Effect of Vedic study

[vikrama]

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How the study of Vedas improves one's brain is researched and presented here.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811915006382?np=y

 

[sangom]

How the study of Vedas improves one's brain is researched and presented here.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811915006382?np=y

Are these changes in the brain structure responsible for the lack of inventiveness in Indians, because the whole available brain power gets converted into a gigantic SSD storing gargantuan amounts of data, and there is nothing left in the brain for original thinking (like the RAM of a PC)?

 

[CHANDRU1849]

What is the type of improvement the brain gets while studying Vedas - creativity or memory power?

 

[tks]

The neuroscientific study and experimentation of practitioners of proper meditation techniques have identified physical improvements in various parts of the brain all of which contribute to enormously increased retention capacity and abilities to make cross correlation of large amount of information.

Contrary to popular myths, Medha Shakthi and Creative powers are not at odds. It is easier to create repeatable experiments with subjects trained in meditation and in being able to memorize large potions of Mantras.

There is a wisdom in ancient times to get young students to focus on memorization, correct intonation and pronunciation. It exercises the brain in all the right way to grow the cognitive and retention power.

The neuroscientific theory and study of creative process is still in its infancy. There are some preliminary data available from this blog post in Scientific American journal (in 2013).

=======================================================

The Real Neuroscience of Creativity

By Scott Barry Kaufman | August 19, 2013
| 14

So yea, you know how the left brain is really realistic, analytical, practical, organized, and logical, and the right brain is so darn creative, passionate, sensual, tasteful, colorful, vivid, and poetic?
No.
Just no.
Stop it.
Please.

​

Thoughtful cognitive neuroscientists such as Anna Abraham, Mark Beeman, Adam Bristol, Kalina Christoff, Andreas Fink, Jeremy Gray, Adam Green, Rex Jung, John Kounios, Hikaru Takeuchi, Oshin Vartanian, Darya Zabelina and others are on the forefront of investigating what actually happens in the brain during the creative process. And their findings are overturning conventional and overly simplistic notions surrounding the neuroscience of creativity.
The latest findings from the real neuroscience of creativity suggest that the right brain/left brain distinction does not offer us the full picture of how creativity is implemented in the brain.* Creativity does not involve a single brain region or single side of the brain.
Instead, the entire creative process– from preparation to incubation to illumination to verification-- consists of many interacting cognitive processes (both conscious and unconscious) and emotions. Depending on the stage of the creative process, and whatyou’re actually attempting to create, different brain regions are recruited to handle the task.
Importantly, many of these brain regions work as a team to get the job done, and many recruit structures from both the left and right side of the brain. In recent years,evidence has accumulated suggesting that “cognition results from the dynamic interactions of distributed brain areas operating in large-scale networks.”
Depending on the task, different brain networks will be recruited.
For instance, every time you pay attention to the outside world, or attempt to mentally rotate a physical image in your mind (e.g., trying to figure out how to fit luggage into the trunk of your car), the Dorsal Attention / Visuospatial Network is likely to be active. This network involves communication between the frontal eye fields and the intraparietal sulcus:
The Dorsal Attention / Visuospatial Network

If your task makes greater demands on language, however, Broca’s area andWernicke’s area are more likely to be recruited:
The Language Network

But what about creative cognition? Three large-scale brain networks are critical to understanding the neuroscience of creativity. Let's review them here.

Network 1: The Executive Attention Network​

The Executive Attention Network is recruited when a task requires that the spotlight of attention is focused like a laser beam. This network is active when you're concentrating on a challenging lecture, or engaging in complex problem solving and reasoning that puts heavy demands on working memory. This neural architecture involves efficient and reliable communication between lateral (outer) regions of the prefrontal cortex and areas toward the back (posterior) of the parietal lobe.

Network 2: The Imagination Network​

According to Randy Buckner and colleagues, the Default Network (referred to here as the Imagination Network) is involved in "constructing dynamic mental simulations based on personal past experiences such as used during remembering, thinking about the future, and generally when imagining alternative perspectives and scenarios to the present." The Imagination Network is also involved in social cognition. For instance, when we are imagining what someone else is thinking, this brain network is active. The Imagination Network involves areas deep inside the prefrontal cortex and temporal lobe (medial regions), along with communication with various outer and inner regions of the parietal cortex.

Green= The Executive Attention Network; Red= The Imagination Network

Network 3: The Salience Network​

The Salience Network constantly monitors both external events and the internal stream of consciousness and flexibly passes the baton to whatever information is most salient to solving the task at hand. This network consists of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortices [dACC] and anterior insular [AI] and is important for dynamic switching between networks.
The Salience Network

The Neuroscience of Creative Cognition: A First Approximation​

The key to understanding the neuroscience of creativity lies not only in knowledge of large-scale networks, but in recognizing that different patterns of neural activations and deactivations are important at different stages of the creative process. Sometimes, it's helpful for the networks to work with each other, and sometimes such cooperation can impede the creative process.
In a recent large review, Rex Jung and colleagues provide a "first approximation" regarding how creative cognition might map on to the human brain. Their review suggests that when you want to loosen your associations, allow your mind to roam free, imagine new possibilities, and silence the inner critic, it's good to reduce activation of the Executive Attention Network (a bit, but not completely) and increase activation of the Imagination and Salience Networks. Indeed, recent research on jazz musicians and rappers engaging in creative improvisation suggests that's precisely what is happening in the brain while in a flow state.
However, sometimes it's important to bring the Executive Attention Network back online, and critically evaluate and implement your creative ideas.
Or else this can happen:

​

As Jung and colleagues note, their model of the structure of creative cognition is only a first approximation. At this point, we just have leads on the real neuroscience of creativity. The investigation of large-scale brain networks does appear to be a more promising research direction than focusing entirely on the left and right hemispheres; the creative process appears to involve the dynamic interplay of these large-scale networks. Also, converging research findings do suggest that creative cognition recruits brain regions that are critical for daydreaming, imagining the future, remembering deeply personal memories, constructive internal reflection, meaning making, and social cognition.
Nevertheless, much more research is needed that investigates how the brain creates across different domains, species, and timescales.
It's an exciting time for the neuroscience of creativity, as long as you ditch outdated notions of how creativity works. This requires embracing the messiness of the creative process and the dynamic brain activations and collaborations among many different brains that make it all possible.
© 2013 Scott Barry Kaufman, All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: I was one of the reviewer's of the paper by Rex Jung and colleagues.
Note: For more on the latest findings in the emerging neuroscience of creativity, I highly recommend the recent book "Neuroscience of Creativity," edited by Oshin Vartanian, Adam S. Bristol, and James C. Kaufman.
* There's some grain of truth to the left brain/right brain distinction. For instance, spatial reasoning recruits more structures in the right hemisphere, and language processing recruits more structures in the left hemisphere. Also, there's some really interesting research conducted by John Kounios and Mark Beeman showing that the Aha! moment of insight-- in which participants discover seemingly unrelated words-- is associated with activation of the right anterior superior temporal gyrus. None of these findings, however, negate the fact that the entire creative process involves the whole brain.
image credit #1: io9; image credit #2, 3, & 5: findlab.stanford.edu; image credit #4:pnas; image credit #6: photocase

• 
  Scott Barry Kaufman is scientific director of the Imagination Institute in the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. He conducts research on the measurement and development of imagination, creativity, and play, and teaches the popular undergraduate course Introduction to Positive Psychology. Kaufman is author ofUngifted: Intelligence Redefined and co-author of the upcoming book Wired to Create: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire). Follow on Twitter @sbkaufman

The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

 

[yesmohan]

How the study of Vedas improves one's brain is researched and presented here??..............

I do not know the answer.

But I know the answer to the question that how many of us will sent our ward to " VEDHA PAADASAALA" for learning.

 

[sarang]

In our generation (perhaps in the earlier one too), we skipped in toto exposure to vedas and related subjects. Oriental schools which gave more importance to samskrit and religious subjects are patronised by many brahmin families. Now some schools offer traditional vedic gurukul teaching in the morning, and the students attend regular school with CBSC curriculum. All expenses are borne till the student completes 10th, and there is no demand on the student; he is free to pursue his future in the field of his choice. Not at all a gloomy state.

How the study of Vedas improves one's brain is researched and presented here??..............

I do not know the answer.

But I know the answer to the question that how many of us will sent our ward to " VEDHA PAADASAALA" for learning.

 

[yesmohan]

In our generation (perhaps in the earlier one too), we skipped in toto exposure to vedas and related subjects. Oriental schools which gave more importance to samskrit and religious subjects are patronised by many brahmin families. Now some schools offer traditional vedic gurukul teaching in the morning, and the students attend regular school with CBSC curriculum. All expenses are borne till the student completes 10th, and there is no demand on the student; he is free to pursue his future in the field of his choice. Not at all a gloomy state.

I know the history & geography. In a distance of 2 kms from my home there is a " VEDHA PAADASAALA" in which vedic teaching in the early morning, and the students attend regular school of their choice.
Again the question that
how many of us will sent our ward to " VEDHA PAADASAALA" for learning?.

 

[tbs]

I know the history & geography. In a distance of 2 kms from my home there is a " VEDHA PAADASAALA" in which vedic teaching in the early morning, and the students attend regular school of their choice.
Again the question that
how many of us will sent our ward to " VEDHA PAADASAALA" for learning?.

hi

i myself veda paadasaala student for six yrs.....so the question is.....its not for everyone....

 

[yesmohan]

hi

i myself veda paadasaala student for six yrs.....so the question is.....its not for everyone....

Sir you may be rarest of rare.

Vedhic scholars and prohits in cities earn more than software professionals.
However, as on date, how many parents aspire their wards to become Vedhic scholars?

 

[tbs]

Sir you may be rarest of rare.

Vedhic scholars and prohits in cities earn more than software professionals.
However, as on date, how many parents aspire their wards to become Vedhic scholars?

hi sir

earnings are not a question...in USA...sometimes.a plumber is earning more than a doctor in day....so every body cant do

plumber job....same way the respect of job is required.....i heard that even a TB boy born in USA ....now studying in

veda paadasalla in india....its purely a parents choice....

 

[sangom]

I don't think veda study "improves" the brain; it only alters. Here is a post from another forum on the same topic:

" Respected Members,



I have been seeing these reports being circulated in many
public and private e-mail groups in our country and have
been waiting to see that a more competent Scientist than me will correct the 'covert' slant implied in the announcement.
As far as changes in the brain are concerned, it is long
known that any activity does modify the neuronal connections
and repeated practices do alter the cortical thickness, not only in
people but also in many animals and birds.

Even the morning cup of coffee we drink changes the neuronal
connections. The sensorimotor areas of the brains of athletes also show relative differences compared to non-athletes.

A well-known example for the 'alteration' in the brain is the case of London Taxi Drivers, as showed from the work done over five years ago. Quoting from various published reports:

The examination to become a London cabby is possibly the
most difficult test in the world. "The Knowledge," as it is
called, is unique to London taxi licensing and involves a
series of grueling exams that only about 50 percent of hopefuls pass.

Ever since 1865, they’ve had to memorise the location of
every street within six miles of Charing Cross – all
25,000 of the capital’s arteries, veins and capillaries. They also need to know the locations of 20,000 landmarks – museums, police stations, theatres, clubs, and more – and 320 routes that connect everything up.

The taxi drivers need to know the way around so well that,
when asked, he can calculate the most direct legal route
between any two addresses anywhere in the entire 113-square-mile (293-square-kilometer) metropolitan area within seconds, without looking at a map, and be able to rattle off the precise sequence of streets, junctions, roundabouts, and left- and right-hand turns necessary to complete such a journey.

The Scientists found that The Knowledge may enlarge the
hippocampus's posterior (rear) at the expense of its
anterior (front), creating a trade-off of cognitive talents—that is, taxi drivers master some forms of memory but become worse at others.

Thus we may note that the Pundits may undoubtedly have
altered brain conditions in some lobes, but maybe at the
expense of some other faculty.
regards,"

 

[prasad1]

Thanks Sangomji for your post#11

 

[mskmoorthy]

From Post #11, I am unable to understand how the conclusion in the last paragraph was reached. Hippocampal study of London Cab Drivers has been discussed in the past. The one mentioned in post 11 is a recent 2011 study (the previous one are given at the end)


I found two sources in the internet for their 2011 study One from Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/london-taxi-memory/ (gives reference to the place whether the research results were published http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(11)01267-X ) and one from National Geographic http://phenomena.nationalgeographic...dge-changes-the-brains-of-london-cab-drivers/

To treat one brain as a static entity (earlier cpost compared to SSD) needs a reference to research study.


From the Authors study:

To conclude, we have shown that there is a capacity for memory improvement and concomitant structural changes to occur in the human brain well into adulthood. That there are many thousands of licensed London taxi drivers shows that acquisition of “the Knowledge,” and presumably the brain changes that arise from it, is not uncommon, offering encouragement for lifelong learning, and possibly a role in neurorehabilitation in the clinical context.

From the scientific american article one can take this quotation

"Neurobiologist Howard Eichenbaum of Boston University commends the study for answering the "chicken-and-egg question" posed by Maguire's earlier research. He sees it as confirmation of the idea that cognitive exercise produces physical changes in the brain. "The initial findings could have been explained by a correlation, that people with big hippocampi become taxi drivers," he says. "But it turns out it really was the training process that caused the growth in the brain. It shows you can produce profound changes in the brain with training. That's a big deal."

Another qiotation from National Geographic:

"These studies strongly suggested that their intensive training was the reason for the changes in the taxi drivers’ brains. They helped to change the decades-old perception of the adult brain as a static organ. Instead, Maguire likens the brain to a muscle – exercise it and it gets stronger. “But of course,” she says, “the real test is to take people before they start training and test them afterwards, to see if there are changes in the hippocampus in the same individual. That would give the best evidence.”

Previous work:
Maguire, E.A., et alNavigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.

• CrossRef
• | PubMed
• | Scopus (1095)

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.2000; 97: 4398–4403
Maguire, E.A., et allLondon taxi drivers and bus drivers: a structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis.

• CrossRef
• | PubMed
• | Scopus (191)

Hippocampus. 2006; 16:1091–1101

 

[sangom]

From Post #11, I am unable to understand how the conclusion in the last paragraph was reached. Hippocampal study of London Cab Drivers has been discussed in the past. The one mentioned in post 11 is a recent 2011 study (the previous one are given at the end)


I found two sources in the internet for their 2011 study One from Scientific American http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/london-taxi-memory/ (gives reference to the place whether the research results were published http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(11)01267-X ) and one from National Geographic http://phenomena.nationalgeographic...dge-changes-the-brains-of-london-cab-drivers/

To treat one brain as a static entity (earlier cpost compared to SSD) needs a reference to research study.


From the Authors study:

To conclude, we have shown that there is a capacity for memory improvement and concomitant structural changes to occur in the human brain well into adulthood. That there are many thousands of licensed London taxi drivers shows that acquisition of “the Knowledge,” and presumably the brain changes that arise from it, is not uncommon, offering encouragement for lifelong learning, and possibly a role in neurorehabilitation in the clinical context.

From the scientific american article one can take this quotation

"Neurobiologist Howard Eichenbaum of Boston University commends the study for answering the "chicken-and-egg question" posed by Maguire's earlier research. He sees it as confirmation of the idea that cognitive exercise produces physical changes in the brain. "The initial findings could have been explained by a correlation, that people with big hippocampi become taxi drivers," he says. "But it turns out it really was the training process that caused the growth in the brain. It shows you can produce profound changes in the brain with training. That's a big deal."

Another qiotation from National Geographic:

"These studies strongly suggested that their intensive training was the reason for the changes in the taxi drivers’ brains. They helped to change the decades-old perception of the adult brain as a static organ. Instead, Maguire likens the brain to a muscle – exercise it and it gets stronger. “But of course,” she says, “the real test is to take people before they start training and test them afterwards, to see if there are changes in the hippocampus in the same individual. That would give the best evidence.”

Previous work:
Maguire, E.A., et alNavigation-related structural change in the hippocampi of taxi drivers.

• CrossRef
• | PubMed
• | Scopus (1095)

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.2000; 97: 4398–4403
Maguire, E.A., et allLondon taxi drivers and bus drivers: a structural MRI and neuropsychological analysis.

• CrossRef
• | PubMed
• | Scopus (191)

Hippocampus. 2006; 16:1091–1101

Shri Moorthy Sir,

Will you please explain where and how the conclusions of the three studies contradict the last para of my post viz.,

Thus we may note that the Pundits may undoubtedly have
altered brain conditions in some lobes, but maybe at the
expense of some other faculty.
regards,

I believe this statement can be proved false only if a study is done before & after method and tests are done to measure different kinds of abilities both before and after the taxi driver training or the veda study.

 

[mskmoorthy]

Shri Sangom Sir,

The paragraph you worte in post 11.

"Thus we may note that the Pundits may undoubtedly have
altered brain conditions in some lobes, but maybe at the
expense of some other faculty.

It is not proved true either in the studies (that is by doing pre and post tests with and with out study of vedas). Probably (actually) it is my mistake to assume that this paragraph follows from the London Cabbies Hippocampal Studies in your post 11.

Moorthy

 

[sangom]

Shri Sangom Sir,

The paragraph you worte in post 11.

"Thus we may note that the Pundits may undoubtedly have
altered brain conditions in some lobes, but maybe at the
expense of some other faculty.

It is not proved true either in the studies (that is by doing pre and post tests with and with out study of vedas). Probably (actually) it is my mistake to assume that this paragraph follows from the London Cabbies Hippocampal Studies in your post 11.

Moorthy

The portion in blue forms part of the post in another forum by someone else; it is not my contribution. Thank you.