A question arises as to how the differentiation/integration dichotomy has become
so dominating in our thinking, or for that matter in any thinking sourced in the activity of neurons. The root
differentiating/integrating dichotomy is the template used for our abstractions, such abstractions as:
asymmetry/symmetry
fermions/bosons
far-from-equilibrium/equilibrium
exaggerated/balanced
short term (local)/long term (non-local)
mRNA/DNA
protein/mRNA
concentrated/distributed
precise(explicit)/approximate(implicit)
static/dynamic
analytical/dialectical
A = A / A != A
mechanistic time/thermodynamic time
'changeless' / changing (perculating, flux etc)
binary/unary
positive-negative/neutral
A XOR B (sym)/ A AND B (sym)
A IMP B (asym) / A AND B (sym)
left brain/right brain
temporal lobe/parietal lobe
anterior temporal/posterior temporal
etc etc (note the examples of levels - mRNA is to DNA what protein is to mRNA etc etc)
male-female/Androgyny
male/female
T'ai Chi/Wu Chi {the differentiated WHOLE - the VOID (implicit integrated whole)}
Yin-Yang/T'ai Chi {harmonics of the WHOLE - the WHOLE}
Yang/Yin
LOCAL/NON-LOCAL
particular/general.
Dirac-Fermi Statistics / Bose-Einstein Statistics
Overall, the conscious precision of the left side elements comes from the high energy focus reflecting exaggerations, distillations, concentrations, from the right element. Also note here the presence of hierarchy in that what is on the left becomes the source of more derivation and so moves to the right out of which we then derive a 'new' left. How has this dynamic developed?
A possible answer to this question arises in the field of Physics and in particular the area dedicated to the understanding of fundamental particles. In this area there are two categories within which all particles are defined - the category of 'Fermions' and the category of 'Bosons'.
Firstly we note that IDM focuses on differentiations/integrations. Secondly we
note that the properties and methods of the elements of the differentiate/integrate dichotomy are reflected in
the properties and methods of the dichotomy of fermions (differentiating)/bosons (integrating). The main focus
here is on the 'point' nature of fermions, there focus on DIFFERENCE and so on being UNIQUE and repelling all other
fermions, and so biased to differentiating, as compared to the 'field' nature of bosons, their focus on SAMENESS,
and so a lack of uniqueness and being attracting to other bosons and so biased to integrating.
In the realm of Particle Physics, if we reduce the environment temperature down ever closer to absolute zero Kelvin,
(a) bosons will form condensates (allow for superpositions, many bosons share the one state and appear as if 'one')
and (b) fermions form PAIRS that 'magically' transform their category into 'bosons' etc (Recall the precision issue
of differentiate/integrate where the unit value of differentiate is to one, whereas the unit value of integrate
is to a pair; also note the association to such dichotomies as asymmetry/symmetry, far-from-equilibrium/equilibrium,
neg-entropic/entropic [for us] etc etc)
Thus it seems that the 'root' of the universe is bosonic (entropy gets into this as well) and that means symmetry
and that means integration. That also means that light is the fundamental (photons = bosons) and as such we develop
out of realism/materialism perspectives BUT since our neurology has made a huge adaptation to vision so light will
dominate our sense of 'absolute' - even in relativity light is related to an absolute and space and time are relative such that our
neurology, our instruments, our experiments etc can FORCE this 'bosonic' perspective! (for some equations of fermions/bosons)
The point here is that, if we follow evolution, then the development of information processing stems from the adaptation to the basic properties and methods of the universe and they are determined at the fundamental level of fermion/boson interactions. In other words our neurology reflects the adaptation to this fundamental dichotomy.
But, given the adaptation issue to vision and so light, and so bosons, our neurology
contains a bias that could 'skew' our interpretations of idealism/realism, idealist/materialist etc but also note
that in idealism the focus is on the over-exaggeration of 'light' and as such a reflection of the development processes
(as in the exaggeration of the root, pour in energy and the boson pairs become differentiated unto units - fermions
etc and so 'object' perspectives develop - same patterns at the level of brain/mind)
As such, since our thinking seems to be rooted in dichotomisations, so it does not really matter about clearly
identifying the source of it all in that either 'fermions/bosons' or 'mRNA/DNA' or 'axons/dendrites' or 'differentiations/integrations'
the properties and methods of recursion of the dichotomies elicit the same patterns used for deriving 'meaning'.
As such we naturally categorise such that, as identified previously, A is an exaggeration of, and a particularisation/discretisation
of, B as in:
A / B
differentiate/integrate
fermion/boson
mRNA/DNA
FM-axon/AM-dendrite
left-hemisphere/right-hemisphere
ideal/real (as interpreted/as is)
pure/mixed
precise/approximate (to *US*, to the universe we are over-precise and so get bogged-down in duality issues etc)
etc etc
this gets into our being OVER-precise (ideal) in thinking such that we dont fall back into a real state once we
have completed an idealisation - we idealise ourselves and that transcends our species nature, makes us more 'individualistic'
and that can cause 'issues' if we are not aware of these processes. This then gets us into the 'everyday of the
species' vs the
'everyday of the universe'.
The ATTRACTION of A is to 'light', to 'stick out', to 'differentiate', to be, or to be attracted to, the charismatic
etc - high energy focus; EXPEND energy to 'lift' to 'transcend' etc. The 'need' for B is to conserve energy - transcendence
is through the context rather than being the context.
As covered in the dimension of precision section, ALL of these perspectives can develop perpendicular to the dimension such that
an individual/collective can develop from an 'A' perspective or a 'B' perspective or from a position in-between,
BUT whatever the position, zoom-in and out will pop the same A/B patterns.
If you the reader feel 'unease' with some of this, here is an extract of an email of mine re this issue of what seems to be a linking of intelligence to fermions and bosons!:
"> >Is Mr. Lofting correct when he asserts intelligence at the <
fermions/bosons > particle level ?
>
(1) I DONT. Your missing the point re categorisations. ALL of our labels link to the ONE set of generic qualities
we, as a neuron-dependent species, use to derive meaning. This one set is initially derived from the 'passive'
recursion by our physiology of a dichotomy made-up of the elements of differentiation and integration - abstracted
into the notions of objects and relationships. Our sensory systems seem to be the 'root' cause of this focus on
recursion through their 'encapturing' data at random and 'allowing' that data to bounce around within the bounds
of the sense. What this will do will create a Sierpinksi-like gasket or pattern out of which meaning is derived.
Since our sensory systems reflect 'specialised' neurons (where dendrites are in the form of rods and cones for
the eye etc) so meaning comes out of the neuron.
(2) ALL members of our species (and to less-refined degrees all neuron-dependent lifeforms) use this set of generic
qualities to derive meaning. Local nuances can elicit 'novel' forms of these qualities but in general we use the
one set.
(3) The process of analysing, of mapping, reality is a process where we link the set of generic qualities with
a specific context and from that link derive a discipline/specialisation etc through the creation of a language
that reflects the link of the generic qualities to elements of that specific context.
(4) Physics is one such discipline/specialisation. Mathematics is another. The MBTI is another. The I Ching is
another. Particle Physics is another etc etc etc
(5) All of the labels we use to identify differences within a specialisation are labels tied to the set of generic
qualities used by the species to derive meaning.
(6) IOW all of the labels are not 'the thing' but representatives of the qualities we associate. IOW the ONE generic
quality of 'wholeness' is applied an infinite number of times within a discipline with each application eliciting
a unique label that allows us to communicate differences of 'wholes'. As such an 'electron' is a term used to describe
the integrating of a number of sensory-derived patterns (be they first hand or through some instrument) that identify
some unique properties of a 'whole' (the electron) that we can compare to another 'whole' we have labeled a 'photon'.
(7) Since all we can know is determined by the method used to derive that knowing so all fundamentals in ANY discipline
will be reducible to a dichotomy reflecting the characteristics of differentiation and integration (since the recursion
of that dichotomy is the basic method for deriving meaning at the lowest level of brain processing some awareness)
(8) For example, in particle physics the properties and methods of the categories of 'fermions' and 'bosons' are
those defined by the categories of 'differentiations' and 'integrations' (see the IDM page - http://pages.prodigy.net/lofting/id.html
) - as laid-out in my previous email as:
>
> (a) a focus on the differentiating bias for the category
> of 'fermions'
>
> (b) the binary nature of the category of 'fermions' - and
> that includes the exclusion principle reflected logically
> in the expression of A XOR B (excluded middle stuff, Pauli
> Exclusion Principle, discrete expressions, point particle
> etc focus on asymmetry)
>
> (c) the LOCAL focus of 'fermions', their object nature.
>
> (d) the transition of a fermion categorisation to a boson
> categorisation via the pairing of fermions (as
> n 'electron/positron' pair = energy discharge
> in the form of light etc (and so a boson))
>
> (e) a focus on the integrating bias for the category of
> 'bosons'
>
> (f) the unary nature of the category of 'bosons' -
> the formation of condensates (Bose-Einstein Condensate)
> and so a focus on integration and symmetry.
>
> (g) the cooling down process reflected in increased
> 'integration'. The cooling up process reflected in
> increased 'differentiations' in the form of pairs prior
> to formation of individuals.
>
> (h) Overall the requirement for different statistical methods
> in analysis of fermions (Dirac-Fermi Statistics) and bosons
> (Bose-Einstein Statistics) [A XOR B - left brained precision
> vs A AND B - right brained precision : mind is the oscillation
> across these areas. Also note that in logic the A XOR B
> 'side' reflects more the A IMP B perspective and that goes
> along with the second-level recursion where we find a vector
> format emerging and so asymmetry].. all of this gets into such
> concepts as the EPR 'paradox' that would seem to require
> different statistics depending on whether you are mapping
> at the slits or at the photographic plate that scores the
> hits etc... but then this also gets into the 'we are too
> precise' perspective where reality is non-local but since we
> operate out of the local it is all a bit of a problem for
> us! ;-)
>
> All of the above properties and methods reflect the asymmetry in
> differentiations/integrations and as such are reflected in all
> dichotomies we end-up using to identify reality and as such
> reflects the dynamics of 'thinking'. (recall from IDM the focus
> on differences in precision where differentiations is to the
> unit, integrations is to the PAIR. Furthermore, the ability of
> bosons to form superpositions allow for encoding of multiple
> 'variations' of a boson in the one space and context determines
> the particular expression. For the fermions, their 'demand' for
> difference focuses on their 'independence', their universal
> expression and so forced lack of dependence on context for
> identification. This all maps to the physiological processes
> we see at work in paradox processing -
>
> < http://pages.prodigy.net/lofting/paradox.html > ).
(9) We are not talking 'things' here, we are talking 'categories', labels of, instances of, the same class where
the properties and methods of the class are derived from recursion of differentiation/integration. It is like 'inheritance'
where each specialisation comes into being with a 'basic' set of properties and methods that then get refined to
operate within the context of the specialisation. ALL expression is 'coloured' by the basic elements inherited.
(10) What we call 'fermions' and 'bosons' are patterns detected by our instruments that have unique-enough characteristics
as to be labeled as falling under the category of 'fermion' or 'boson'. Furthermore, the dynamic of the relationships
between fermions and bosons is the same (isomorphic) to those between the concepts of differentiation (fermionic)
and integration (bosonic).
(11) As we move up through cell development etc so we find that the properties and methods of our categories of
mRNA/DNA reflect the same properties and methods as differentiation (mRNA) and integration (DNA).
(12) Change levels of analysis and these same findings now apply to differentiation (protein) and integration (mRNA).
(13) Move into the neuron and we find this pattern dominates - differentiations/discreteness/FM-bias (axonic),
integrations/continuum/AM-bias (dendritic) with the dynamics in the 'middle' in the form of synchronisation processes
applied at the soma and so pre cell firing allowing for a group to 'fire' as if one.
(14) Move to the hemispheres of the limbic system and on to those of the neocortex and you find the same general
biases in expression, differentiations (precise identification) vs integrations (approximate identifications) etc
etc
(15) SO, EITHER (a) all of our maps are determined by the neuron such that all we can see is what 'it' can see
- differentiations (axonic) and integrations (dendritic) and so WITHIN the context of 'particle physics' we see
'fermions and bosons' that are the labels applied to the properties of differentiations and integrations applied
within the specific context....
... OR (b) our adaptations to nature are such that we have adapted to the basic properties and methods of the universe
as determined by the interactions of fermions and bosons such that increased neural complexity allows for consciousness
to recruit those interactions as source of 'meaning'. IOW intelligence is not necessarily at the literal fermion/boson
level but has emerged 'higher up' to USE fermion/boson dynamics to derive meaning (and so our maps are very good
in mapping the universe - or so we think ;-))
(16) The ROOT of meaning is *at least* at the neuron level and is possibly traceable to the interactions of the
basic building blocks of our universe. The neuron reflects an adaptation to the environment and its proliferation
across so many species etc suggests a very ancient 'beginning' (e.g .fish have the 'objects and relationships'
perspective and we mammals stemmed from them a *long* time ago.)
(17) How can we determine the 'begin' point? If the focus is on the neuron then the integrating side of ANY basic
dichotomy will contain 'instincts', pre-determined expressions depending on context to set them off. IOW bosons
will appear to have this property. If they DONT then the focus is on fermion/boson dynamics as being abstracted
and recruited - we can trace our beginnings to the beginning of the universe itself rather than the beginning of
neurons.
(18) Pragmatically, it does not matter - all we do know is that IDM can identify the basic properties and methods
of meaning and with that we can move into the encoding of those basics into AI systems to a degree where it allows
for those systems to develop within themselves."
I hope the above has clearly emphasised what IDM is about and its possible source for development - where the mindless can lead to the mindful. Of additional note is the concept of Androgyny in that in IDM analysis there is a focus on maleXORfemale vs maleANDfemale, with the latter focusing on androgyny. In the categorisations of differentiations and integrations, XOR FROM AND so the properties of androgen are reflected in the realm of integration, of 'bosons', etc etc where the differentiated ('fermions') the MALE OR FEMALE emerge from the integrated. The differentiated as such 'demands' a clear identification in a local context and so from the unary comes the binary. See this summary of the depth of this metaphor in ancient myths.
The following links all relate to the realm of IDM's integration and 'bosonic'
perspectives in categorisations, they touch on/deal with the unary as compared to the binary of differentations
and as such reflect the unary's maleANDfemale as compared to the binary's maleXORfemale. Thus the basic differentiate/integrate
process, when developed in mind, leads to these sorts of expressions, of symbolisms 'trying' to capture the underlying
dynamics of the brain etc:
http://parallel.park.uga.edu/~mkozusko/634/hermo.html
some qabalah/cabala/kabala... roots: http://joannes.richter.bei.t-online.de/Texte/kabba_E.htm
the Ouroboros - http://www.spirasolaris.ca/sbb4f.html
http://meltingpot.fortunecity.com/kuwait/557/ouroboros.html
http://www2.comco.ne.jp/~euxenite/glossary/ouroboros.html
'lucifer' as androgyne - http://home.arcor.de/moonlight-shadowcastle/understanding.htm
the metaphor here sets up the 'opposite' of binary-unary etc etc - this is also the realm of gerunds - the I Ching
can be categorised as 'the book of ings' with its focus on change (transforming/transcending) - and so dialectics.
What is interesting in the above link is that 'light' is the indicator of energy and so 'exaggeration' - asymmetry
as compared to the symmetry of 'balance'. As such there is a link of 'the devil' to over-exaggeration, to seduction,
persuasion etc etc and as such to charismatics in general that act to 'distort' and so attempt to break symmetry.
http://courses.albion.edu/eng337/sandroyny.htm
I think there is enough in the above links to give one a perspective on the influence of the realm of the unary
in the context of the differences in expression that have evolved as our species develops its 'dimension of precision'
as identified in this IDM material. Of special note is that as we move more into the unary so the notion of 'androgyny'will
disappear since in the realm of the unary we can lose sight of 'distinctions'.
In the previous sections we have often referred to the notion of, the concept of, the sense of, the 'eternal'. Where does this sense come from? In the process of pouring energy into an identification of 'something' we will also isolate that 'something' as part of our process of seeking clear identification. There are some subtle properties of our physiology that go with this process and the main one is the distortion of subjective time experience - as we pour in more energy, as we increase our metabolic rates and break and make neural connections to process, to gain fine details of, the 'something' so our awareness of time will become impoverished, it will shift from its thermodynamic roots (the arrow of time) to something that seems stoppable and even reversible. These are all illusions that are useful in trying to take something in our dynamic universe and treat it statically, as some sort of object that we label 'forevermore', as something that we see 'clearly'.
To summarise this physiology, in humans there is a window for information processing
and it is determined by metabolic rates - too high and you take in too much and can become psychotic. Too low and
you cannot link the dots and so are categorised as a cretan.
Within the window, increase in attention for details etc increases metabolic processes allowing for an increasingly
clearer picture BUT with this process comes a distortion in the form of subjective time experience.
the time distortion is related to core temperatures and is about 5 seconds per 0.0005 degree change in temperature.
This maps to about a burn rate of 1.2J/Kg/s where the mass of the individual has a general affect on processing - thus children have 'high' burn rates, absorb a lot of information,
and suffer extreme time distortions in that their 'average' burn rate, linked to heart rate etc, is 60-72 beats
per minute [bpm] but for their size that is 'extreme' when compared to the average adult.
Other factors include affects of hormones on rates, the fitness of the individual (60bpm person can process as
much as a 70bpm person where the 60bpm person is fitter and so more efficient in processing)
The time distortion is useful in that in a thermodynamic universe we need to 'stop' things to get a clear picture
of 'something'. This 'stopping' of time allows for good detail but also causes us to impoverish the concept of
time - time is shifted from being linked to thermodynamics to being something mechanistic and so slowable, stoppable,
and even reversible. - useful delusions a times but also can cause problems in our interpretations of reality where
lack of information about how we process information has allowed us to confuse properties of the method with properties
of reality.
A human will, through habit production, refine the energy processing, driven by a need to conserve energy overall
such that, once habituated, a behaviour is made efficient through energy conservation.
Once a memory has been encoded it seems that it cannot be erased. It can be 'neutralised' by being drowned-out
by other memories but all is integrated such that a specific context can cause a long-lost memory to return.
The creation of habits and efficient processing means that in old age, as neurons die, so routine behaviour is
retained despite the losses.
Overall, the 'rest state' of the human allows for living off habits. Focus attention and a human is 'sped up' to
deal with the data - we are biased to exaggerate to allow us to learn.
A cretan lives off instincts that are 'pre coded', energy conserving processes and as such allow for survival despite
not being able to 'link the dots' in real-time processing of information allowing for new habit creation.
The top end limit is shown in such experiences as 'flashbulb' memories, as happens in such moments as sept 11,
2001 or the JFK assassination, or in a car accident etc where time seems to 'stop' or 'slow down'. This is due
to the high energy rate due to the 'shock' of the moment - heart rates go overboard. These sorts of events are
never forgotten, easily recalled regardless of context - they are 'universal' memories.
Now try and imagine being exposed to this sort of process all of the time. big problem. maddening problem. Thyroid
disorders get into this.
The lesser types of memories are called 'state specific' memories and require the human to be in the same state
as when the memory was recorded - thus infant memories become hard to recall due to the changes in metabolic rate
to mass ratios as the infant develops. Interestingly, increases in temperature as due to fever etc can elicit 'infantile'
behaviour.
Thus there is a 'base' level of energy which rules our world of stimulus/response, of habits and instincts. Our
species has the ability to focus attention over the long term and so 'transcend' the base state and build a very
detailed knowledge base - base that each generation tries to re-label such that we over-exaggerate, get caught
in the loop of expending energy rather than conserving it.
As stated previously, these time distortions are strong in children or in intense situations, e.g. fever or in
high metabolic rate events such as accidents where things 'go so slowly'. The distortion in time can be 5 seconds
a minute or more that over an hour or a day can add-up. Furthermore, with these sorts of experiences can come an
awareness of the 'timeless', the sense of the 'eternal'. This sensing, if reflected upon and documented without
realising its source, can lead to some novel interpretations about reality, not realising that the experience is
DERIVED from physiological processes and as such is not necessarily something of the Universe but IS necessarily
a property of our species, a property that has paid a major part in the development of the species' sense of the
'spiritual'.
As mentioned earlier, in our species, and other species for that matter, there appear to be two fundamental instincts sourced in the need for species PROTECTION. They are:
In particular, the transcendence function within the differentiation processes allows for variations in the experience in that the function is intense WITHIN the individual or particular collective, and more general within the context of BETWEEN individuals/collectives, collectives/species. Thus the dominating influence of the transcendence function allows for a developing sense of the 'spiritual', more so when we combine exaggerated feelings of the above instincts with the sense of the 'eternal'. Thus lack of understanding about our neurocognitive processes can lead to an 'idealist' perspective and it is this sense of the eternal, and the idealist perspective, that separates the 'everyday of the Species' from the 'everyday of the Universe'.
The hybrid species-everyday is strongly 'mind-made' and as such contains a sense of the spiritual that is very much a part of the species regardless of issues in the species of the source of the spiritual. As such, all religions etc are more so METAPHORS for attempts to describe this 'sense of the eternal' combined with the above protection instincts and a lack of understanding of our species nature - a lack that is only now being delt-with (for IDM the source of the spiritual is in the species). For an example of the consequences of not understanding our neurocognitive processes and the derivation of a rich world of angels and demons etc see the page on angels.
In the IDM model there is a focus on linkage, linked to the basic concept of
integration. The model identifies TWO integration processes, one BETWEEN things and the other WITHIN a thing. (note
that IDM claims that the exaggeration process of differentiating gives us a sense of the 'eternal', the timeless,
other than an impoverished, mechanistic perspective that is more a reflection of sequencing WITHIN something.)
- note in what follows that these distinctions of between vs within were not delt with, the experiment seemed to
force a 'between' focus. What is noteworthy is that the experiments were on the experience of time as in measurement
of durations (and so requiring a coordinates perspective), not on the source of the biological clocks we have in
our brains (limbic system areas).
What is also noteworthy is the focus on dopamine, an aminergic-based transmitter that I have linked before to a
focus on integration but more so on WITHIN (gets into the feelings of total, exaggerated, faith in oneself, total
focus, that comes with amphetamines etc) - the serototin bias seems to associate more with the BETWEEN in the form
of feelings towards OTHERS as compared to feelings towards SELF (the experiment below was more focused on the quantitative
than the IDM focus on meaning and so the more qualitative) (dopamine is also involved with the cerrebellum which
deals with movements etc)
Note that the exaggeration of amphetamines, speed, for 'normal' people is in the speeding-up and as such a sense
of over-powerful. For an ADD/ADHDer this 'integration' can be a feeling of being 'normal'. As such speeding-up
should introduce an issue of time distortion and the sense of power in the form of a sense of being 'eternal'.
Since in IDM we recognise differentiations and integrations are functions across the system BUT with biases such
that the focus on something, a single context emphasis, favours a differentiation (an object) with integration
issues WITHIN that differentiation. The more general we get so the more we move into a realm that favours a focus
on integrations in that differentiations are IMPLIED - a summing of coordinates of objects etc. and so a more BETWEEN
bias emerges.
The issue therefore is more on the brain's focus on integration of ANYTHING and that includes 'time' as it does
'sequence' etc where time as a thermodynamic concept (irreversible) is different to time as a mechanistic concept
(reversible).
In the brain the parietal lobe is strongly associated with relational issues and as such has a bias to coordinates
processing . Note that the comments on left side parietal damage did not reflect a time problem but other work
does indicate the left to relate to issues re precision etc and so we get into the time-as-thermodynamic and so
definite begin-end as compared to time-as-mechanistic and so an OBJECT bias etc etc. As such the time issue may
be too 'complex' a question in that the brain has no knowledge of the concept other than being reduced to 'objects
and relationships', differentiations and integrations - mind (as in brain in 'universal' mode) knows 'time', basic
brain does not in that all it knows is that it is an 'integration' issue or a 'differentiation' issue)
Here is the 'recent' (Nov 2001) paper of interest (cant get into Nature Neuroscience so here is a report - http://unisci.com/stories/20011/0227013.htm) where this focus on coordinates is demonstrated:
Brain Areas Critical To Human Time Sense Identified
Timing is everything. It comes into play when making split second decisions, such as knowing when to stop at a
red light, catch a ball or modulate rhythm when playing the piano.
Now researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee and Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Albuquerque
have identified areas in the brain responsible for perceiving the passage of time in order to carry out critical
everyday functions.
Their study is the first to demonstrate that the basal ganglia located deep within the base of the brain, and the
parietal lobe located on the surface of the right side of the brain, are critical areas for this time-keeping system.
Their results are published in the current issue of Nature Neuroscience. Importantly, the study calls into question
a long-standing and widely held belief in the scientific community that the cerebellum is the critical structure
involved in time perception.
"We are excited that our findings can also have application to better understand some neurological disorders,"
says Stephen M. Rao, Ph.D., professor of neurology at the Medical College and principal investigator. "By
identifying the area in the brain responsible for governing our sense of time, scientists can now study defective
time perception, which has been observed in patients with Parkinson's disease and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), two maladies commonly thought to have abnormal function within the basal ganglia."
Making accurate decisions regarding the duration of brief intervals of time from 300 milliseconds to 10 seconds
is critical to most aspects of human behavior. Contemporary theories of short interval timing assume the existence
of a timekeeper system within the brain, yet identifying these brain systems has been elusive and controversial.
Using a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique that tracks second-by-second changes in brain
activity, investigators identified regions within the brain that are critical for this timekeeping system.
Seventeen healthy, young men and women volunteers were imaged while being asked to perceive the duration of time
between the presentations of two consecutive tones. One second later, two more tones were presented and subjects
were asked to make a judgment as to whether the duration between the tones was shorter or longer than the first
two tones.
To make sure that the brain systems associated with time perception were clearly identified, two control tasks
were given which involved listening to tones or estimating their pitch, but not making judgments about their duration.
Using this fast imaging technique, the investigators were able to isolate only those areas of the brain activated
during presentation of the first two tones -- when subjects are only perceiving and attending to time. Their results
conclusively demonstrated that timekeeping functions are governed by the basal ganglia and the right parietal cortex.
Investigators have long suspected, based on indirect evidence, that the basal ganglia might be involved in time
perception. The basal ganglia have nerve cells that primarily contain the neurotransmitter, dopamine.
Patients with Parkinson's disease have an abnormal reduction in dopamine within the basal ganglia and commonly
experience problems with time perception. These difficulties partially improve when patients are administered a
drug that increases dopamine levels in the brain.
Defective time perception has also been observed in patients with Huntington's disease and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), two disorders commonly thought to have abnormal function within the basal ganglia. Animal studies
have also demonstrated the importance of dopamine in timekeeping.
Medical College researchers at Froedtert Hospital, a major teaching affiliate of the Medical College, are currently
using this new neuroimaging procedure to better understand how the brain enables dopamine replacement drugs and
methylphenidate (Ritalin) to normalize time perception in individuals with Parkinson's disease and ADHD, respectively.
An additional study, in collaboration with investigators at the University of Iowa, will examine time perception
in the early stages of Huntington's disease, prior to the development of the characteristic movement disorder.
The critical role of the parietal lobes in timekeeping was first suggested by coauthor Deborah L. Harrington, Ph.D.,
research scientist, Veterans Affairs Medical Center and associate research professor of neurology and psychology,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM. She and her colleagues reported that stroke patients with damage to
the parietal cortex on the right but not the left side of the brain experienced impaired time perception.
Patients for the study have been drawn from Froedtert Hospital and the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee. Additionally,
the researchers are studying adult ADHD patients who have been seen since childhood at the Medical College.
Coauthor of the study with Drs. Rao and Harrington is Andrew R. Mayer, M.S., graduate student, department of neurology,
Medical College of Wisconsin.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the W.M. Keck Foundation to
the Medical College, and the Department of Veterans Affairs and National Foundation for Functional Brain Imaging
to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Albuquerque. - By Toranj Marphetia
The abstract:
Nat Neurosci 2001 Mar;4(3):317-23
The evolution of brain activation during temporal processing.
Rao SM, Mayer AR, Harrington DL.
Department of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.
Timing is crucial to many aspects of human performance. To better understand its neural underpinnings, we used
event-related fMRI to examine the time course of activation associated with different components of a time perception
task. We distinguished systems associated with encoding time intervals from those related to comparing intervals
and implementing a response. Activation in the basal ganglia occurred early, and was uniquely associated with encoding
time intervals, whereas cerebellar activation unfolded late, suggesting an involvement in processes other than
explicit timing. Early cortical activation associated with encoding of time intervals was observed in the right
inferior parietal cortex and bilateral premotor cortex, implicating these systems in attention and temporary maintenance
of intervals. Late activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex emerged during comparison of time intervals.
Our results illustrate a dynamic network of cortical-subcortical activation associated with different components
of temporal information processing.
From the analysis of two seeming extremes - Western Political Economics and Chinese Medicine - we can identify a cycle of behaviour that is manifest in all disciplines and has a fractal-like nature in that it is applicable at all scales of analysis. It serves to filter the focus of octets in IDM, each octet reflecting 'pure forms' free of temporal content, down to sets of five. This filtering is from the phases in the cycle. They are:
(1) Production (general output of material, be it physical things or ideas etc)
(2) Distribution (general distribution of products, structure, packaging etc)
(3) Filtration (rules of accepting/rejecting prior to involvement in actual exchange etc [mediation]/QA)
(4) Exchange (local distribution, cooperative as well as competative exchange - focus on replacement)
(5) Consumption (includes socialisation through education, living the 'party line' etc)
Karl Marx expounded on these greatly in the mid 1800s in his analysis of Political Economy (in three volumes of
Capital as well as in three volumes on Surplus Value (Collectively considered as volume IV or Capita and various
other textsl). For example, Marx wrote:
"PRODUCTION creates articles corresponding to requirements; DISTRIBUTION
allocates then according to social laws; EXCHANGE in its turn distributes the goods, which have already been allocated,
in conformity to individual needs; finally in CONSUMPTION the product leaves this social movement, it becomes the
direct object and servant of an individual need, which its use satisfies. PRODUCTION thus appears as the point
of departure, consumption as the goal, distribution and exchange as the middle, which has a dual form, since according
to the definition, DISTRIBUTION is actuated by society, and EXCHANGE is actuated by individuals. In production
persons acquire an objective aspect, and in consumption objects acquire a subjective aspect; in distribution it
is society which by means of dominant general rules mediates between production and consumption; in exchange this
mediation occurs as a result of random decisions of individuals." (*my*
uppercase) IN from section 2 - General Relations of Production to Distribution, Exchange, and Consumption in Marx,
K., "Introduction to a Critique of Political Economy" IN C.J.Arthur (ed) of Marx and Engels "The
German Ideology" (International Publishers, 2001)
Note the last section:
"In production persons acquire an objective aspect, and in consumption
objects acquire a subjective aspect; in distribution it is society which by means of dominant general rules mediates
between production and consumption; in exchange this mediation occurs as a result of random decisions of individuals"
Obviously Marx was AWARE of Filtration (here using the term mediation) but he did not attribute it as a phase in
its own right - although he correctly associated mediation to the 'middle' elements of the cycle as a part to distribution
and a part to exchange.
PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION (includes filteration rules from society)
EXCHANGE (includes filtration rules from self)
CONSUMPTION
Of note here is that Marx comes up with two basic circuits of flow within this
'five-phase' cycle:
(1) C -> M -> C Where a commodity (C) is exchanged for money (M) that is then exchanged for a commodity.
This is a traditional, balancing, and so maintaining of integration process. The M was introduced to allow one
to hold off on a direct commodity for commodity exchange, to transfer the value into money that can be used later
to get a commodity of the same value. Overall, things remain balanced and any exploitation is done through the
exploitation of money.
(2) M -> C -> M' Here we have turned the above circuit 'on its head' where now we use money to buy commodities
that we then sell for (a) our original outlay PLUS (b) a little bit 'extra' - here is the source of the concept
of 'Surplus Value'. In other words this circuit shifts the focus of exploitation from money to the exploitation
of commodities - aka labour and raw materials.
In the context of the I Ching and Ancient China, the yin/yang perspective is
extended into the realm of dynamics through what is called 'Five-Phase Theory'. This theory reflects a dynamic
of energy 'flow', Qi
(or Ch'i), and is dominant in Chinese Medicine and shown through the specialisation of Acupuncture. The overall
focus in Chinese Medicine is in the maintaining of the balance of 'Qi' in the body, to maintain 'harmony'.
The C-M-C circuit reflects the flow of Qi between nodes. The M-C-M' circuit reflects the recruitment of Qi to make
more Qi, and so the process of exploitation and transcendence over the more traditional focus on integration, transformation
where all we do is shapeshift rather than also transcend.
The properties and methods of the dynamics of Qi and the dynamics of Money/Capital reflect an overall set of properties
and methods within the species' method of deriving meaning, of processing 'value'. Thus the Chinese extension of
yin/yang into five-phase is also reflected in the socioeconomic extension of supply/demand into five socioeconomic
phases. The difference seems to be in that Acupuncture aims to 'keep things moving' by defusing exaggerations and
so maintaining balance and ensuring 'flow' whereas Capitalism favours accumulating 'Qi' at certain points to use
it as leverage to 'make' more Qi, or more so to exaggerate, to form an asymmetry out of the symmetry. As such Capitalism
can be 'unhealthy' if not managed correctly!
What we note in the intentional exploitation to make money is the reaction to this process in that the excessive
exploitation of labour (people) and means of production (the planet's raw materials) has led to something Marx
did NOT pick up on - interventionism. Interventionism comes in the form of (a) Socialism to aid in mediating the
exploitation of labour, and (b) Conservationism to aid in mediating the exploitation of raw materials, and as such
reflects the Acupuncturist's needles. (and so in modern, more developed, times, we find most countries have a political
party that is 'capitalist' and often TWO respondent parties, a socialist party ('Labour' or 'Democrat' parties
(e.g. Labour in the UK, SPD in Germany, Democrats in the USA)), and a conservationist party (the "Greens"
in UK,Germany, Australia etc etc - Ralph Nader's party in the last US elections, showing the distinct differences
between Socialist focus vs Conservationist focus where the latter took votes off the Democrats since the Democrats
are more focused on labour than resources)
In Chinese medicine, in Acupuncture this 'mediation' is in the form of the use of needles 'in the right places'.
(The Marxist-Leninist focus on capitalism turning into socialism etc reflects the intuitive understanding of the
mediation of capitalism, of exaggerations, but a failure to understand that you cannot 'remove' or 'replace' capitalism,
just 'moderate' it to a degree where it can look 'socialist' - but then modern capitalism IS socialist when compared
to the unbridled capitalism of the 1850s - the times that Marx wrote about. Furthermore, Marxist_Leninist philosophy
focuses on the abolition of 'exploitation' - again something 'impossible' since it is a behaviour built-in to all
species as a method of survival!).
In BOTH Chinese five-phase and in the analysis of the flow of capital we find identical, GENERIC patterns that
are not properties of Chinese Medicine nore Capitalist Economics but properties of the species' determination and
use of 'value' and as such stem from IDM processes at the level of general dynamics that is then applied within
specialisations.
By understanding these 'universal' properties and methods of dynamics so we can start to see the possibilities
in the use of such metaphors as the I Ching to 'describe' reality, not just in describing the static forms of trigrams
and hexagrams but also their dialectical properties that 'feed' both the maintaining of balance (transformations)
as well as the ability to 'transcend'.
As such, just as there are two forms of economics - balancing vs transcending - so there are two forms of five-phase
where rather than maintain 'balance' all of the time, there may be LOCAL situations where some exaggeration is
needed to 'transcend' something. The issue is to avoid getting too 'addicted' to transcendence. (drug use reflects
this where the use of cocaine/speed acts to exaggerate the sense of self, as does the use of ecstacy act to exaggerate
social contact/wellbeing)
What is required is a mapping of the generic processes from the level of 'differentiations and integrations' and
this stems from the IDM work where the similarity in dynamics of 'Qi' management 'in the body' vs money/capital
'management' between bodies reflects the ability to treat social interactions as organic in form and as such move
from managing/predicting body states to managing/predicting socioeconomic states. (For more on five-phase work
see the general page of five phase as well as the summary of five-phase
described through the I Ching)