Lose Yourself in Science

Losing yourself in a moment is something that we have all experienced. During strenuos or demanding situations, it is not unnatural for one to lose the ability to reason and instead rely on instinctual actions. Scientists Rafael Malach and Ilan Goldberg have taken a scientific approach to uncovering this phenomenon and have determined "that self-related function actually shuts down during such intense sensory tasks." This function of the brain therefore does not actively produce any clear sensory experiences. These findings help to understand the overall connection between consciousness and perception. Creating a system to test this function was not easy but developed a system to test sensory processing by showing the subject a series of pictures and having them listen to multiple musical pieces. The subjects were asked to indicate whether the pictures were either animal or non-animal, then if the musical pieces were trumpet or non-trumpet. This tested their ability to process senses, and their introspection was tested by asking the subjects how emotionally the pictures and sounds affected them. Brain activity was then measured by using magnetic resonance imaging which looked at what areas of the brain were getting the most blood flow. The imaging showed that certain areas were affected by sensory processing while other areas showed activity during introspection. These studies show that during intense perceptual engagement, the distracting self-related cortex becomes inactive and all blood flow is sent to the sensory cortex area of the brain, causing individuals to manage only that which immediately affects them.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060430004451.htm