Name: 3 clues to understanding your brain
Uploaded: 2007-10-21T08:15:00Z
Duration: 23 min 20 s
Description: Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

VS Ramachandran: 3 clues to understanding your brain

3 clues to understanding your brain

Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

The hidden wiring of the brain shapes everything from recognition to creativity, as shown by rare conditions like the Capgras delusion and phantom limb pain. A patient might see his mother’s face yet insist she is an impostor, or feel agonizing pain in a missing arm. By tracing these selective deficits to precise brain circuits, surprising treatments—like a three-dollar mirror box—can help rewire perception, revealing just how deeply the brain’s structure creates our sense of self.