Cognitive Science (Essay Sample)

Cognitive Science
Name
Institution
In his publication, Ito unfolds the activities that take place in the cerebellum and how such activities can impact different parts of the body. The author explains that the cerebellum is characterized by a vast network of neuron circuitry that encodes the brains internal processes and models that control bodily movements (Ito, 2008). Ito explains that such models and processes are very essential in the control of body movements without the need of sensory feedbacks. The author points out that the characteristics that psychiatric patients portray suggests a mechanism whereby the intuition and implicit thoughts may function.
Ito’s argument is valid because relative to other creatures e.g. non-human primates, the human cerebellum and its prefrontal cortex of the brain have undergone notable evolutionary transformations. In the recent past, molecular biology and neuroimaging studies have revealed that as the human cerebellum evolved, its original functioning has also changed (Villanueva, 2012). Its functions have improved significantly as compared to those of non-human primates such as monkeys and apes. The increase in the functioning has also been deduced from the postmortem analysis that has been conducted (Villanueva, 2012). Animal experimentations have also enhanced the derivation of the conclusions. As human evolution progressed, the human cerebellum acquired new functions which include control of attention, control of social behavior, emotions and mood (Dehaene, 2001). The new cerebellar physiology that Ito brings out in his article has been witnessed by the increased in the number of individuals who suffer from neuropsychiatric disorders that result from abnormalities in the cerebellum. A disruption to the cerebellum disrupts the imagery of motors in the brain (Dehaene, 2001). Further investigations need to be carried out so as to establish how disruption of different cerebellar activities results in various mental disorders.
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