Incognito: The Brains Behind the Mind

On Thursday April 5, 2012, the A.R. Sanchez, Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series presented Incognito: The Brains Behind the Mind. The guest speaker of the night was Dr. David Eagleman, a neuroscientist, who was promoting his latest book "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain."

Eagleman jumped right into the reason why he was so captivated by the brain and its functions, explaining, "as far as we can tell we're the only species on the planet that has grown so sophisticated that we've thrown ourselves headlong into this game of deciphering our own programming language." He made the comparison that people's hunger for finding out about the way the brain works is like opening up a computer to see how the cables and circuits work from the inside and how they are all interconnected and guided by a central processing unit. The only difference being that studying the brain gives much more convoluted and confusing results.

Moreover, Eagleman emphasized what immense significance the brain has in the composition of each person and how it is arguably the most vital organ, since it controls the majority of bodily functions. Eagleman explained the brain's precedence over all other parts of the body, by contrasting, "If you were to damage your pinky in a car accident you would be stamped by that, but you wouldn't be any different as a person. But if you damaged an equivalently sized chunk of brain tissue, that could change you entirely."

Eagleman also explained that although the brain works in mysterious ways, sometimes it is easy to perceive some of the decision making thought processes. For instance, peoples' brains usually look for something familiar when deciding on a job or lifelong partner. According to Eagleman, statistics show that a person is more likely to marry someone with the same initials as themselves. Although complex, the brain unconsciously seeks for familiarity, in this case in the form of alliteration.

Even though Eagleman has conducted vast research in many areas of the brain, one particular condition in which he specializes in is synesthesia. According to Eagleman, synesthesia is a "blending of the senses where the oral sensory input triggers an abnormal sensory experience." Only 4% of the population is known to have synesthesia. Furthermore, one of the most common forms this condition is color synesthesia, which means that a person automatically associates letters or numbers with colors.

At the end of the presentation, Eagleman answered questions from the audience and had a meet and greet where attendees could ask any remaining questions and get their books signed at the same time.

David Eagleman has made innovative breakthroughs in the neuroscience field. If interested in learning more about Dr. Eagleman's work, you can visit www.eagleman.com or www.neulaw.org. Also, to learn more about synesthesia or find out if you are a synesthete, visit www.synesthete.org

For more information on the A.R. Sanchez, Sr. Distinguished Lecture Series, you may contact the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Office at (956)362-2460, visit their office at LBVSC room 301 or via e-mail at hdennis@tamiu.edu

(Joana Santillana may be reached at joana.santillana@dusty.tamiu.edu)