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Switching skills on by turning off part of the brain

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dc.contributor.authorYoung, R.
dc.contributor.authorRidding, M.
dc.contributor.authorMorrell, T.
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractSnyder and Mitchell (1999) have argued that the extraordinary skills of savants, including mathematics and drawing, are within us all but cannot normally be accessed without some form of brain damage. It has also been argued that such skills can be made accessible to normal people by switching off part of their brain artificially using magnetic pulses (Carter, 1999). Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to interrupt the function of the frontotemporal lobe, a region of the brain implicated in the development of savant skills (Miller et al., 1996,1998), we tested this hypothesis. Here we show that savant-type skills improved in 5 out of 17 participants during the period of stimulation. The enhanced skills included declarative memory, drawing, mathematics, and calendar calculating. In addition to overall improvement being observed, striking improvements in individual performance on various tasks were also seen.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityRobyn L. Young, Michael C. Ridding, Tracy L. Morrell
dc.identifier.citationNeurocase, 2004; 10(3):215-222
dc.identifier.doi10.1080/13554790490495140
dc.identifier.issn1355-4794
dc.identifier.issn1465-3656
dc.identifier.orcidRidding, M. [0000-0001-5657-9136]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/3127
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherOxford Univ Press
dc.rights© 2004 Oxford University Press
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1080/13554790490495140
dc.subjectBrain
dc.subjectFrontal Lobe
dc.subjectMotor Cortex
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectElectromyography
dc.subjectMental Processes
dc.subjectMemory
dc.subjectMemory, Short-Term
dc.subjectPitch Perception
dc.subjectEidetic Imagery
dc.subjectPsychomotor Performance
dc.subjectNeuropsychological Tests
dc.subjectMathematics
dc.subjectElectromagnetic Fields
dc.subjectReading
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectMale
dc.titleSwitching skills on by turning off part of the brain
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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