danae marie

I have been doing some investigation on the brain, primarily the parietal lobes. Apparently, this part of the brain has two functions. According to the Centre for Neuro Skills, the first function of the parietal lobes integrates sensory information to form a single perception (cognition). The second function constructs a spatial coordinate system to represent the world around us. Individuals with damage to the parietal lobes often show striking deficits, such as abnormalities in body image and spatial relations (as cited in Kandel, Schwartz & Jessel, 1991).

I can't help but wonder if I had mild damage to my parietal lobes in childhood. For reasons I cannot explain, I have a terrible sense of direction. I get lost constantly in local areas I should be familiar with. I also have difficulty distinguishing my right from my left, another indication of parietal lobe damage. In addition to this, especially as an adolescent, my perception of body image was completely distorted. I had no concept of it, and always considered myself fat when in reality this was not the case at all.

The brain fascinates me. So much of who we are derives from the health and function of our brain! More on this later...