On the Spiritual Brain

Since I cannot get the full text of Urgesi et al’s article and has to rely on what is freely available on the net, here’s a nice review of the article over at Neurophilosophy. I think Urgesi et al’s article is an important study that can be a source of inferences in various disciplines, such as the one mentioned in my previous blog. Below are some of the points raised by Neurophilosophy regarding the article:

It is well documented that posterior regions of the parietal lobe are involved in various aspects of bodily self-awareness, including the perception of one’s body in relation to its surroundings. Damage to the left posterior parietal cortex, for example, causes deficits in awareness of the spatial relationships between different body parts; lesions in the junction of the temporal and parietal lobes in the right hemisphere are associated with delusions in which patients deny owning their limbs; and damage to the left and right temporo-parietal junction can cause the illusion that the self is located within the extrapersonal space surrounding the body and out-of-body experiences, respectively.

The authors describe their findings within this context. Ablation of tissue near the temporo-parietal junction, especially in the inferior parietal lobe, causes a reduced sense of bodily awareness, so that the boundary between self and non-self become blurred. This detachment from the body increases the patients’ propensity for mystical experiences. Supporting this conclusion, earlier work has shown that the mystical experiences of Tibetan Buddhist monks and Carmelite nuns are associated with altered parietal lobe activity.

One major drawback of the study is that it is based entirely on the patients’ own reports of self-transcendence. The results would have been more rigorous if based on an objective measure of the phenomenon. Furthermore, self-transcendence is a vague concept which means different things to different people. The authors’ definition of it is therefore somewhat narrow, as there is more to this trait than the three aspects measured by them. It is also unlikely that a trait such as self-transcendence can be localized to just two regions of the brain. Likewise, spirituality is an extremely complex phenomenon of which self-transcendence is but one aspect.

Neuroarchaeology, anyone?

Back in Cebu, I once helped in the bone assessment for the Boljoon Archaeological Project, a Spanish contact period site (1500 to late 1600s) situated in a church plaza fronting a scenic beach. While doing the inventory, I noticed that some of the cranium were artificially modified with the frontal bones flattened to a slope–very similar to the one on display in the USC museum.

A culturally modified cranium has traditionally been explained as due to the aesthetic appeal of this morphology among its practitioners. In a brilliant blog review on this practice, a hot cup of joe explains that

For the Arawe, the practice was “purely an aesthetic one” and had no magico-religious or class motivations associated with it. There were no rituals or ceremonies involved and appeared to be done simply because it was found aesthetically pleasing

The Wikipedia post recorded that the reasons for cranial modification are many:

A prominent hypothesis is that deformation was performed to signify group affiliation (Gerszten and Gerszten, 1995; Hoshower et al., 1995; Tubbs, Salter, and Oaks, 2006). Or, it may have been done to demonstrate elite status. This may have played a key role in Egyptian and Mayan societies. Queen Nefertiti is often depicted with what may be an elongated skull, as is King Tutankhamen (Gerszten and Gerszten, 1995).

These hypotheses draw on the archaeological and anthropological theoretical traditions of categorizing the “unusual” to the ideological realm since it is assumed that this cannot be explained otherwise. Generally, archaeologists tend to subordinate evidences of religion and ritual in the archaeological record to supposedly more visible aspects (i.e. technomic and sociotechnic components). They would argue that religion and ritual are mental and cognitive processes and thus can not be investigated “scientifically.” This “invisibility” is rooted in the methodological reluctance of those in the process school to uncover ideological dimensions. Following Walker, I posit that relegating the “unusual” as ideological and immaterial denies the force of ritual and religion to structure the archaeological record, most especially skeletal evidences such as cranial modification practices.

One way by which archaeologists can address this methodological reluctance is to bring in the neurosciences into the fold and make that discipline bear on archaeological questions, such as the case of cranial cultural modification. Neuroscientists have explored the  link between brain trauma and spirituality.  Urgesi et al, using brain lesion mapping techiniques, revealed that the “left and right parietal systems (play a crucial role) in determining self-transcendence and cast new light on the neurobiological bases of altered spiritual and religious attitudes and behaviors in neurological and mental disorders.”

With the neurosciences encroaching on anthropological topics, I think it is interesting for anthropologists/archaeologists to explore cranial modification as an indigenous science that enhances the practitioners’ access to the spiritual world. The effects of brain trauma are  interpreted differently in nonwestern contexts, just as mental illnesses are also culture-bound. Pain has also been known to induce trances and enhances spiritual connection in various cultures; for instance, Catholic penitentes in the Philippines relate a sense of spiritual peace after being nailed to the cross.

I think what is needed is a critical mass of neuroscientists in archaeology to address questions such as this. In the Philippines, where archaeologists are almost extinct, we might have to wait another hundred years for this question to be explored.

Urgesi, C., Aglioti, S., Skrap, M., & Fabbro, F. (2010). The Spiritual Brain: Selective Cortical Lesions Modulate Human Self-Transcendence Neuron, 65 (3), 309-319 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2010.01.026

87th Four Stone Hearth

The 87th Four Stone Hearth anthropology blog carnival is on. Krystal D’ Costa of Anthropology in Practice hosts the carnival once again and my blog, time traveling, is one of the contributors for this edition. So head on to Krystal’s page and have a good read!

Oliver Sacks on Humans and Myth-making

Oliver Sacks. One of the best science writers, hands down. It is always a pleasure to hear, much more get to see, someone I only meet through dog-eared book pages. I even followed him in his Oaxaca fern expedition despite not knowing anything about plants save for photosynthesis! So, here is the face and the voice behind those insightful books. Click away!

more about "Oliver Sacks on Humans and Myth-making ", posted with vodpod

AAA and human rights

The American Anthropological Association made a commendable stand on the human rights situation in Honduras. The AAA commited to push the Obama administration on the following points:

1. Acknowledge and condemn the human rights violations that have been committed by the de facto government in Honduras since the June 28, 2009 coup d’ etat;
2. Give support to progressive forces in Honduras striving to create a real democracy and provide support not received from the international community;
3. Work with allied countries to find a peaceful and democratic solution to the ongoing crisis in Honduras; and
4. Join other Latin American countries in withholding recognition of individuals selected in a subsequent election held November 29, 2009

The resolution’s approval reveals AAA’s commitment to an engaged and reflexive anthropological practice. Social scientists should not just stand idly by, record observations, and do “fieldwork” as if imprisonment and political persecution happening in their research area are mere chapters in a book project.

AAA has set a good example for other anthropological associations who are mired in political paralysis due to paeans to “scientific objectivity” and “disciplinary boundaries,” or too dazed in the ultra-relativizing impact of the postmodernist critique.

When the Maguindanao massacre happened, some Philippine social science associations refused to make a stand because the issue is “beyond the purview of the discipline” or, worse, stayed mum just because. One prominent archaeologist implied that the issue–the deadliest in our electoral history–is for journalists to cover and not a concern for archaeologists.

Though I am not a member of AAA, I am hoping that US-based anthropologists, whose research interest is in the Philippines, will bring the dismal human rights situation in my country for AAA discussion–more so, in the light of the recent illegal arrest of the Morong 43.

Free the Morong 43

To know more about the Morong 43 issue, please click here

Email: Puerto Rican Illnesses

Carla’s mother sent this email to me. It lists common Puerto Rican illnesses absent in the biomedical literature. Here it is:

Monga

Mysterious body temperature, not high enough to be consider fever, but serious enough to miss school and work. Illness is unknown by the American Medical Association (AMA) and only understood by doctors of Puerto Rican origin.

Patatú
Attack of obscure origin that can strike at any time. It could be serious enough to require hospitalization, yet is undetected by medical technology. Victims tend to be males and females over the age of 50 years.

Sereno
Occurs when someone steps outdoors suddenly at night and is sprinkled by a mysterious substance produced by the night air. There are no physical symptoms and it can only be detected by the Puerto Rican elderly. The effect of having this disease is unknown. Children must not be taken out at night without proper head gear or risk of contamination is certain.

Empache
Digestive disorder which occurs after the consumption of a large Puerto Rican meal. The only known cure for the disease is “una buena CAGADA” (defecate) or “tirarse un buen PEO” ( Flatulence ) (Alka-Seltzer is completely ineffective).

Cuerpo Cortao
Frequent and mild condition of unknown etymology. Symptoms include– but are not limited to– fatigue, lack of energy and chronic whining.

Moño Parao
Psychological imbalance of short duration that causes strange mood swings, violent irritating behavior as well as general unpleasantness.

Cocotazo
Also referred to as the “Fuácata“. A clenched hand/closed cripple! Caused by left or right fingers flexed to not quite make a fist with middle finger slightly raised higher than the rest and delivered to a child’s head with a quick snap to the wrist.

Chichón
Elevated cranial protrusion usually caused by the fall after a patatú. Can also be caused by the sudden or unexpected encounter with a cocotazo.

Mal de Orín
(Diagnosed by grandmas of those who are over 40)
Feeling of discomfort and urgency to urinate after a child has been sitting on a hot surface (like a rock or concrete) for a long period of time.

Dolor de Hijá
Severe pain endured by Puerto Rican women caused by “Doña Juana“, who visits them every month for a few days.

Mal de Amores
Feelings of extreme happiness and incessant talking about a new sweetheart.

Enchulamiento
Possible mental condition that doesn’t allow Puerto Ricans to think straight when they are too “enamoraos” (head over heels).

Churras de Abanico
Extreme, acid diarrhea that leaves the “exhaust pipe” on fire.

Ventosedá
Term used by old time Puerto Rican grandmas to describe pain and discomfort caused by flatulence, so bad that gases couldn’ t come out. This could only be cured by the “sobadora” (some neighbor who specialized in rubbing the belly with oil while reciting prayers to the saints.) These ladies also helped with empachos.

UCLA panel discussion on animal-based research

I found this video while surfing through Dr. Janet D. Stemwedel’s blog. Click and listen.

more about "Video of the UCLA panel discussion on…", posted with vodpod

Open Access Collections on Caribbean geology

In the light of last month’s Haiti earthquake, the Geological Society of London (GSL) and the Geological Society of America (GSA) have made their papers available on Caribbean geology. The papers for GSL will be in open access until the end of March 2010 and is hosted by the Lyell Collection. Below is the list of available papers:

Geological Society of London

* James L. Pindell and Lorcan Kennan
‘Tectonic evolution of the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean and northern South America in the mantle reference frame: an update’
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2009, 328: 1-55.

* Lothar Ratschbacher, Leander Franz, Myo Min, Raik Bachmann, Uwe Martens, Klaus Stanek, Konstanze Stübner, Bruce K. Nelson, Uwe Herrmann, Bodo Weber, Margarita López-Martínez, Raymond Jonckheere, Blanka Sperner, Marion Tichomirowa, Michael O. Mcwilliams, Mark Gordon, Martin Meschede and Peter Bock
‘The North American-Caribbean Plate boundary in Mexico-Guatemala-Honduras’
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2009, 328: 219-293.

* Ricardo A. Valls Alvarez
‘Geological evolution of the NW corner of the Caribbean Plate’
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2009, 328: 205-217.

* K. P. Stanek, W. V. Maresch and J. L. Pindell
‘The geotectonic story of the northwestern branch of the Caribbean Arc: implications from structural and geochronological data of Cuba’
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2009, 328: 361-398.

* P. Mann, C. Demets and M. Wiggins-Grandison
‘Toward a better understanding of the Late Neogene strike-slip restraining bend in Jamaica: geodetic, geological, and seismic constraints’
Geological Society, London, Special Publications 2007, 290: 239-253.

* S. Mora
‘Disasters are not natural: risk management, a tool for development’
Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publications 2009, 22: 101-112.

For the Geological Society of America, the following papers are available:

Bivergent thrust wedges surrounding oceanic island arcs: Insight from observations and sandbox models of the northeastern Caribbean plate
ten Brink et al.
2009, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 121, p. 1522-1536

Present motion and deformation of the Caribbean plate: Constraints from new GPS geodetic measurements from Honduras and Nicaragua
DeMets et al.
2007, Geological Society of America Special Paper 428, p. 21-36

Plate-kinematics and crustal dynamics of circum-Caribbean arc-continent interactions: Tectonic controls on basin development in Proto-Caribbean margins
Pindell et al.
2005, Geological Society of America Special Paper 394, p. 7-52

Introduction to Active Tectonics and Seismic Hazards of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Offshore Areas
Mann
2005, Geological Society of America Special Paper 385, p. 1-12

GPS results from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands: Constraints on tectonic setting and rates of active faulting
Jansma et al.
2005, Geological Society of America Special Paper 385, p. 13-30

Reconnaissance study of Late Quaternary faulting along Cerro Goden fault zone, western Puerto Rico
Mann et al.
2005, Geological Society of America Special Paper 385, p. 115-137

Active tectonics of the north-central Caribbean: Oblique collision, strain partitioning, and opposing subducted slabs
Calais et al.
1998, Geological Society of America Special Paper 326, p. 1-61

Tectonic geomorphology and paleoseismology of the Septentrional fault system, Dominican Republic
Mann et al.
1998, Geological Society of America Special Paper 326, p. 63-123

Strike-slip tectonics and seismicity along the northern Caribbean plate boundary from Cuba to Hispaniola
Dolan et al.
1998, Geological Society of America Special Paper 326, p. 125-169

Plate Tectonics in the Hispaniola Area: Discussion
Molnar and Sykes
1971, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 82, p. 1123-1126

Plate Tectonics in the Hispaniola Area: Reply
Bracey and Vogt
1971, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 82, p. 1127-1128

Plate Tectonics in the Hispaniola Area
Bracey and Vogt
1970, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 81, p. 2855-2860

Tectonics of the Caribbean and Middle America Regions from Focal Mechanisms and Seismicity
Molnar and Sykes
1969, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 80, p. 1639-1684

Caribbean Land and Sea Through the Ages
Woodring
1954, Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 65, p. 719-732

Death of a Bat

Before I left for Puerto Rico, I stayed in ViSCA to watch the parade that my little boys were in. They beat on their drums with sticks, emitting a nice staccato of sounds quite similar to raindrops beating on a tin roof. Alzar, big boy that he is, carried the largest drum of the troop and just pounded on it, rhyming each stroke with the beatings of his heart. One time, his friends said, Alzar boomed the skin of the drum a little too hard that the drumstick went through the leather.

Stalking my kids like a leopard, I dove into a sea of camera-clicking parents. I took a series of pictures of them doing the drum roll, that raucous of beats when everyone strikes their drums all at the same time. The sound started slow like a chugging of a train and reached a crescendo that reverberated even after they stopped. My chest rose with pride as my ears went deaf.

With the drumbeats still ringing in my ears, I glanced skyward and saw something hanging from the electric wire which connected the school dormitories. It resembled a dirty brown shirt flung by a wayward drunk. I got closer and realized that the “cloth” was a bat suspended in mid-air. The animal could have landed there to sleep because its feet were in a tight ball holding on to the wire. It hung there motionless, oblivious of the drums and the buzz of parents and kids walking to and fro below. Later on I realized that the bat was dead, most likely electrocuted when it mistook the wire as a tree branch.  A motorcab driver pried the bat from the deathwire with a stick and placed it on his car’s dashboard–not for its last rites but as dinner later in the evening, a fate shared by many wildlife in many parts of the Philippines.

I believe that the bat is a Fischer’s pygmy fruit bat, which is listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as in danger of species endangerment due to habitat loss. The fact that ViSCA is nestled at the foot of Mt. Pangasugan, a tropical rainforest system, human-animal encounters such as this come often. According to the Wikipedia account for ViSCA:

VSU is strategically located on one of the last remaining virgin rain forests in the Philippines. A study by VSU [1] found many animal species listed by the World Conservation Union in the Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN Red List), including the Philippine tarsier, Philippine flying fox, Fischer’s pygmy fruit bat. New records of the microbat (Hypposideros obscurus), with a length of 5.5 centimeters and body weight of 10 grams, a type of skink (Tropidophorus grayh), and two new species of the fish Goblidae (Stiphodon olivaceous and Stiphodon surrufus) were also found by the VSU survey.

VSU’s Natural History Museum collected 43,000 arthropod specimens from 377 families and 500 genera on Mt. Pangasugan. A new species of orchid (Dendrobium milaniae) and a tiger beetle (Thopeutica milaniae) were named in honor of the former incumbent VSU president Dr. Paciencia Po-Milan, a renowned ecologist.

Other endemic species include the eagle-owl, Philippine hawk-eagle, Rufous Lord kingfisher, Philippine leafbird and miniature tit-babbler and flying lemur.

The Federal Republic of Germany (through the ViSCA-GTZ Applied Tropical EcologyProgranl, ViSCA, Baybay, Leyte, Philippines International) funded the VSU study to collect, identify, describe and document the existing species of aroids (Araceae) and orchids in Mt. Pangasugan. 25 species of aroids representing 12 genera were documented at elevations of up to 350 m ASL. Classified as erect ground dwellers or climbers, the most dominant aroid belong to Pothos and Epipremnum. The orchid species represent 16 genera, with the most dominant belonging to Phalaenopsis.

The Herpetofauna (herps) of Anibong, Jordan, Mt. Pangasugan Range, Leyte is a habitat to endemic species, which is so diverse and slightly distributed. The Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology identified 17 herpetofaunal species belonging to 6 families (Ranidae, Rhacophoridae, Agamidae, Scincidae, Colubridae, Viperidae), of which eight (47%) are endemics (Endemism). These endemic species include Limnonectes magnus, Platymantis corrugatus, Platymantis dorsalis, Brachymeles samarensis, Draco lineatus, Sphenomorphus jagori, Rhabdophis lineate and Trimeresurus flavomaculatus. Limnonectes magnus is already in the near-threatened category.

Of course ViSCA residents, being an academic community, know that they have to minimize their impact on the environment.  All would agree that an underground system of electric wires could have saved that bat. Yet there is more to be done. The path to species conservation is not that easy, especially when this crosses with something so personal as the smiles on the children’s faces.

As I walked with my sons on the way home, we talked about the dead bat and their drums. I realized how paradoxical it all is. Their drums, sources of their joy and my pride, is symbolic of how intrusive we all are into other species that we share a habitat with.

Hermit Crabs

Hermit crabs in Cayo Santiago grow humongous scavenging on monkey chow. They scurry around in packs, drag the food with their purplish claws, and munch on them like a kid would on a piece of nachos.

Once a decapod grabs a piece of chow, five or six others would crawl towards it and engage in a free-for-all wrestling match. They use their shell weight to pull the food and flick the opposing teams with their bamboo-like legs.

Once flicked and rolling on the ground, they dig their claws back into the chow and pull themselves back in, clambering on top of the shell of another crab. The wrestling match only ends when the food disappears, put far back up, hidden in that belly curled inside the chamber of a dead seashell.

Here’s a great poem by Mary Oliver about hermit crabs:

The Hermit Crab

by Mary Oliver

Once I looked inside
the darkness
of a shell folded like pastry
and there was a fancy face–

or almost a face–
it turned away
and frisked up its brawny forearms
so quickly

against the light
and my looking in
I hardly had the time to see it,
gleaming

under the pure white roof
of old calcium.
When I set it down, it hurried
along the tideline

of the sea,
which was slashing as usual,
shouting and hissing
toward the future

turning its back
with every tide on the past,
leaving the shore littered
every morning

with ornaments of death–
what a pearly rubble
from which to choose a house
like a white flower–

and what a rebellion
to leap into it
and hold on,
connecting everything

the past to the future–
which is of course a miracle–
which is the only argument there is
against the sea.