Brain and Cognitive Development

A tacitly held assumption in synesthesia research is the unidirectionality of digit-color associations. This notion is based on synesthetes' report that digits evoke a color percept, but colors do not elicit any numerical impression. In a random color generation task, we found evidence for an implicit co-activation of digits by colors, a finding that constrains neurological theories concerning cross-modal associations in general and synesthesia in particular.

A number of points are brought up below for pondering and possible discussion. We should not regard our physics as the one and only reality. What is described below may seem like science fiction, but should not be brushed off as inconsequential.

In perceiving that the most urgent social problem confronting our global society is that of the rapidly aging global population and the increasingly high incidence of dementia and other aging-related cognitive disability, we propose a solution in the form of a concept of innovative community-based well-being centers for elders with dementia and other forms of aging-related cognitive decline and comorbid sequelae. In this proposal we lay out the specific need for such centers and the unique, powerful curriculum provided by such centers grounded in the highly vetted principle of the enriched environment.

The vast majority of studies on the rehabilitative efficacy of the enriched environment are in the area of cognitive and physical rehabilitation in traumatic brain injury (TBI), from which studies of the efficacy of the enriched environment for recovery in other neurophysiological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, cerebrovascular accident (CVA, i.e., stroke), multiple sclerosis, depression, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), schizophrenia, and in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other forms of dementia have emerged. In our proposal for community-based well-being centers, the vast majority of studies that we cite for the efficacy of the enriched environment are studies in TBI rehabilitation. Because of the great efficacy recorded in these studies, researchers have gone on to examine the efficacy of the enriched environment in recovery from a wide range of neurophysiological disorders as mentioned above. Since these studies show equal efficacy based on the same principles, they illustrate the critical point that neurological damage presenting as a cognitive disorder and/or physical impairment responds positively to the enriched environment regardless of etiology, as the neurophysiological processes involved in both debility and recovery therefrom are the same in every case as an inherent function of neuroplasticity, as explained in the proposal. 

The proposed centers, while focused on dementia and aging-related cognitive/physical decline in consideration of the urgency in maintaining a viable functioning society in the face of the sheer number represented by the rapidly aging global population, can nevertheless effectively intervene in all cases of cognitive disorder regardless of cause and are open to all residents of the community requiring cognitive intervention and physical rehabilitation.

This proposal is intended to demonstrate the critical need for community-based well-being centers for elders with dementia, other aging-related cognitive decline and other conditions of impairment that disproportionately affect elders, and to demonstrate the scientifically vetted means by which aging-related lost functionality can be restored. The curriculum of the proposed well-being centers is grounded in the principles of Cognitive Neuroeducation (CNE), a modality we developed that can reverse the effects of dementia and restore cognitive functioning in elders based on a unique application of the enriched environment as derived from a comprehensive, rigorous synthesis of a wide corpus of studies extending over more than 70 years of solid scientific research as referenced herein. Though this proposal is written for implementation in Japan, the basic precepts are equally applicable to other nations experiencing the same demographic trajectory as Japan, perhaps not so acutely at present as Japan, but certainly threatening as a future crisis.

This study examined whether experience with a native language affected processing of a place-of-articulation feature. In Experiment 1, 10 stimuli from a continuum of synthesized Hindi bilabial, dental and retroflexed stops were presented to English and Hindi speakers to examine discrimination and identification across the bilabial/dental and dental/retroflexed boundaries. In an oddball task designed to elicit mismatch negativity (MMN), subjects ignored these stimuli while their brain activity was recorded. All participants showed similar behavioral discrimination and identification. However, the English subjects were slower that the Hindi subjects on the discrimination task. All subjects were less accurate and slower at identifying and discriminating the dental and retroflexed compared to the bilabial sounds. A small MMN was observed for some of the bilabial-dental contrasts, but not for the dental-retroflexed contrasts. No group differences were found. In Experiment 2, MMN was obse...

Cognitive Neuroeducation (CNE) is a rigorously researched cutting-edge neuroscience-informed, human-values-oriented modality for the prevention of and recovery from cognitive and behavioral disorder. Through an enriched environment and interaction within a cohesive group dynamic, CNE builds both a neuroprotective shield and core cognitive resources. This booklet introduces CNE, outlining its origins, scientific foundations, program features and person-centered human perspective.

The effects of practice on the discrimination of direction of motion in briefly presented noisy dynamic random dot patterns are investigated in several forced-choice psychophysical tasks. We found that the percentage of correct responses on any specific task increases linearly with repetition of trials within roughly 200 trials from about chance to a performance of 90% or better. The level of performance remained constant or improved over several days, and in most instances it did not transfer when stimulus parameters changed. We used a modified Radial Basis Function (RBF) representation to model the psychophysical tasks. The performance of the model is functionally similar to the psychophysical results. We propose a Hebbian learning algorithm which deactivates the inputs from neurons responding to motion noise in the stimulus. Our computational model suggests that to solve this task in biological systems, neurons (perhaps in MT) improve their performance by 'learning to ignore' noise in the image.

Organized extracurricular activities (EAs) are prevalent among Chinese preschoolers, yet their role in chil-dren's development is poorly understood. This study investigated the relations between EA participation and Chinese preschoolers' school readiness (N = 343; M age = 55.14 months) among a predominantly middle-class sample. EA breadth had positive linear relations with children's early math and social skills, while attendance intensity demonstrated nonlinear associations, partially supporting the overscheduling hypothesis. EA breadth had stronger associations with early reading and math skills among lower socioeconomic status children, as well as greater benefits for math skills in children with less exposure to home learning activities, indicating a compensatory role of EAs. The findings highlight the interplay between EA and family contexts in relation to child development.

A detailed account of the theory of consciousness has been presented that firstly examines the 3D Earth mainstream science theories of consciousness based upon the notion that consciousness is created in, and is process by, the brain. It is elucidated that these theories lack adequacy in describing the phenomenon of consciousness mainly due to the fact they neither explain the phenomenon of consciousness being associated with a unified individuated entity that is commonly referred to as the ‘Self’ or ‘Soul,’ nor the fact of Principle of Free Will and Sovereignty, the most fundamental aspect or Right of our existence, equally holding us to the doctrine of self-responsibility and self-accountability by which we are judged and viewed within our human society. And, although other desperate attempts have been made, for example, by concocting the concept of “microtubules” as very minutes protein structures found in all cells being responsible for our conscious awareness, conducting thoughts, or in other words, the ‘Soul’ or the ‘Self,' yet, the fact remains that such protein structures are first of all found all over the body and even in in simple single celled organisms such as amoeba, as well as the fact that such a theory still fails to answer the fundamental question of how subjective experiences and thought processes arise, particularly that it is clinically observed that drugs that can damage the structure of “microtubules” have no effect on consciousness. Thus, non of the brains-based theories or the theory based upon “microtubules” can explain the concept of Self or Soul. The author has previously explored the theory of consciousness with reference to quantum mechanics with the overall conclusion that  consciousness is a non-local phenomenon that originates from what is commonly referred to as the God-SOURCE, an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent source that epitomizes a gigantic fountain or reservoir composed of infinite frequential energy that initially exists as a giant Scalar or Stationary wave capable of vibrating longitudinally withing the positive and negative infinity of time, a phenomenon that is commonly referred to as the NOW moment, disseminating ITS quanta of energy into what is initially a Void or Abyss, transforming it to a well ORDERED edifice of may be referred to as 356 DISCRETE space-time dimensions that form ITS body as the absolute macrocosm and what the author refers to as the Neural Network of God. Accordingly, without redundant duplication of what was presented in the aforementioned previous works in which the author concludes consciousness observation is what gives rise to ‘manifestation,’ by virtue of what quantum mechanics views as collapse of a ‘wave function’ when “measurement” is conducted, the author herein reaffirms that our consciousness is a ‘local’ quantum phenomenon that emanates from the said non-local SOURCE, which epitomizes ITS self-similar fractilized holographic aspect, giving rise to the concept of a ‘local’ soul, essentially being an offspring of the God-SOURCE, in which through the dissemination of ITS quanta of energy as to create us, breaks down the perpetual NOW moment into DISCRETE intervals of time represented as (bidirectional) vectors connecting us (and our Twin Soul) to God, about which our (or God’s) local quanta of energy divided into two parts, sequentially torsionally vibrate in time, simultaneously spinning in a counterclockwise-clockwise and clockwise-counterclockwise (our Twin) manner, simultaneously and symbiotically, fulfilling what the author has introduced as the ‘Dualism Principle of Creation.’ Finally, this paper concentrates on the overall or the Cosmic aspect of the phenomenon of consciousness, deferring further details with regard to the details of our nature of quantum consciousness or what the author also refers to as sentient vibration about the Neural Network of God, in companion paper(s).

This essay addresses the argument that the "ease of processing" in Mere Exposure Effect generates positive affect. My question regards whether the recognition of a familiar image, which would be a realization or activation of meaning, would generate the positive affect – as opposed to the “ease of processing” factor. 

Recent research into the mere exposure effect, semantic coherence, and prototype preference has focused on the positive affect generated in these processes. There has been a substantial amount of research into the mere exposure effect which has convincingly demonstrated that, after repeated exposure, people have a tendency to prefer the familiar over the novel. Eddie Harmon-Jones and John Allen conducted an experiment on the mere exposure effect, which used facial electromyography to measure the emotional expressions of the subjects' facial features......  The authors argue that the evidence of positive affect exhibited by the activity of the zygomatic major muscle as a spontaneous affective response resulting from the increased ease of processing involved in the priming process. As a result the authors advocated the Hedonic Fluency Theory

The basic assumption behind my question would be that the brain would likely have built in inherent biophysiological processes to facilitate, encourage basic meaning making and meaning seeking processes. Damasio has convincingly demonstrated that nonconscious processes are important in judgment, decision-making, and determining meaning. So, it would stand to reason that the nonconscious processes engaged in Mere Exposure Effect would be oriented and geared toward meaning seeking, and may be integral to decision-making and judgment. In the case of Mere Exposure, then, the recognition of a familiar image, which would be a realization or activation of meaning, would generate the positive affect – as opposed to the “ease of processing” factor.

Specifically, in regard to the role of ease of processing, they argue that the positive affect could be regarded “not only as informative but also rewarding” (p 991 smile) which would give the ‘brain’ the incentive to complete its task. “Second, easy processing may be pleasant because it indicates the availability of appropriate knowledge structures…” and so provide a ‘marker’ of cognitive status. It also could be argued that the brain, in promoting quick and easy processing, would ensconce a tendency to operate efficiently.”

A question which I raise that it is possible that the brain's "recognition" of the (familiar) stimuli that generates the positive affect and not necessarily the ease of processing per se. From an evolutionary view, I would argue that it makes sense that the brain is 'rewarded' for 'recognizing" stimuli