I just read an article about research at the Center for the Mind at the Universtiy of Sydney regarding TMS usage to modify creative capacity. (link)
Can any of you intellectuals out there suggest any further reading on the topic, or the more general topic of Physiological changes due to psychological decisions (conscious or otherwise).
I’m not sure whether this is where this thread belongs, if it isn’t, feel free to move it, as I imagine you would anyway.
Thanks.
Hi discoman,
I’m a psych phd and have been looking for a psych question coz I would love to help. Can you be a bit more specific about what you’re looking for?
Mel.
Well, I have been fascinated by a couple of things. More recently, the article that I mentioned in the OP. The article tells about a psychologist named Allan Snyder who believes that all people have savant-like skills, but that it merely requires supression of some of the parts of the brain that form a higher level concept. He has had some success by using a TMS machine to improve artistic abilities at will.
Before that, after reading the book, When Rabbit Howls by Truddi Chase, I was very interested by her - as a victim of multiple personality disorder - ability to consume enormous amounts of alcohol. One personality could have a few beers, and then another personality could take over and not show any signs of ever having had anything to drink. When I asked my psych teacher about this, he thought for a moment and said, “well, I guess they have different physiologies.”
I guess the latter example could be categorized as psychological control over physiological functions beyond what the average person is capable of.
Either way, I would be delighted to read more into either of those type of phenomena, or other issues along a similar vein.
Thanks.
Hi disco,
It appears that tms is indeed able to induce plasticity in cortical functioning (change brain physiology) but that the research is in its early days indeed. Most of the studies of the benefits of tms have been conducted in the area of depression, and it appears that some therapeutic effects have been noted. Allan may well be something of a maverick (most psychs are more cautious about their claims).
You can access his various publications at the link near the top of this page http://www.centreforthemind.com/publications/index.cfm
Good luck!
Mel.
Ah. Excellent!
Thank you very much.
a victim of multiple personality disorder - ability to consume enormous amounts of alcohol. One personality could have a few beers, and then another personality could take over and not show any signs of ever having had anything to drink … example (of) … psychological control over physiological functions beyond what the average person is capable of.
Alternative possibility: the latter personality was just exhibiting the physiological alcohol tolerance you’d expect to have developed in anyone who habitually gets through large amounts, and the former was playing a role of behaving more drunk.
I’m very dubious about MPD these days: see the Skeptics’ Dictionary entry.