Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time • Hacker News Board

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#71

Post by danharaj » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 2:59 PM UTC

tomrod wrote: post #55

titzer wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that this time around we have massively augmented our data processing capabilities and improved our ability to investigate brain function at multiple scales. We can now formulate falsifiable theories and test them. Science was still pretty immature in the 19th century in that it wasn't always possible to crisply state theories in ways that give rise to testable predictions. Is the brain solely a com…

> We can now formulate falsifiable theories and test them. Science was still pretty immature in the 19th century in that it wasn't always possible to crisply state theories in ways that give rise to testable predictions. Doesn't that still hold true today with string theory and social sciences?

String theory is more analogous to quantum field theory than it is to the standard model. The standard model is a model of quantum field theory. Likewise, a theory of everything could potentially be a model of string theory. Particular models of string theory are ruled out by the same experiments that rule out particular models of quantum field theory. The ultimate goal is to find a model of some theory that reduces to the standard model in the low energy limit and includes gravity.

Now, it's potentially the case that string theory makes predictions for a given model that can't be practically tested. That's definitely an issue. Another issue is that we haven't yet pared down the possibilities in string theory to a parameter space that can be reasonably searched experimentally.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#72

Post by socmag » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:00 PM UTC

FeepingCreature wrote: post #27

coldtea wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As far as I have experienced its just noise on the wire that we sometimes are conscious enough to recognize. If it was actual noise it would have absolute minimal statistical chance of having any coherent structure.

It's noise in brainspace, which is already structured.

I have lucid dreams almost every night now. I'm talking about entire story arcs with plot twists.

Last nights had Donald Trump, my wife and Jennifer Love Hewitt. There were riots going on and people reading newspapers with moving video ink. There was an old book called "The Fall" that was filled with fascinating ink drawings of ritualistic acts (eg: a man sat cross legged on broken fragments of his own arms). Etc. That kind of stuff. Had a full story.

Noise on the line in Brain-space could still be the case, but if so we can learn something from that noise regarding the way brain structures work.

What I'm saying is if it is just noise, then the noise must be feeding into an entire projective area of creativity that amplifies that noise, not just locally but over time, and in ways that maintain consistency.

Really fascinates me

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#73

Post by SolaceQuantum » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:04 PM UTC

I would be interested to see how this relates to mental illnesses such as ADHD, schizophrnias catatonic states, and dissociative identity disorder. But maybe that will be another decade out.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#74

Post by jschwartzi » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:06 PM UTC

treenyc wrote: post #42

KKKKkkkk1 wrote: post #4

You know how every generation conceives of the brain as a machine that's analogous to the latest technology of that generation? Like in the 19th century, the brain was a steam engine, and then in the 20th it was a computer? Well, apparently now the brain is a smartphone.

It is a human illness wanting to explain something to just stratify our rational thinking. In reality whenever there is a paradigm shift, the previous explanation becomes obsolete. So stop trying to explain things and go out an do it and experience for yourself.

I don't understand. Are you suggesting that our drive to reason about things and to construct mental models is an illness?

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#75

Post by api » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:14 PM UTC

So our brains have Speedstep and are able to shut down cores to save power? :)

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#76

Post by noonespecial » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:23 PM UTC

mdrzn wrote: post #68

noonespecial wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have migraines and every once in a blue moon I get a very interesting symptom along with it. Fully awake and cognizant I simply lose the ability to read. Even Dick and Jane become nearly insurmountable. It happens even before the pain and aura arrive, I'm fully functional, just suddenly illiterate. Its the damndest thing. It's only for a few minutes but I know what it's like to be a fully grown adult with a relativ…

This is interesting. Does it happen before every migraine, or just sometimes? Have you got yourself checked out? Hope everything is fine but that shit would scare me like hell at least the first couple times.

Almost never. Once every two years or so. But it first happened when I was 15 and I thought I was dying! Turns out it runs in my family. When I told my mom she did the whole "there's something you should know..." It was like a superhero backstory, except it sucked instead.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#77

Post by coldtea » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:40 PM UTC

pavel_lishin wrote: post #70

coldtea wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As far as I have experienced its just noise on the wire that we sometimes are conscious enough to recognize. If it was actual noise it would have absolute minimal statistical chance of having any coherent structure.

Rorschach tests seem to have coherent structure, despite being randomly generated blobs.

Only in the superficial way in which we see figures in clouds, tree barks, etc. that we can name. Not in the sense that somebody sees a specific figure in a Rorschach test. But in dreams we have the impression of very specific semblances and "movie-like" experiences.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#78

Post by vorotato » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:49 PM UTC

noonespecial wrote: post #66

nxc18 wrote: post #20

Taking some time to reflect on and consider my own thinking behavior has been interesting. Just like exploring any other system, subjecting myself to sleep stress (in order to meet aggressive deadlines) has allowed me to see what happens when certain things fail, revealing functional boundaries. I see it as kind of analogous to when you starve a circuit/device of power - it behaves in unexpected ways, revealing imple…

I have migraines and every once in a blue moon I get a very interesting symptom along with it. Fully awake and cognizant I simply lose the ability to read. Even Dick and Jane become nearly insurmountable. It happens even before the pain and aura arrive, I'm fully functional, just suddenly illiterate. Its the damndest thing. It's only for a few minutes but I know what it's like to be a fully grown adult with a relativ…

I have the same thing when I have migraines. Apparently it can be a symptom? It's like I can see the words but I can't make sense of what they mean.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#79

Post by pavel_lishin » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:55 PM UTC

coldtea wrote: post #77

pavel_lishin wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rorschach tests seem to have coherent structure, despite being randomly generated blobs.

Only in the superficial way in which we see figures in clouds, tree barks, etc. that we can name. Not in the sense that somebody sees a specific figure in a Rorschach test. But in dreams we have the impression of very specific semblances and "movie-like" experiences.

> in the superficial way in which we see figures in clouds, tree barks, etc. that we can name.

Exactly!

I've seen very specific semblances in coffee spills, knot-holes, etc. The reason they're not movie-like is because they're still and static, and not connected directly to my brain.

Dreams have the advantage of being on the bare wires, whereas Rorschach tests and the like are air-gapped.

Re: Portions of the brain fall asleep and wake back up all the time

#80

Post by drzaiusapelord » Tue, Dec 06, 2016, 3:56 PM UTC

nxc18 wrote: post #20

Taking some time to reflect on and consider my own thinking behavior has been interesting. Just like exploring any other system, subjecting myself to sleep stress (in order to meet aggressive deadlines) has allowed me to see what happens when certain things fail, revealing functional boundaries. I see it as kind of analogous to when you starve a circuit/device of power - it behaves in unexpected ways, revealing imple…

>I've noticed that when sleep deprived I notice different things and have a more diverse set of emergent thoughts/recall events.

Focus and sleep are clearly related. When my sleep apnea goes untreated, I feel like I suffer from ADHD. In fact, I was certain I had it until I received treatment for SA. Its incredible what poor sleep can do to us. The list of things that go wrong with poor sleep is pretty long.

If you're getting this often, I would get checked for SA.