions and the managing of willpower and emotions.
Emotional brain layer—composed of several small brain organs, this portion includes the pain/pleasure center, some memory functions, and the surfacing of emotional impulses.
Action brain layer—composed of the brain stem and cerebellum, this portion houses instinctual responses, reflexes, survival impulses, and fight-or-flight reactions.
The emotional brain layer contains the hippocampus. It helps to coordinate incoming sensory data and organize the information into memories by forming associations between different sensory representations of the same object, event, or behavior. Information that involves two or more senses is more likely to be stored. The emotional brain layer also contains the amygdalae; two little almond-shaped brain organs that help to transfer information from short-term to long-term memory. What the brain decides to store (move into long-term memory) hinges on two factors: whether the information has emotional significance, and whether it is related to something you already know.
To recall a memory, the hippocampus searches the brain for bits and pieces (multiple associations) in order to reassemble the memory, much as a search engine helps locate information on the Internet. The emotional brain layer (containing the hippocampus and amygdalae) is the region of the brain believed to be the most sensitive to stress. There likely is a connection between prolonged and severe stress and damage to the hippocampus. Depression apparently can lead to atrophy of the hippocampus, as well, which, in turn, can impact memory. This is a good reason for taking steps to identify, treat/manage depression in a timely manner.
Myelination is only one factor to consider (e.g., maturation of the pre-frontal cortex is another), but since that was your question I’ll confine my remarks to that topic. Myelination is a term that describes the process the nervous system goes through to put insulation around nerve fibers. It is analogous to using insulated wire in a building (e.g., to enhance safety, prevent shorting out, avoid fires, prevent electrical leakage).
Myelin is a cholesterol sheath that coats neuronal axons acting as a form of insulation. Specific skills can be perfected only when appropriate myelinization of the nerve pathways or enervation of the muscle tissue is incomplete (e.g., expecting conscious control of the anal sphincter and bowel movements in a child who is only 14 months old is unrealistic).
Until key portions of the brain are myelinated, the individual may not have complete access to key functions (e.g., reflective analysis, decision-making). Thus, the individual with a partially myelinated brain is more likely to exhibit behaviors from time to time that might be viewed by others as indicative of “shorting out.”
Every human being is a risk for making poor decisions at one time or another. And it stands to reason that the younger the person’s brain, the greater the risk in some areas. Having said that, some 22-year-olds make less than optimum decisions, as you put it, because they have had relatively little experience in making decisions. They have pretty much been expected to do what they were told to do by others. Making optimum decisions requires personal experience.
Yes, it does have something to do with the brain—almost everything does! Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder related to the control of sleep and wakefulness. Think of it as REM (rapid eye movement) sleep that suddenly interferes with a waking state. The sleep state can occur anytime: while eating, exercising, driving a vehicle, studying/working, or talking on the telephone. Consequently, the results can range from inconvenient to dangerous, especially when the disorder is not properly diagnosed and treated.
Some have suggested that narcolepsy is really an autoimmune disease that affects brain tissue. It definitely is much more complex than a simple sleep disorder, so called. Studies have shown a deficiency in the brain of hypocretin, a neuropeptide ligand (information substance) associated with the hypothalamus, such as regulation of energy and a variety of neuroendocrine functions.
Narcolepsy affects approximately 1 in every 2000 persons. Symptoms usually begin between ages 15 and 30. The type of symptoms, as well as their severity, can differ widely among individuals and can include:
While there is no known cure for narcolepsy currently, individuals can enjoy near-normal lifestyles if they receive early and accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and support from family members, teachers, friends, employers, and others. Medical and behavioral and therapies can be very helpful, although treatment does not necessarily alleviate all symptoms completely.
You may want to visit the Narcolepsy Information Page at the NIDS (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) website for additional information.
Yes, it can. Studies show that the personality trait of optimism is linked with recovery from a stroke. Researchers also found that optimistic stroke survivors showed lower levels of inflammation and physical disability after three months. No one want a stroke. However, research suggests you might want to hone the trait of optimism. Studies are linking optimism to a longer life. Living in optimism can increase the odds of reaching 85-year-old by as much as 70 percent. What does being optimistic look like? For one thing, it means you focus on and expect positive outcomes in the future. Perfection? No, of course not. Everything positive? Not even that. However, optimism is linked with better health, including better heart health.
How does optimism link with better health and better recovery if you suffer a stroke? Researchers found that people who are optimistic tended to have lower levels of inflammation in their body (as shown by levels or interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein). Chronic inflammation Chronic inflammation tends to harm the brain and impairs the body’s ability to recover. The more optimistic people were, the lower their levels of these inflammatory markers. How do you become more positive? Here are several suggestions:
Yes. I read “The man who mistook his wife for a hat,” written by neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks. Great read—if you are as interested in brain function as I am! In his book, Sacks described a patient who had developed prosopagnosia and did not recognize his wife when she came to visit him in the hospital. Naturally, this was disconcerting to them both! Since object recognition was unimpaired, the doctor asked the patient’s wife to always wear a specific hat when she visited. Sacks explained to the patient that when he saw a person wearing this specific hat, he could know that it was his wife. It worked. I always wondered what might have happened when that hat wore out. Hopefully, the patient would associate the new hat with his wife just as easily. There is some indication that Dr. Sacks might have had some level of face blindness, himself.
It appears to involve—no surprise—the part of the brain involved in facial recognition. A group of cells known as the fusiform gyrus, is in each cerebral hemisphere at the junction of the parietal and occipital lobes near the back of the head. Interestingly, the right hemisphere fusiform gyrus is more often involved in familiar face recognition than the left.
Prosopagnosia has been defined as a cognitive disorder of facial perception, marked by an impaired ability to recognize familiar faces including impaired self-recognition of one’s own face. It is important to note that other aspects of visual processing such as object discrimination and intellectual functions as in decision making remain intact
There are at least two types of prosopagnosia.
I enjoy learning about unusual brain-related phenomenon. It helps me disseminate information to assist others in being more aware. If 5 children out of every 200 have congenital prosopagnosia, imagine what life must be for them, at home and at school. It is easy to overlook this in children. An adult may put it down to a child just appearing shy or slightly off—never suspecting this is due to their inability to recognize faces. These children may also have a hard time making friends, as they may not even recognize their classmates, who often assume the other child is proud or stuck up. They may even have a hard time telling family members apart or recognizing people out of context (e.g., a teacher at a concert, a coach in a grocery store, or even the “self” in a group photograph).
No surprise, a child with prosopagnosia may make friends with children who have very clear, distinguishing features or skin color. They may prefer cartoons with simple but well-defined characters that tend to wear the same clothes but may be strikingly different in color or ethnicity. That is one reason I think an accurate diagnosis is important—along with teaching a child about the condition and playing games to help them recognize specific facial features and other recognition tips, rather than just the overall composite.
Knowing this has been of great value to me several times when a person I thought would recognize me did not. It would have been easy to do a JOT behavior: jump to conclusions that were way out in left field, overreact and possibly burn a relationship bridge, and take it personally. AAA replacement behaviors, and knowing a bit about prosopagnosia, allowed me to ask questions, act calmly while I processed the information, and alter my perception or reframe the incident so I did not take it personally. Great fun, all in all, especially when finding out later that the individual in question had a form of prosopagnosia.
Well, that is an interesting and complex question. There are many aspects to reading, and, yes, 10 minutes reading aloud every day is recommended for challenging mental stimulation and an anti-aging strategy. When you read aloud you must first recognize the words (one aspect of reading); you must also remember how to articulate them (another aspect of reading); then you must use your tongue and teeth and vocal chords to say them aloud (yet another aspect of reading). All of this challenges the brain.
Naturally understanding the words cognitively is yet another aspect of reading and that is desirable – however, that is only one aspect. No one knows for sure what a brain with dementia picks up from hearing someone read aloud. Anecdotally, however, reading aloud to groups of people with dementia has been found to stimulate memories and imagination. Katie Clark who runs Reader groups with dementia patients, has written an anthology entitled A Little, Aloud that reportedly contains stories and poems that have proved most popular, together with anecdotes about the people who have enjoyed them. Clark has been quoted as saying that poetry seems to work better than prose with dementia patients.
In an article entitled “5 Engaging Activities for Dementia Patients,”Kendall Van Blarcom includes reading aloud: “Reading aloud is something you can do for dementia patients. Listening to someone read often sparks memory recall and encourages imagination. Sometimes it even sparks discussion. Shorter works, such as poems or short stories, work better. They don’t tax attention spans and compress significant meaning into much fewer words.” (https://kvanb.com/activities-for-dementia-patients/)
Apparently, having patients with dementia read aloud has resulted in some memory recall. According to the Alzheimer’s Reading Room, when they began creating short stories for Alzheimer’s patients to read aloud they “were surprised by the journey that this simple exercise created.” As the individuals read the stories aloud they started telling the staff stories from their own lives.
(http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2016/06/alzheimer-care-stories-and-memory.html)
The short answer is “probably.” The brains of individuals who exhibit the type of behavior you described may differ from the brains of those who experience remorse for their hurtful actions. Although it is still a puzzle in terms of development, studies have shown that this type of brain (often referred to as a sociopathic brain) is more than just the absence of conscience. It involves an inability to process emotional experiences (including caring and love) except when such an experience can be calculated as a coldly intellectual task.
Dr. Martha Stout has estimated that 4% of the population in America fall into this category. Studies have shown that the sociopathic brain responds to emotionally charged words no differently from neutral words (unlike the non-sociopathic population). In addition, research using single-photon emission-computed tomography showed increased blood flow to the temporal lobes when the sociopathic brain was given a decisional task that involved emotional words, a task that would be almost neurologically instantaneous for normal brains. The sociopathic brains were functioning as if they had been asked to work out an algebra problem. Conclusion: sociopathy involves an altered level of processing of emotional stimuli in the cerebral cortex (as compared to non-sociopathic brains), although the reason for this is not yet clear. It may be the result of a heritable neurodevelopmental difference that can either be slightly compensated for, or made much worse, by cultural, environmental, or child-rearing factors. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, you may want to read Stout’s book entitled The Sociopath Next Door.
The word Anosognosia reportedly comes from the Greek and means without knowledge of disease. It may result from some type of malfunction in the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain, in which case the individual seems to be unaware of his or her diagnosis or condition or symptoms. Because of that, as soon as the person starts feeling good again, he or she thinks that treatment (medication and counseling) is no longer necessary. Of course both are needed to reduce the symptoms, which can include delusions and hallucinations.
In addition to a failure to realize their brain is malfunctioning, there are side-effects to the medication that individuals often do not like, such as a change in libido and weight gain. Without consistent treatment, however, the person spirals into inappropriate brain function and the symptoms return.
It is difficult (if not impossible) to live with a malfunctioning brain—for the individual to say nothing of family and friends—especially when that malfunctioning brain refused to obtain treatment. Getting the individual to become part of a regular support group can help. Sometimes scheduling a regular monthly appointment with a physician or counselor assists the person to stay on track. Otherwise, the symptoms may become so severe that it is impossible (and even unsafe) to remain in a relationship with that brain.
The condition now known as Selective Mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder. It’s not that the child chooses not to speak; they are literally unable to speak in specific environments, unable to communicate effectively in social settings. In school, for instance. Estimates are that one in every 140 children (more girls than boys) may develop this condition. If left untreated, this condition may persist into adulthood. The child with Selective Mutism needs verbal reassurance, love, support, and patience. (Some require more extensive therapy and treatment.) There are several references on the internet if you want more information. One is the Selective Mutism Center. Dot. Org. What Is Selective Mutism?
And yes, my brain’s opinion is that everything begins in the brain and that includes anxiety, which is part of the core emotion of fear.
I can understand your concern. You may want to review a book entitled The Sociopath Next Door. It was written by Martha Stout, PhD, a clinical psychologist in private practice, who served on the faculty in psychology in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for twenty-five years. According to Stout, 4% of the population can be considered sociopathic.
Perhaps the chief symptom of a psychopathic is an apparent lack of conscience (as most people perceive conscience). The person exhibits no ability to exhibit (or perhaps even experience) any guilt, shame, or remorse and seems oblivious to the pain of others.
According to investigative journalist Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor, sociopaths he has investigated often have a little group of spellbound followers who consider him/her to be a prophet. Jim Jones of the Jonestown poisoned Kool-Aid is a particularly frightening example. Other examples include Marshall Applewhite of the heaven’s gate group and Charles Manson.
Some sociopaths reportedly are highly intelligent but extremely self-serving at the same time. They are determined to win at all costs and will not be reasoned with. As one person put it, attempting to reason with a sociopath only wastes your time and annoys the sociopath.
There may be little you can do for your sister if she has fallen under a charismatic spell, so to speak. Perhaps you could try to research some of the things this individual has claimed and determine if they check out in the real world, outside the person’s sphere of direct control. Unfortunately, most of the stories presented by sociopaths cannot really be confirmed or denied. The sociopath relies on them, however, to shore up an aura of wisdom, authority, knowledge, etc.. Whatever you do, be very careful. These individuals can be extremely dangerous if confronted or exposed.
You’re probably referring to the book by Oliver Sacks entitled, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. In the story, a woman went to the hospital to visit her husband who was recovering from a stroke. When she entered his room, however, he did not recognize her, a condition known as Prosopagnosia (the inability to recognize or name familiar faces even though the person knows it is a face.) Dr. Sacks taught the patient to recognize his wife when she wore a distinctive hat. It makes for interesting reading!
I wish we knew! Many share your concerns. Remember, however, that terrorism is really nothing new. A recent television documentary purported the KKK to be the largest terrorist organization in America. I have not seen studies related to PET Scans or MRIs or even thinking styles assessment on the brains of individuals who have been labeled as terrorist.
My own belief is that many human brains are capable of some form of terrorism given the right circumstances, even as many human brains are capable of violent behaviors given the right circumstances. It would partly depend on one’s definition of terrorism. For example, does fanaticism in almost any area (e.g., jealousy, religion, diet, music, exercise, reading matter) that is imposed on another individual fall into the broad category of terrorism?
My guess is that the brain of a terrorist, so called, would need to believe strongly about one or more issues and be influenced by a host of environmental factors. The outcome might be an overemphasis on some aspects of brain function and an under emphasis on others. Terrorism may be the quintessential poster brain for the importance of taking good care of the brain and living life in balance!
CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Many people have had concerns for years about the potential for repetitive brain injuries connected with many differing types of sports. Mohammad Ali’s reported cumulative brain damage following years in the boxing ring is just one example. Many people are becoming aware of the connection between NFL players and football-related brain damage. A pilot study at UCLA using brain scans and former NFL players has shown signs of a crippling disease in living players. Now known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE, it is a neurodegenerative disease linked to memory loss, depression, and dementia. ESPN reporters Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru wrote a book about football and brain injuries. And FRONTLINE produced a documentary based on their research, League of Denial. CTI, which researchers say is triggered by repeated head trauma, can be confirmed only by examining the brain after death. Not too long ago, CTE was reportedly identified in the brain of former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest.
CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. In the past you may have heard it referred to as DP (Dementia Pugilistica) or “punch drunk” or pugilistic Parkinson’s, because it was initially identified in people with a history of boxing. CTE is a type of encephalopathy, which basically means brain damage, malfunction, or disease. A broad range of symptoms range from mild memory loss or subtle personality changes to seizures, coma, severe mental loss (or dementia) or death.
No surprise; CTE has been most commonly found in professional athletes participating in contact sports such as ice hockey, boxing, wrestling, American and Association football and games that involve “heading” of the ball, along with stunt performers, and other types of contact-sports such as and soccer or soccer-like Other individuals who have been diagnosed with CTE were involved in military service with blast injuries, had a previous history of chronic seizures, experienced domestic abuse, and/or were involved in other activities that resulted in repetitive head collisions. Reports of CTE have steadily increased in younger athletes, perhaps due to increased awareness of the issue and perhaps due in part to athletes becoming bigger and stronger producing greater magnitudes of force in collision. CTE involves a general degeneration of brain tissue and the accumulation of tau protein. A broad range of symptoms can include memory loss, aggression, confusion, personality changes, and depression. Symptoms may appear years or decades after the trauma. A test to determine the presence of CTE while the person is alive is not yet available. It can diagnosed based on a post-mortem brain analysis.
Interesting that you should ask. In January of this year, the report of a research project was published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The researchers removed Alzheimer’s-related protein tangles in mouse brains. They were able to decrease levels of BACE 1, a key brain enzyme, which reduced the levels of amyloid plaques. Naturally, this raises hopes of a treatment to combat Alzheimer’s in human brains. Apparently this is the first time that a group of scientists were able to achieve this. You may want to check out the Abstract yourself at http://dx.doi.org/10.1084/jem.20171831.
Every pathology an ecology, meaning that dysfunctional behaviors do not come out of a vacuum. Here is one metaphor that might help describe this phenomenon. Imagine that you are holding a glass of lemonade and someone bumps into you. You exclaim: “Hey, you made me spill my lemonade.” Is that really true? Probably not. The person who bumped into you triggered a movement that resulted in you spilling something. You only spilled lemonade because that was what was inside your glass. If water had been in your glass, you would have spilled water. If chocolate milk, you would have spilled that. You would have spilled whatever was inside your glass.
Think of yourself as a “glass.” When you experience trauma or an event that could be disruptive or have a communication misunderstanding, or something triggers unhappy memories from childhood, think of yourself as having just been bumped into. What spills out is whatever is in your “glass.” If the contents of your glass involves “low levels of EQ,” your glass will spill out JOT behaviors such as jumping to conclusions, overreacting, and taking things personally—behaviors that will likely give you negative outcomes that may involve some “messes” that will take some doing to clean up (if they even can be cleaned up).
If the contents of your glass involve “high levels of EQ,” your glass will spill out behaviors that will likely avoid or minimize conflict, be reasonable, and that will result in positive outcomes. Your choice. So, no person makes you exhibit dysfunctional behaviors. The behaviors that you exhibit—that come out of your glass—are ones that were already in there.
Sleepwalking is type of parasomnia (abnormal sleeping pattern). It is more common in children than in adults. There are several different types of NREM parasomnias or sleepwalking. The most common type of sleepwalking tends to occur during the first third of the night in non-REM sleep. This type of sleep is a lighter sleep, and it usually does not involve dreams. The part of the brain that generates complex behaviors is believed to remain awake during “sleep.” The sleepwalker will tend to repeat daily activities but likely will not initiate some routine activity that he or she has not done before. During sleeping walking the decision-making part of the brain likely is not awake. There are even some sleepwalkers who try to eat, a condition referred to as nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NSRED). This can be dangerous if they cut themselves while trying to fix a snack or burn themselves on the hot stove.
Reportedly, children in the age group of 3-12 have the highest prevalence of sleepwalking. Estimates are that nearly 17 percent of these children walk in their sleep. Typically, sleepwalking in children tends to fall off after puberty.
Interestingly, sleepwalkers often have their eyes wide open during an episode and may even engage in conversation with others. If the individual does not recall the conversation or even the episode of sleepwalking, he or she was likely sleepwalking. Unfortunately, sleepwalking can lead to fatigue and sleepiness the next day and can contribute to sleep deprivation.
Sleepwalking tends to run in families. Children whose parent(s) sleepwalked in childhood are more likely to do so. A study published in the British Journal of Psychology concluded that a first-degree relative of a sleepwalker is ten times more likely to sleepwalk than the rest of the population. A separate study published in the journal Neurology concluded that twins are more likely to sleepwalk. Reportedly, a twin is five times more likely to experience episodes of sleepwalking if the other twin sleepwalks. One study has linked sleepwalking with a mutated gene (located somewhere on chromosome 20) that can be passed from parent to child. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine reported that those with the mutated gene reportedly have a 50% chance of passing it to the next generation.
Does this mean that sleepwalking in offspring is inevitable? Apparently not. It is likely that heritable factors predispose an individual to develop sleepwalking (and/or night terrors), but the actual exhibition of the trait may be influenced by environmental factors.
Consensus is that there is a reason for sleepwalking to occur. Behaviors do not erupt from a vacuum. Some potential contributors include:
If you can figure it out and resolve it, or at least discuss it reassuringly with the child if it cannot be resolve, this may help to relieve some of the anxiety. Sometimes preschoolers sleepwalk as the function of imagination begins to develop. In general, sleepwalking among children tends to peak during preschool years and often resolves after puberty.
At least some sleepwalking may be preventable by developing and maintaining a regular and consistent sleep schedule; going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time each morning. Avoiding mid-day naps may help, as well. Shut off all electronics an hour before bedtime—and minimize exposure to terror-inducing information. Do something restful such as reading a favorite book. Some advocate having a relaxing bedtime routine that ends in the room where the child sleeps.
