Mental abilities genius, savant, and autism

Assessment 1

Mental Abilities: Genius, Savant and Autism

1.             Explain in detail what "savant syndrome" means.

Savant Syndrome is the condition in were a person has some serious mental or physical disability or has an undeveloped part of the brain in which the other side has predominance which results in the remarkable and sometimes spectacular talents. 

Hiles, Dave. "Savant Syndrome." Psy. 2001/2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.psy.dmu.ac.uk/drhiles/Savant Syndrome.htm>.

2. What does genius mean?  Explain the difference between genius and savant.

A genius is defined as a person with an exceptional intellect and talent. Genius and savant are to very close related terms, one of the main differences between the two is that Genius is defined as exceptional intellect and talent and savant is more on the creative side meaning that it is the result of an undeveloped part of the brain, when Genius works more on the reasoning savants are more on the creative side and have a disability which genius do not have.

Farlex, Inc. "Genius - Definition of Genius by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia." Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/genius>.

3. What is a stroke and how could it affect your mental functioning?

As stroke is when one of the arteries leading to the brain break or get blocked this occurs when the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen that causes cells to die this can result in various disabilities such as inability to talk, paralysis, inability to understand, and other conditions brought by brain damage.

Http://www.euronet.nl/~jonkr/, Ron Jonk-. "Stroke / Brain Attack." University of Maryland Medical Center | Home. 25 Jan. 2008. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.umm.edu/non_trauma/stroke.htm>.

4. What is a functional MRI and how does it help us understand brain activity?

A Functional MRi is a type of medical test that can diagnose and treat medical conditions, it consists of using a magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer produced detailed pictures of different parts of the brain. This helps us understand and see for ourselves the brain in a better perspective and being able to see the tiny metabolic changes that take place in an active part of the brain.

Radiological, Society. "Functional MRI (fMRI) - Brain." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information Resource for Patients. 10 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=fmribrain>.

5. What is the corpus Callosum and what role does it play in your brain's activity?

Corpus Callosum is a big bundle of nerves fibers found in mammalian brains, it connects the right brain and the left brain together and its maintain communication between both. The role of the Corpus Callosum in brain activity consists  on connecting both hemispheres and it allows both to communicate and plan their activities.

"What is the Corpus Callosum?." wiseGEEK: clear answers for common questions. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-corpus-callosum.htm>.

6. What is epilepsy and how might it affect your brain's abilities?

Epilepsy is defined as the a syndrome in were a human experiments constant seizures that are cause by sudden burst of electrical activity in an individuals brain that causes temporal disruptions between messages being send to the brain. Epilepsy can make your brain stop transmitting message fro a while and so your body suffers an automatic seizure as it is confused like your brain.

daughter, the way when my, and the. "What is epilepsy? | Epilepsy Action." Epilepsy Action. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/what-is-epilepsy>.

7. What is autism?

Autism is a condition that affects the functioning of the brain it is characterized as a dysfunction of someone’s communicating skills, social skills and reasoning. It affects the way a child looks at the world.

What is Autism? What you should know." Autism/PDD Information and Support to help your child. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.autism-pdd.net/what-is-autism.html>.

8. What is Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger’s syndrome is a condition in which a child develops a normal intellect but as he/she gets older his/her they may develop problems with their communication skills.

"What is Asperger's Syndrome? ." WebMD - Better information. Better health.. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome>.

Images sources:

• " Society for Neuroscience - Autism In Children ." Society for Neuroscience. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=brainBriefings_autismInChildren
• "Eleven Amazing Savants Show the Power of the Human Brain | DegreeScout." Search Online MBA, Business Degrees, Nursing Degrees | DegreeScout. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://www.degreescout.com/online-education-news/eleven-amazing-savants-show-the-power-of-the-human-brain>.

• "Italian Prodigy: 3-Year-Old Reads, Gives Medical Advice | THE B.S. REPORT." THE B.S. REPORT. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. <http://thebsreport.wordpress.com/2010/07/19/italian-prodigy-3-year-old-reads-gives-medical-advice/>.