Alvaro
Oct 4th, 2006
Oct 4th, 2006
Brain exercise: who is this?
Who, or what is this? Why are we talking about him? Let me give you a clue: his name in Homunculus.
The answer is posted as a Comment.
SharpBrains
-
About Our Blog
Research-based information on Brain Fitness and Cognitive Health, authored by Alvaro Fernandez and over 10 Expert Contributors.
Watch this fun short animation:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/flash/hom.html
In short, the figure shows what a man's body would look like if each body part kept proportion to the area of the cortex of the brain involved with its sensory perception.
that is hilarious! - I was mildly apprehensive about whether or not they would omit certain body parts - particularly if it was for kids to see - but they cunningly glossed over the issue!
Yes, I had to be careful
The funny face looks like a funny figure from AESOPES FABLES OR ARABIANNIGHTS
BUT MAY REPRESENTA STAGE IN EVOLUTIN OFMAN BETWEN APE AND HOUS ERECTUS-A V K RAO
Hi A V K, please check the little animation and enjoy it
[...] 5. Who is this?: A very important little guy [...]
[...] 5. Who is this?: A very important little guy [...]
he is the little man in your head that causes all your visual activities.
e22: please check the visual animation
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/flash/hom.html
This ugly and deformed man is a representation of the degree of sensitivity of the surfaces of our body, in means of the amount of cortex dedicated to each. The most bigger body parts are the mor sensitive, like the lips and hands. The smaller ones are the ons that require the less sensitivity of all, like our legs and back.
Great explanation, Rodrigo, thanks.
[...] 3. Who is this?: A very important little guy (Interactive). [...]
ummmm...this isn't a brain exercise of any kind, it's a trivia question.
[...] 3. Who is this?: A very important little guy (Interactive). [...]
Now THAT explains why kissing is so effective. See the size of the mouth, especially the lips.
Touching a fellow human being, by design, is something pleasurable, because we need that for reproduction. Kissing might be considered just another form of touching, but its effect is so much stronger than that of most other activities.
Great point, FreeBee
The homunculus is also commonly used to describe the distorted human figure drawn to reflect the relative space our body parts occupy on the somatosensory cortex (sensory homunculus) and the motor cortex (motor homunculus). The lips, hands, feet and sex organs have more sensory neurons than other parts of the body, so the homunculus has correspondingly distortedly large lips, hands, feet, and genitals. Well known in the field of neurology, this is also commonly called 'the little man inside the brain.'
I saw the same animation last night on a show called "In the Living Body" on the National Geographic channel.
Hello Beachgirl: thanks for the head up!
It is the species of man before evolving into homo sapeans
Hello Jazz, that would be quite funny
check the animation and you'll see what it is
Would the size of some of Mr. Homunculus' body parts change with age, skill level, or profession? Somehow, I picture Norm Abram having larger hands and Garrison Keillor having a bigger mouth. Sorry, Mr. Keillor. No pun intended.
Indeed, it would. A pianist would devote a larger area to receiving information from the fingers, and so on. That is the kind of research that Merzenich ad others did with monkeys, and saw clearly that effect. With humans there is of course less information, but enough data to suggest how it applies too
funny, entertaining and definitely educational... no wonder my hands feel big,tee-hee...
especially your fingers!
glad you enjoy the site.
the answer is hilarious
it is Penfield's Homunculus it is an schematic design of the cortical representation of the motor area in the parietal lobe. I saw it in physiology.