Neuro psychology of king’s speech

Stuttering is a speaker’s way of overcoming a timing deficit in the muscles that control speech vocalization. It’s enough to make the natural delivery of speech somewhat less than automatic. Like trying to ski and think about it at the same time, deliberation interferes with the fluid motion required to speak fluently. Stutterers try to compensate for this by rushing the process and speaking faster. They quickly exceed the capacity of the speech delivery system, which makes them either freeze-up or produce the same sound repeatedly. This happens when speech signals from the brain arrive at the system too quickly. Congestion occurs and access is momentarily denied. However, the system was already triggered to proceed ..so it starts uttering the last sound available, if any.

Most speech therapists use some form of ‘auditory feedback’ to impart a sense of timing to the delivery of speech. This involves a device with a pair of headphones that delays the feedback of speech and creates like an echo. It’s intended to help stutterers overcome the urge to speak too quickly and focus on smooth and continuous phrasing. The echo persists until the speaker begins to slow down and ‘close the gap’. As they slow down, the delay is shortened until their speaking voice and the echo are heard as one sound. Over several sessions, this technique helps the person master a pace that approaches the natural rhythm of speech.

In the movie ‘The King’s Speech’, the therapist first used a pair of headphones to completely block feedback by playing symphonic music instead. It wasn’t intended to treat the problem but to show the King that fluent speech was possible. Although the King dismissed it as a parlor trick ..it worked because it denied him access to what he was saying so he couldn’t speak and think about it at the same time. He only knew it worked later on in the story when he listened to the recording that his therapist had made during the session. His speech was near perfect and it’s what prompted him to continue therapy.

Neuro speculation: Egypt

The amygdala is an almond-shaped mass of gray matter deep inside the cerebral cortex that plays a central role in self-control. It helps keep emotional expression in-compliance with culturally accepted norms. When damaged, an individual has difficulty with impulse-control and restraint from inappropriate and aberrant behavior [link]. Over the past decade, research has uncovered a lot more about the amygdala and how it processes signals from our social environment [link].

I have a theory. I believe that some social signals affect the amygdala differently than others. Some elicit greater restraint and vigilance while others offer release from conditioned restraint and vigilance. Neuroscience informs us that when the amygdala is surgically removed, animals show signs of inappropriate affect ..boredom where there should be fear and hypersexual activity where there is no enticement [link]. I predict that if you housed a normal group of animals where they could watch the frenetic activity of the amygdala-impaired group ..they too would show signs of inappropriate affect. Observation alone would induce the same effect as impairment. MRI studies already show heightened activity in response to authority and perceived threat. I believe they would reveal another type of activity in response to collapse of authority and diminished threat. My theory says that the amygdala would then act to release spectators from conditioned inhibition and give license to repressed impulses and sexual aggression.

This may explain the high incident of sexual assault committed by revelers celebrating the downfall of President Mubarak in Egypt [link]. Festivities associated with a break in the social order released a frenzy of predatory sexual behavior in a few that quickly spread to other participants in the crowd. Predatory behavior of this sort has also been observed at soccer matches and in crowds celebrating at the Rose Parade in California. I believe that lowered internal restraints coupled with the lax enforcement of sexual harassment laws in Egypt may have contributed to the chain of events observed. By no mean am I offering excuses for what occurred, I’m only trying to draw a possible connection between real-world events and accounts of aggression reported from the lab.

My heart goes out to the CBS correspondent who fell victim to it.

Rational Charlie

I admit, I don’t subscribe to a rational model of man. I believe we’re hybrids. Part logic, part emotion, part visual, part verbal and part many other qualities, some of which we don’t even know. We make our way more by heuristic than analytic reasoning. Most of our brilliant discoveries have come from seeing the relationship between vague and loosely connected ideas. Albert Einstein, for example, came up with his theory of relativity only after letting his mind wander [link]. The real world is multi-dimensional and sloppy by nature.

That’s why I had to cringe last night during dinner. Charlie has an insatiable need to be right and a contentious way of dismissing anything to the contrary. In addition, he holds people to standards that no one can meet, not even himself. He scrutinizes other peoples’ speech for statements that he can prove false ..and then points them out as though they’re character flaws. This can lead to some pretty rough exchanges. For instance, when I heard Cindy say “I am moved by things I don’t understand.” Charlie responded “What things, specifically? ..and how can you be moved by something you don’t understand..?” I felt her statement rang true. We’re all creatures of appetite and don’t always act with perfect information. However, I felt Charlie was suggesting “you’re a fool for not behaving in a more rational manner.” Later on in the evening I heard her say “As desires enter me, a picture is formed in me as to what will answer that desire.” Charlie goes “Too passive. You say ‘Desires move into me’. Lacks responsibility of a choice. Furthermore, a picture is non-verbal and external to one’s true nature.” For some reason that’s where I felt compelled to intercede. “Just because she’s speaking in a passive voice doesn’t mean she acting in a passive manner, Charlie. Besides, visualization is primary to human nature while language is subordinate to it. Why do you think the graphical interface made Bill Gates a billionaire ..?” Now he tells me he was trying to impress the lady and I blew it for him.

The Grammys

I think growing up listening to the Rolling Stones has shaped by nervous system and left a definite imprint on my brain. I’m talking like, a specialized location dedicated to their music with channel-direct connections leading to it. Only takes a couple of cues, like the opening chords of ‘street fighting man’ to instantly activate the rest of the song. I experienced this last night while Mick Jagger was only mouthing the words “I need you you you ..” at the end of his performance during the Grammys. I swear I could hear his voice loud and clear just watching him do that ..even with the thundering sound of a sterling, multi-piece back-up band.

Egypt

“In a way previous generations could never have imagined, young protesters have brought down a dictatorship. If previous revolutions had been hatched in mosques and smoky cafes, this one was hatched online by computer geeks” [link].

I do believe the prophesy of the Electronic Frontier has been fulfilled [link]. Information technology can be used as a force for political change and democracy. In 1991, Soviet youths brought down the USSR using camcorders with satellite uplinks. Now an educated generation of Egyptians has brought down Mubarak using laptops connected to the Internet. That’s brilliant. They were able to bypass traditional lines of communication, which were shutdown by the government, and quickly deliver their message to a cross-section of the population. I admire Wael Ghonim, the young Google exec who helped organize the protest. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in history that a revolution, overthrowing a long-standing government, has been spread over the Internet ..successfully!

An illusion

“In the west we tend to project or own notions of mystique and tranquility on Buddhist practice. In reality there’s a lot of acrimony and fighting going on in the monasteries.” ~ Erik Curren [link]

I agree. Buddhists are subject to feelings of hostility and aggression same as everyone else. A book by Rossi Jiyu-Kennett who spent eight years in a Japanese monastery is illustrative [link]. However, I believe there is a difference between Western and Buddhist notions of ‘fighting’. When a practicing Buddhist fights, they are fighting – mindful of the decision to fight – aware of what interpretation brings to the battle – and knowing full well that the real enemy is interpretation. They don’t believe in such things as good or bad fights ..only consequences. And interpretation obscures consequences. In fact, it’s probably the villainy of interpretation that got them into conflict to begin with. I’m reminded of a parable zen master Perry once told us. I call it ‘the battle of evermore’ because I don’t remember the actual title. Nor do I remember the exact words, so I can only paraphrase. It goes something like this:

The battle: One sentient being, unable to escape the cycle of reincarnation, is locked in perpetual battle with a ferocious beast from hell. After many lifetimes of this, he throws down his sword in disgust and says “Enough! I can no longer fight like this.” Suddenly the illusion of the ferocious beast vanishes, the barricade of defensiveness crumbles and the endless cycle of battle ends.

Big time

There are fewer ‘big acts’ in music out there these days. The Internet has freed the airwaves and given our ears access to a much larger pool of talent. So what we have now is a greater number of acts connecting with smaller audiences. I’d say the music market has definitely become ‘differentiated’. Fine with me ..I’ve gotten weary of going to the LA Coliseum. For concert promoters however, this means a lot of empty seats. Last year headliners such as Rihanna and the Jonas Brothers canceled stadium gigs due to lower than expected ticket sales. So, big concert promoters such as Nederlander responded by raising ticket prices to make up for the difference. Online start-up ‘ScoreBig’ responded by discounting tickets to fill the empty seats. I think that’s brilliant! Definitely a more compelling reason to see a show. Like the record industry, I think the old-style concert venue is doomed. Artists are aware of this. I see them playing in places like the House of Blues more often now. And as far as promotion is concerned ..I see artists taking that bull by the horns as well and posting events over the Internet. Make friends with any of them on myspace or facebook and you’ll see what I mean.

Smells like teen spirit

“High school is closer to the core of the American experience than anything else I can think of.” – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

When I hear someone in position of authority say “I’m going to rigorously enforce [this particular law] because, without laws ..we’d be a country of anarchy” – then I watch them go out and prosecute offenders in a manner that’s way out-of-proportion to the offense – I don’t believe they’re really acting out of fondness for the law. They’re acting out of aggression that is typical of teenagers climbing the social network in high school or adults climbing the hierarchy of power in politics.

Last year, LA Dist Atty Steve Cooley waged sudden war on marijuana dispensaries because they were accepting cash instead of trading in goods and services. Apparently the law didn’t spell out an exact currency and the term ‘co-op’ could be interpreted to mean a system of barter. Turns out he was planning to run for Attorney General of California.

Arizona Sen Russell Pearce and Kris Kobach co-sponsored Arizona SB 1070 giving police the authority of INS agents to detain Hispanics where the sole probable cause is “..looking illegal.” This certainly is a subjective cause, prone to the bias of a police officer with no training as a federal immigration officer. To me, it’s the same as detaining someone on suspicion of dealing drugs because their hair’s too long. Turns out both sponsors have political ambitions. Kris Kobach is running for Secretary of State in Kansas and Pearce plans to run for president of the Senate and someday hopes to get elected Sheriff of Maricopa County.

Last week Orange County Dist Atty Tony Rackauckas decided to file criminal conspiracy charges against a group of UCI students who protested a speech on campus last year. They face both six months in jail and, as felons, diminished prospects for the future over a nonviolent protest, which may have been rude, but certainly not criminal. I suspect that Rackauckas is also seeking higher office.

Cosmic Charlie

It is well known that the matter, making up the tissues of our body, is in a perpetual state of decay and replenishment. We are not the same cellular material we were the week before. What I want to know is what kind of ‘blueprint’ do these ‘replenishment cycles’ follow ..? What keeps me from dissolving into the atmosphere at the end of the week ..? It only makes sense that some sort of ‘cosmic memory’ exists to pass information from one replenishment cycle to the next. Because what I’ve been told, even the scaffolding gets demolished. While it may be incomprehensible to me, I refuse to dismiss it. Since I have no basis for it, I have to start somewhere familiar.

Embryonic journey: It is well known that the cells of our body already contain information about their destiny. Genetic material guides embryonic development from one generation to the next. Even this was a mystery until the discovery of ‘epigenetic memory’. The contents of epigenetic memory (epigenomes) are what persist in order to tell chromosomes how to express the characteristics of our ancestors. You erase epigenetic memory and you have ‘equipotentiality’ ..the ability start fresh and be whatever you want to be. Anyway, it wasn’t until we had a set of ‘seer stones’ that we could actually sense the presence of epigenetic memory (it resides in deep layers of DNA, at what are now called the sites of telemere and centromere). I hope someday we acquire a set of similar stones to penetrate the mystery of cosmic memory.