Beware of these pseudo-sciences in the cloak of brain science

　　Our reporter Zhang Ye

　　Left-handed IQ is high, classical music can improve memory, left brain is responsible for abstract thinking, right brain is responsible for image thinking...

　　On a short video platform, search for keywords such as "left and right brain" and "brain test", and many small videos about the brain test will pop up. For example, if you see an image, if you see a clockwise rotation, it means you are right Brain-type thinking, counterclockwise rotation means that you are left-brain type thinking, etc. There are video bloggers saying that the left brain is mainly responsible for abstract thinking, and the right brain is mainly responsible for image thinking; in these test videos, there will also be tests for left and right brains Which test link is more flexible...

　　The reporter saw that in the comment area, many netizens expressed their opinions, and most of them expressed their conviction. Some even said that their temperament and personality were related to the uneven development of the brain.

　　So, are these tests scientifically justified? Does our brain have left and right brain divisions, and how do they divide and cooperate? Will the left and right brain development produce different personality traits?

　Myth: The left brain is responsible for abstract thinking, and the right brain is responsible for image thinking

　　Truth: There is a functional division of the brain, but it is not divided by the left and right brains

　　"The so-called left brain is responsible for abstract thinking such as logic and reasoning, and the right brain is responsible for image thinking such as art and space, and divides people into left and right brain types. It is a complete pseudoscience." School of Bioscience and Medical Engineering, Southeast University , Dr. Yang Yuankui, Research Center for Learning Science, Key Laboratory of Child Development and Learning Science of Ministry of Education, said.

　　Former US President Barack Obama said helplessly that as human beings, we can confirm galaxies a few light years away, we can study particles smaller than atoms, but we still cannot reveal the three-pound matter (referred to as the brain) between the ears. Mystery.

　　Therefore, the brain is also dubbed the "three-pound universe", just like the universe, it is intangible and fascinating.

　　At present, we already know that there are about 86 billion nerve cells in the human brain, which are connected by a large number of synapses to form an extremely complex neural network, and the functional division of some brain tissues has been confirmed.

　　Yang Yuankui told reporters that the main anatomical structures of the brain include the frontal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe, and temporal lobe. The cell layer that covers the entire surface of the brain and is about 2-3 mm is called the cerebral cortex. The human cerebral cortex is an area where nerve cell bodies are concentrated. It is divided into 6 cell layers. It is the conscious structure of the human central nervous system. It is not only related to various sensations and movements of the body, but also closely related to various cognitive abilities such as language and thinking. Related. According to the neuronal morphology and function of the cerebral cortex, the cortex can be divided into several areas, such as the somatosensory cortex, motor cortex (including primary motor cortex, anterior motor cortex, auxiliary motor area), visual cortex, auditory cortex, olfaction Cortex, language center, etc.

　　For example, most people's language centers (mainly Broca's area and Wernicke's area) are in the left brain, and the language area of ​​the left brain is slightly larger than the corresponding right brain language area. Interestingly, our brain hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body, that is, the right brain hemisphere controls the left arm. The operation of sensory perception is the same: the left hemisphere can sense the touch of the right hand. It can be seen from this that the basic principle of the nervous system is that all consciousness and motor nerve fibers will cross before they enter the brain.

　　The true establishment of the concept of division of labor between the left and right brains began in the 1950s. Scientists conducted a split-brain experiment on animals, and found that when the animals were cut off all the connections between the left and right brains, these animals still lived normally. Further research found that the left and right brains have their own functions of feeling, cognition, and memory, that is, the left brain has the function of the right brain, and the right brain also has the function of the left brain, but each has its own division of labor and focus.

Myth: The left and right brains work alone

　　Truth: Do everything, the left and right brains are done together

　　This series of split-brain experiments showed that there are significant differences in the way the left and right hemispheres process information.

　　However, for those plausible pseudo-scientific judges, the results of this study are in the middle. They simply blamed specific personality traits on specific brain hemispheres. For example, the right brain is better at recognizing the overall style and drawing, and it simply encapsulates all creative activities to the right brain; the left brain is good at logical thinking, can speak good words, just say left The brain is in control of cognitive learning.

　　"The functional areas of the human brain are indeed divided, and the functions of the left and right hemispheres do have a certain degree of asymmetry, but in fact, when we are doing anything, our brain network is synergistic. Work, that is, the functional network formed by the left and right hemispheres is cooperating to complete various tasks. We do not have any ability that is completely determined by a certain position of a certain hemisphere." Yang Yuankui told reporters.

　　Although there are several specific functions that are specifically focused on a certain cerebral hemisphere, this cannot be used to explain all personality traits. Yes, the language center is mostly in the left brain, but the right brain is also responsible for the rhythm of the language.

　　Through imaging technology research, scientists further found that the two hemispheres of the brain usually cooperate with each other to complete the function of the brain. This is true even for the mathematical thinking skills that are often attributed to the left brain. The closer the two brain hemispheres work together, the better the mathematical problem will be solved. If only one side is activated (such as the left brain that everyone thinks is true of mathematical logic), there is no way to solve difficult logical problems.

　　That is to say, it is obvious that a certain brain area is the so-called logical center or creative center, and naturally there is no artistic right brain and mathematical left brain.

　　Yang Yuankui said that taking the Broca area, which is the easiest to understand and responsible for language production, as an example, few people's language center areas will be concentrated in a single brain hemisphere, although some left-handed language centers may be contrary to normal right-handed, but In fact, it is across the two hemispheres of the brain, which means that when a person speaks, different brain regions of the two brain hemispheres are required to work together, or to complete some other complex tasks, and even some cooperative brain regions are still far apart.

Myth: Left-handed people have higher intelligence than ordinary people

　　Truth: The level of intelligence is related to whether the left and right brains can work together efficiently

　　Many people once thought that left-handers are geniuses; there are many preschool institutions under the guise of whole brain development, claiming to promote the intellectual development of young children; there are also rumors that the brain has a Mozart effect, that is, often listening to Mozart or other classical music, Can improve learning and memory.

　　In the view of Yang Yuankui, these are all "neural myths", that is, misunderstandings or exaggerated interpretations of the results of brain science research. "Human intelligence is largely related to whether the left and right brains can work together efficiently, and does not depend on them. On one side, the ability to coordinate and work together is one of the most important indicators."

　　For the cause of left-handedness, science has not yet concluded, but Yang Yuankui explained that according to existing research, there are three reasons for the production of left-handedness. First, it is related to genes. Scientists have screened hundreds of genes that may be related, but It is not clear; the second is related to the position of the pregnant fetus, which one hand is more flexible, and the third is related to the child's handing habits after birth.

　　"But what is certain is that there is no scientific evidence that left-handed people have higher intelligence than ordinary people." Yang Yuankui said.

　　The specialized cell connections between brain neurons are called synapses-this is the key structure for neurons to interact. The process of learning and memory is the process of generating a large number of synaptic connections.

　　The connection, strengthening, pruning and optimization of brain synapses are the biological basis of human learning and memory. The synaptic density in the human brain shows an inverted “U” curve with age. The synaptic density of the cerebral cortex reaches the highest level around the age of five or six years, and then undergoes a rapid pruning and optimization process. A lot of facts The declarative memory will be trimmed and optimized in the short term, while the memory related to emotions and actions will be preserved.

　　Therefore, children do not need to memorize their knowledge by rote before 6 years old, because most of them will be forgotten in the future, and more attention should be paid to the development of children's emotional abilities and movements.

　　What needs to attract the attention of young parents is that the human brain has a self-protection mechanism, and external stimulating information will affect the children's brain.

　　For example, the frontal lobe of the brain is the control center of the human brain. Because of its extensive neural connections, complex structural patterns, and rich bidirectional connections, it is one of the most important areas in the brain.

　　When the child is scolded, especially when he is yelled by a sudden increase in voice, the frontal lobe will temporarily inactivate, making it impossible to process and deal with what others say to themselves at this time. The frontal lobe development of children who are often scolded by parents will be affected, and different genders will behave differently. Girls are more likely to learn such emotions, and they are more likely to show irritability and yelling in the future; while boys are more likely to show characteristics such as unresponsiveness and cowardly personality.