User:TheCognitiveNeuropsychologist

Welcome to the personal page of:

THE COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST

"For the human brain observes, considers, understands, and adapts. Locked within the mind is infinite possibility."

— Yukito Kishiro

"Everything we do, every thought we've ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find."

— Neil deGrasse Tyson

"Neuroscience is exciting. Understanding how thoughts work, how connections are made, how the memory works, how we process information, how information is stored - it's all fascinating."

— Lisa Randall

I couldn't agree more with that last quote! I am the Cognitive Neuropsychologist, and I just LOVE to learn about how we humans learn, remember, perceive, recognize and understand the world around us, and about what goes on in the brain when we do these things! I am currently a student at Clark College, a community college in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, working towards my Associate in Science Transfer (AST) degree. Eventually I plan on earning both my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Neuropsychology from the University of Arizona, and my Doctorate in Neuropsychology from Stanford University. Sometime during my schooling I would also like to minor in Music, and earn a Bachelor's degree in Music from either Stanford University or Brigham Young University. After my schooling is complete I would like to research cognitive neuropsychology at Stanford University's Neuroscience department.

One of my more specific fields and areas of interest is Neurocognition of Music; that is, how our brains perceive, recognize, understand, comprehend, interpret and respond to music. One well known pioneer in this newly emerging field, Stefan Koelsch, a Professor at the Free University of Berlin, and group leader of the group "Neurocognition of Music" at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences says:

“Music is a ubiquitous phenomenon: throughout human history, in every human culture, people have played and enjoyed music. Only humans learn to play musical instruments, and only humans play instruments cooperatively together in groups. Making music in a group is a tremendously demanding task for the human brain that engages virtually all cognitive processes that we know about: Amongst others, it involves perception, action, cognition, social cognition, emotion, learning, and memory. This richness makes music an ideal tool to investigate the workings of the human brain.”

I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Koelsch, and use music as a tool in many cases to learn more about how the brain works. Recently, I have been researching thoroughly and digging up all sorts of information on a recently discovered activity, involving the exploitation and manipulation of the capacity exhibited by our brains to emit certain frequencies called brainwaves, (which can be measured by EEG machines), commonly referred to as brainwave entrainment. The idea of brainwave entrainment is when one uses certain auditory stimuli, (usually in the form of binarual/monaural beats or isochronic tones), visual stimuli (in the form of pulses of light), and/or sometimes even tactile stimulation to induce a certain mental state, such as sleep, where certain brainwaves emitted by the brain can be amplified. I often find it soothing and relaxing to listen to some isochronic tones designed to assist in the natural release of melatonin by the pineal gland of the brain as I go to sleep, and I find it makes it easier to fall asleep.

Lastly, I am proud to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, (or a Mormon, a nickname we are often known by), and I believe the doctrine taught in that church with all my heart. I know for myself, not based solely on scientific evidence, that God the Father, His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are real, and that they speak to man in our day. To me, my religion is a major part of my life, that I find to be essential for my own happiness. I refuse to separate spiritual truth from scientific truth (that I currently have), and believe that God and religion should be allowed (not taught, specifically, but allowed) into the classroom. If you have any questions about my religion, beliefs, or the way I live my life, please don't hesitate to send me a private message! I would love to share it with you!

Here in this wonderful world of Wikipedia, (which I use extensively, perhaps almost excessively), you may often find me contributing to neuroscience/neuropsychology/neurobiology articles, as well as articles on learning and memory! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, comments or suggestions about what I do, what I've learned, what I've contributed to in Wikipedia, or anything else you can come up with.

Have fun gorging your brain in the wonderful wealth of knowledge that is ours in this awesome conglomeration of sources known as Wikipedia! ☺