Neurally, we found both shared and specific neural correlates of spatial and non-spatial IOR.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, for instance, hypothesized that repressed trauma has very specific neural correlates in the brain.
What was most remarkable about the research is that the degree of ego dissolution reported by the participants correlated with a specific neural transformation.
But the researchers were still unable to tell whether the decline in performance reflected general fatigue or an overload of the specific neural network handling the task.
The discovery buttresses the idea that language is acquired and generated by specific neural circuitry in the brain, rather than by general brain faculties.
By examining brain pathways of mice that have been subjected to the stress, Deisseroth traced the specific neural connections that relate to their apathy, isolating the relevant cells and connections.
And if it is difficult to ascribe specific neural circuits to empathy or psychopathy, what of even more fluid concepts such as love, or evil, or – the subject of Lehrer's new book – "creativity"?
By studying the cognitive, behavioral, or emotional deficits that occur after an injury to a specific neural structure, scientists can deduce something about that structure's typical role in the brain.
Alternatively, the damage may have affected some specific neural circuit that is needed to appreciate certain kinds of music.
In contrast, no condition specific neural effects were observed for prosocial compensating behavior.
Specific neural lesions impair abilities related to theory of mind, such as distinguishing self from nonself (pp. 186 187).
