Ask a Neuroscientist: Thinking Beyond the Halle Berry Neuron

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Ask a Neuroscientist: Thinking Beyond the Halle Berry Neuron

Is it possible to measure the occurrence of a thought and its corresponding firing neuron - does the thought have to be present in a firing neuron, for it to exist? If so, which comes first - or are they one and the same thing?

These questions cut right to the heart of what many neuroscientists find fascinating about the brain and why we choose to study it. Essentially all neuroscientists believe that thoughts are purely an effect of firing neurons. But which one comes first? And can individual neurons be responsible for individual thoughts? 

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Eureka! The neuroscience of creative insights

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Eureka! The neuroscience of creative insights

"If the brain is recalling a flash bulb memory, what would the average firing rate of neurons be in a human?"

The answer is: more than zero, (probably) less than a grand mal seizure.

A more compelling version of this question might be: "What is the neural process that underlies an "ah ha!" moment?" Or, in other words, what is our brain doing when we leap out of our baths yelling "eureka"? To help answer this question, I dig up a video of Dr. Mark Beeman, who studies the cognition of insight and creativity. 

Image source: Mike Rohde (flickr) CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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Neurotalk S4E11: Virginia Lee

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Today, our guest is Virginia Lee, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Co-Director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research at UPENN's School of Medicine. We’ll be speaking with her about identifying some of the most famous in neurodegenerative disease, and even all of neuroscience, figuring what to do with your life, and collaborating with a life-partner.