Indirectly related, I always thought that left / dominant PFC was somewhat higher up in cortical hierarchy than the right / non-dominant PFC. Same for temporal lobes. Because it’s err… dominant. But this post got me thinking, it’s only dominant in task-specific context, which is easier to see / test for. By definition, general would be less specific and less visible, similar higher-order distinction between TPN and DMN. So in terms of relative generality, cortical lateralization works the opposite way of what me and everyone else assumed.
Also, she talks a lot about dACC, but I think it’s mostly a mediator of competition between TPN and DMN, with the later being more general. I think dmPFC in DMN is the very top of cortical hierarchy.
That paper assumes that we have the ability to override basic generic synaptic plasticity effects of LTP, which I find increddibly biologically implausible (trauma effects). Retrospective “conscious” decisions are a few iterations after basic biology has had an impact and more influenced by prior learning than the current event. Supressed memories relate to things like PTSD or typical trauma effects or what Sigmund Fraud ended up with the battle of the Id and the Ego (cortex vs the rest). The conflict between what has inherently been fast learnt biologically in the cortex (HC/EC reinforced short term) vs the slower feed through to the lower brain/cerebellum.
Having experienced the effects of PTSD it’s a very strange retrospective exploration of events. Dreams make sense over time, the un-balanced memories or events, replaying in abstract ways until balanced. You can’t erase the effects LTP, you have to addapt to what is there, creating an architecture around the hard wired LTP of the time. It’s all about balance, not magically errasing biology.
There is a woman who had half her hemesphere removed for a treatment (and was just the same 2-4 weeks later), which seemed to be a very blunt message that we don’t really need as many neurons as we think we do… and hemispheres are not as critical and different as to what we may think they are.
There is a great TED presentation by a researcher that focused on the last hours of dying patients, which is really worth watching because it seems to me to be all about the energy requirement needed to continually supress or balance issues that we have not dealt with. When we no longer have the energy for the process to continue we halucinate a solution shortly before we die… the energy balancing in life.
That said, I’m stil sat alongside my camp fire I just lit (figuring out what fire is) and still know nothing, but just happy to be stat next to a fire enjoying life…