Fri 19.09.2014 - 09:00-10:00 - Plečnik 1-2-3

The Gifted Brain  Paper  Presentation  Video

Presenter: Norbert Jaušovec

There is probably no doubt that our brain is the source of intelligent behavior as vividly illustrated by Mountcastle's quote:  “'Each of us lives within the universe – the prison – of his own brain.” [Mountcastle, V. B.  The View from Within: Pathways to the Study of Perception. Johns Hopkins Medical Journal, 136, 1975,  p. 131]. The electronic age has provided techniques and instruments that allow neuroscientist a deeper insight into this ‘brain prison’. The aim of the presentation is to answer the question: Has neuropsychology anything to say about giftedness? The talk is organized as follows: The first section deals with some key-characteristics of brain function and brain mapping techniques based on electrophysiological (EEG, MEG, TMS, TES), and hemodynamic principles (fMRI, PET, SPECT, NIRS).  Next, we describe what these methods have revealed about the brain with a special focus on findings that have direct relevance to the field intelligence, creativity, and giftedness. Findings related to attention and memory are discussed, as well as individual differences related to ability, and personality are reviewed.  Finally, we discuss neuropsychological studies of intelligence and creativity, the implication of these findings on our understanding of giftedness.

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