The Twin Modes of Human Cognition

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Or why the world is the way it is.

Here is an excellent article describing two distinct variants of the human brain: http://www.thegreatdebate.org.uk/MentalismCB.html

It opens up an interesting theory on the origin of the autistic/asperger brain: it's the second version of the anatomically modern human's brain.

Anatomically modern humans appeared in Africa about 150,000 yrs. ago, equipped with a very powerful, socially oriented, neurotypical (Mentalist) brain. Not meaningfully more capable than the Neandertals in Europe and Peking Man in Asia, modern humans were confined to Africa for the next 100,000 yrs.

About 50-60,000 yrs. ago a mutation in the modern human brain diminished several social brain modules, freeing up its massive computational power from controlling and manipulating fellow humans, enabling it to control and manipulate things. Thus was born the Aut/Asp brain. And what followed was the Technological Big Bang, the Artistic Big Bang, the displacement of Neandertals and Peking Man, modern technological civilization, and world domination. So be proud of being an Aut/Asp, very, very proud.

This is very interesting, and I appreciate your taking the time to share it with us. My husband is an engineer with AS.

Also a really interesting website, Thanks.

I only read a few paragraphs of the article. I just couldn't get interested in it (and you know how Aspies are about things that don't interest them).

I have several collegues who are interested in evolutionary psychology and population biology, including one who could be considered an expert, having written several articles and a book on the subject of evolutionary psychology.

I find that such people become obsessed the biological causes of differences in our behavior to the neglect of idiosyncratic, social, cultural, accidental, and willfull factors.

I don't like the suggestion that Aspies are somehow superior humans any more than I like the idea the neurotypicals are the superior ones. They are just more numerous and they define things.

I guess there is a relationshib between autism and genius.
Asperger thought their was. But I wouldn't want to carry this too far. Besides, if we are responsible for the great creative events of history are we not also responsible for the usually negative consequences of those events. For example, the great advances in medicine are responsible for skyrocketting (and obscene) costs of medical care.

There is an almost endless list of reasons behind trying to explain what makes a man an ape and what makes a man homo sapiens.

Personally I lean toward the idea that part of the difference may be due to improved nutrition or something like a cosmic ray from outer space changing the genetic structure in the brain to produce more of the neurotransmitters needed for everyday, normal thought/visualization.

The humans which survived over time (rat race survivors) over millions of years/whatever did so, in part, on the basis of the principle of survival of the fittest (simplified).

Regarding neurochemistry, there have been enormous, preliminary insights (no cures) provided by such discoveries as L-Dopa (Awakenings movie based on a book by Oliver Sacks) and the LSD molecule by Albert Hofmann.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Hofmann

Norepinephrine (Noradrenaline)
Epinephrine (Adrenaline)
Serotonin

The Neurotransmitter Collection

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/micro/galle ... trans.html

and so on

Lincolnshire - Paying Attention - Attention and Information Processing - Memory - etc.

http://www.ott.zynet.co.uk/polio/lincol ... /nyas.html

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroanatomy_of_memory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_and_the_brain

http://www.sfn.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognition

It's a nice idea. I am good with things, let's be honest.