Excerpt from Shrink Rap Radio interview by David Van Nuys, Ph.D., plus video of Taylor at TED Conference. ///

Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.:  "You have this ongoing brain chatter in the left hemisphere, in the language centers that is designed to have communication, and it helps you retain information about the external world... So it’s always relating me to the information in the external world, and when that circuitry went off – turned off - I found myself flushed in silence, and an unusual silence.

"But in the silence there’s so much!  I’m no longer distracted by the details of the external world, and I was captivated by the magnificence of the present moment."

EurekAlert press release - NIH/National Institute of Mental Health -- Most people inherit a version of a gene that optimizes their brain's thinking circuitry, yet also appears to increase risk for schizophrenia.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has documented extraordinary things about the brain. In his new book "Musicophilia", the stories turn personal as he filters medicine through his lifelong passion for music -- both as a listener and as an accomplished amateur pianist.

New research on individuals with schizotypal personalities – people characterized by odd behavior and language but who are not psychotic or schizophrenic – offers the first neurological evidence that they are more creative than either normal or fully schizophrenic individuals, and rely more heavily on the right sides of their brains than the general population to access their creativity.

Questions are raised continually as to what are the differences in brain mechanisms, if any, between (a) prodigies with certain musical or mathematical skills, for example; (b) persons with savant syndrome with similar skills and abilities and (c) the rest of us who function quite normally overall but lack some spectacular area of expertise.

Savant Syndrome raises many questions. But two especially intriguing questions are of particular importance: (1) How do they do it? and (2) What does savant syndrome say about hidden potential, perhaps, within each of us.

The use of advanced medical imaging technologies is yielding information not only about pathologies such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's, but also the biology underlying healthy cognitive skills.

There seems to be an endless fascination with looking for differences in behaviors, attitudes, abilities and brain function between the sexes, but as a scientific pursuit it is a search with both technical and political / philosophical dimensions, and findings that are often inconsistent or open to variable interpretation.

Even if you are classified at a genius level, you are still potentially far more intelligent. And if IQ tests indicate you have an average intelligence, hold on to your socks! Attaining genius levels of mental processing IS within reach.

About 33% of all people age 60 and over have measurable memory problems. And the medical community estimates that by the time we reach age 85, fifty percent of us will have Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This is NOT a pretty picture, but there ARE ways to fight back against both cognitive decline and AD.