How the brain works in multitasking mode

Kathleen O'Grady (Cathleen O'Grady)

A science journalist, writes about thinking and brain functioning.

It happens that the two hemispheres separated. This method is used to treat severe forms of epilepsy. Surprisingly, the dissection of adhesions between the hemispheres is not too much impact on the brain, as it might seem. The behavior of people after such a procedure, for the most part no different from what it was before the surgery, and multitasking, they can even give odds to those with intact spikes.

The study of the brain hemispheres with detached coupling helps to understand how the brain processes information and how it distributes the processes occurring simultaneously. For example, we know that the two hemispheres of the brain in such a detached coupling must handle all the processes apart from each other. It turns out one hemisphere does not know what the other is occupied.

A group of researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison suggested that healthy brains also sometimes handles tasks individually. Although it can not be divided in the literal sense of the word, while several tasks two separate systems must work independently of each other.

Linking and separation problems

Scientists conducted an experiment based on the method of functional magnetic resonance imagingFunctional split brain in a driving / listening paradigm. . The participants in this experiment had to perform two actions at the same time: to drive the car and listen to it on the radio. Firstly, it is the usual activities of daily living, and thus less likely to produce artificial results that sometimes occurs in the laboratory. Secondly, science is already known how the working system used to process audio and linguistic information, and systems involved in the processing of visual and motor driving processes.

During the experiment, participants were driving down the road with two lanes of traffic on the road was no intersections and other vehicles. The task was complicated by the fact that it was necessary to carry out additional tasks. In the first ( "complex") of the drivers heard while driving instructions like instructions car navigator, which lets you know when you need to change lanes. In the second ( "split") of the driver to change the band, focusing on road signs and listening to the speeches on the radio.

Since we are in the GPS-navigator instructions and radio speech sound completely different, the researchers recorded them using the same voice, to complicate the task. In addition, they asked the participants how difficult they seem and the job if they feel sleepy. Thus we tested their driving skills and the ability to perceive information on hearing.

When participants performed a "comprehensive" part of the job, tomography showed that the brain handles both tasks as one. But at runtime "split" of the relationship between the two operating systems decreased. "When it which hears the driver, is not directly connected with the driving process, the brain is like functionally divided into two independent systems: driving system and the system of hearings, "- say the authors research.

conclusions

This showed that the brain is able to simultaneously manage two separate systems, as well as to combine them when required. However, the results of this study, like many others, based on the method of functional magnetic resonance imaging, can not be 100% true. In the experiment, only 13 people took part, and there is a risk that the recorded results are the individual characteristics of the participants.

Naturally, the scientists there are new questions. The brain uses other ways of processing information than those studied in this research, and it is not known what other systems can be combined, and what - no. In addition, you need to understand which areas are responsible for switching between the union and separation of the two hemispheres.