TED Talk: Vilayanur Ramachandran

If you haven’t yet discovered TED.com, go check it out! But choose sometime when you don’t have much to do, because it is highly addictive. On this website, the world’s brightest minds give ‘TED Talks’ on their most creative ideas. Topic areas are unlimited – whatever your subject, you can find a TED Talk right up your alley! Seriously, check it out.

From time to time, I’ll feature a TED Talk here on my blog – one that I found particularly interesting / creative / inspiring. 

Vilayanur Ramachandran is a neuroscientist. In this TED Talk, he uses psychiatric case studies to explain some aspects of how the mind works.

@ Introduction: Now that’s a fascinating paradox! Can a human brain ever be fully understood… by a human brain?

@ Phantom limbs: Ramachandran’s idea of how important optical input is to “programming” the nervous system (seeing the phantom limb moving was enough to convince the brain that it was no longer paralyzed) made me think of another example from my anatomy professor. Stroke recoverers sometimes have trouble initiating muscle contraction. To walk, they can throw a crumpled piece of paper (or other aide) in front of them. Having the visual cue of a target to aim for for helps to initiate the muscle movements needed to get there.

@ Synesthesia: That’s a creative definition for creativity!