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THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON CHESS

20:24 / 16.08.01

a snippet of an article from Nature
quote:Grandmasters call on regions of the brain not used so much by less skilled amateurs.

The brain's medial temporal lobe structures are thought to be important for the initial formation of long-term memory
, and active memory is indicated by bursts of [GAMMA]-band activity in these and other areas of the association cortex.
Here we use a new technique of magnetic imaging to compare focal bursts of [GAMMA]-band activity in amateur and
professional chess players during matches. We find that this activity is most evident in the medial temporal lobe in
amateur players, which is consistent with the interpretation that their mental acuity is focused on analysing unusual new
moves during the game. In contrast, highly skilled chess grandmasters have more [GAMMA]-bursts in the frontal and parietal
cortices, indicating that they are retrieving chunks from expert memory by recruiting circuits outside the medial
temporal lobe.

I find this kind of thing more fascinating than genetic advancements. We're finally beginning to understand how we think in concrete terms.

gentleman loser

14:37 / 17.08.01

I would put this under the "use it or lose it" of brain development:

Taxi drivers' brains 'grow' on the job

I think the brain develops and can atrophy much like our muscles can.

gentleman loser

14:39 / 17.08.01

Oops. I meant "theory of brain development"!

Stupid brain!

17:03 / 17.08.01

Well, yes. the brain, afterall, is a muscle.

17:51 / 17.08.01

...just not literally.

22:21 / 17.08.01

I'm sorry, Jack, but I have to correct you on that one. You see the brain IS a muscle. This little scientific tidbit I have discovered myself after continuous experimentation with cow brains. I was working under a military contract trying to develop a new type of biological weapon. My research involved the application of all sorts of stimuli to the brain of a recently deceased cow. However, having went through many hours of constant tedious experimentation during which I've used stimuli ranging from the application of brief physical impulses on the cow brain to electrical shock, nothing seemed to exect any useful reflex from the inert cow brain. Frustrated I briefly gave up and proceeded to go to the kitchen for a brief snack. There, in the kitchen, I proceeded to rapidly devour a chocolate candy bar that I had taken out of my pocket. While feasting on this candy bar I had turned around when I saw, slithering across the linoleum floor, the cow's brain! Apparently it has sensed the presence of chocolate and proceeded to advance towards it. IT IS A MUSCLE!

Blank Faced Avatar

22:25 / 18.08.01

Since I started Barbelithing, my brain is an impresssive 44" in size, and toned to perfection. Now no-one dare kick sand in my psyche.

Ganesh

22:32 / 18.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Enamon:
Apparently it has sensed the presence of chocolate and proceeded to advance towards it. IT IS A MUSCLE!

Yeah, my biceps keep detaching themselves and wandering off in search of carbohydrates...

18:56 / 19.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Ganesh:

Yeah, my biceps keep detaching themselves and wandering off in search of carbohydrates...

Exactly! More proof that the brain IS a muscle! And of course that brings us to the obvious question:

"Are mussels muscles or are they just clams?"

z3r0

18:08 / 30.08.01

What about brains from Brussels? Are they "muscles from Brussels"?
(ok, shoot me now)

13:04 / 31.08.01

The brain is NOT a muscle. Yes, it can develop in certain ways with practice, but that is not the sole criterion for 'muscle-ness.' The brain is made up of brain cells (neurons) which have neural tendrils (synapses {I think?}) running off of a central node. A number of them can grow off of one node- hence associative learning and things like that spoken of in the article above. Muscles, on the other hand, have only a binary status- they are either 'relaxed' or contracted. Consider your arms at the elbow. That bicep contracts and your arm below the elbow bends up. Yes, there are more complex systems like the shoulder, where you can trace circles with your arm. But look at the striations of muscle in your shoulders- the various levels are actually contracting in really well coordinated way.

Another difference is that neurons are affected by neurotransmitters, allowing for some swell and subtle effects, like drugs, or adrenaline, etc. Muscles cannot be affected by neurotransmitters directly.

[ 31-08-2001: Message edited by: Theo Kalypso ]

13:49 / 31.08.01

quote:Originally posted by Theo Kalypso:
Muscles, on the other hand, have only a binary status- they are either 'relaxed' or contracted.

Same with our dendrites and Sodium-potassium pumps, dude. The brain operates like a computer, with billions of possible connections turning on and off.

-Jesse

18:33 / 31.08.01

I'll give you that one, but a big difference is that one neuron can have multiple dendrites, thus connect to many nodes at once. Not so for muscles. Computer analogy maybe the web.

03:30 / 03.09.01

Can any of this be connected to the fact that I REALLY UNDERSTAND chess on LSD? I play 10 times better when I'm under the influence.

[ 03-09-2001: Message edited by: Rage ]

The Return Of Rothkoid

03:30 / 03.09.01

I don't have the link to hand, but I also recall hearing about research that indicates that having a varied range of hobbies/interests/tasks that one takes part in seems to make one a bit more resilient to Alzheimer's, because it keeps parts of the brain which wouldn't necessarily be used a great deal, active.

Also: Depression can shrink brains - fits into this conversation?

18:00 / 03.09.01

quote:Can any of this be connected to the fact that I REALLY UNDERSTAND chess on LSD? I play 10 times better when I'm under the influence.

now, is this true, or do you just think you do? Have you played chess against someone not tripping while on LSD?

from my limited AI research, human chess skill is partly based on "chunking" and the ability to form patterns, so it's possible that acid might help there. Of course, there's a lot of other things involved.

and does this mean we should test chess players for acid intake?

The Return Of Rothkoid

20:56 / 03.09.01

I want that computer that beat Kasparov tested for illegal substances, frankly...

13:58 / 05.09.01

Actually, there was a piece on NPR recently about performance-enhancing substance abuse at chess tournaments.
I think it was mainly speed, but some endurance-boosting drugs similar to those used by marathoners were also mentioned. And some other ones that "increased concentration."