"These results indicate memory suppression does occur, and, at least in nonpsychiatric populations, is under the control of prefrontal regions," the researchers wrote in Science. The most anterior portion of the prefrontal cortex highlighted in the study is a relatively recent feature in brain evolution and is greatly enlarged in humans when compared to great apes, said Depue.
The study showed the subjects were able to "exert some control over their emotional memories," said Depue. "By essentially shutting down specific portions of the brain, they were able to stop the retrieval process of particular memories."
Showing posts with label plasticity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plasticity. Show all posts
16 July 2007
Emotional Memories Can Be Suppressed With Practice
Further evidence of the plasticity of the brain, in this case enabling people to deal with difficult memories. It could also end up feeding into the repressed memories debate.
03 November 2004
Infant determinism is a myth
EducationGuardian.co.uk | Research | Helene Guldberg:: "The determinist myth: The idea that the first three years of our lives make us who we are is scientifically unsound, argues Helene Guldberg"
While we're on the subject of determinism, perhaps we should note that the studies on the effects of early esperiences in humans are not as conclusive as we might have thought. Though there are some quite clear 'worst-case' scenarios, they may not tell us much about less extreme cases. One worst-case is this:
It may well be the case that extreme emotional deprivation in the first two years of life can have devastating, irreversible consequences. Gerhardt points out that researchers who studied the brains of young children in Romanian orphanages found a "virtual black hole" where the orbitofrontal cortex - an area of the brain involved in the regulation of emotions - should have been.
But then we should note what is said after that:
However, it is exceptionally rare to see children subjected to the anything like the appalling treatment of the Romanian orphans. Extreme conditions of emotional deprivation may be so exceptional that they tell us absolutely nothing about the situations where there is engagement between adult and child.
The plasticity of the human brain may yet be even more versitile than we thought. This may turn out also to have bearing on debates about things like [homo]sexuality, paedophilia and sociopathology ...
While we're on the subject of determinism, perhaps we should note that the studies on the effects of early esperiences in humans are not as conclusive as we might have thought. Though there are some quite clear 'worst-case' scenarios, they may not tell us much about less extreme cases. One worst-case is this:
It may well be the case that extreme emotional deprivation in the first two years of life can have devastating, irreversible consequences. Gerhardt points out that researchers who studied the brains of young children in Romanian orphanages found a "virtual black hole" where the orbitofrontal cortex - an area of the brain involved in the regulation of emotions - should have been.
But then we should note what is said after that:
However, it is exceptionally rare to see children subjected to the anything like the appalling treatment of the Romanian orphans. Extreme conditions of emotional deprivation may be so exceptional that they tell us absolutely nothing about the situations where there is engagement between adult and child.
The plasticity of the human brain may yet be even more versitile than we thought. This may turn out also to have bearing on debates about things like [homo]sexuality, paedophilia and sociopathology ...
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