The Brain its laterality and function

I recently watched an episode of the culture show where John Lyndon was interviewed by the arts correspondence. During interview John Lyndon mentioned that he was left-handed and that he been punished at the school and made to write with his right-hand. The interviewer mentioned that this had been his experience as well. As a child I was ambidextrous and wrote with both hands, I’ve been told recently that the word sinister was originally used to describe those who were left-handed. Left handedness had been historically being associated with the works of the devil, the very reason children used to receive a rap on the knuckles for writing with the left hand.

I took one of those tests on facebook which determines brain laterality, which is to say the theory that one hemisphere of the brain operates more than the other .My results told me that I was strongly left brained (which put me in the same category as Stephen Hawking in Richard Feynman). I know these tests you find on the Internet aren’t liable to be highly scientific did wonder if they're indicative of any type of functioning? I was attending an art class a few weeks ago where the subject brain laterality tests came up and one of the ladies in the class told me that her results indicated that she was centre brained. Would it be ideal for the hemispheres to function symmetrically?

My own interests lie in dyslexia, and whether brain functioning can be improved through the use of particular types of training or smart drugs. People often talk about a level playing field in education but the truth is the playing field is never been level. I'm more interested in the question of how we can improve brain function; it seems to me entirely ethical that if we can improve it and indeed should. Would we deny a man who cannot walk the use of a wheelchair? If we could help him walk again would,nt we? So why not turn a disadvantage in education into an advantage?

I use assistive IT technology in order to write; as my form dyslexia presents no problem in reading but makes it very difficult to write (this was written using Dragon NaturallySpeaking which involves speaking into a headset rather than typing). In fact I failed all my GCSEs first time round because of this problem, despite having a better knowledge of some of the subjects than the majority of my classmates (I never understood why this happened for years, and it was a source of great frustration for me). I was speaking to my nephew this afternoon who is aged nine, and he encounters the same problems I did at school in that he cannot keep up with the speed that things are written on a blackboard when copying.

A company called Dore a few years back came out with a treatment for dyslexia that involved physical training in balance and coordination. I read a book on the subject by Wyford Dore who owned the company, he had been inspired to start the company by his daughter who is dyslexic herself and had attempted suicide. The treatment proved controversial the two reasons they conducted a scientific study with a limited sample size, and which many experts claimed were inconclusive. The company charged what many viewed as an exultantly high rate of £2000 for a six month program which few parents can afford for an unproven method. The company folded within a few years but has recently been relaunched with much reduced rates under new ownership in Stratford. While attending a course by the British dyslexia Association the presenter talked about the Dore programme suggesting a while it was not a cure for dyslexia it may aid in the treatment of the Allied condition of dyspraxia which affects balance and coordination and often exists concurrently with dyslexia and other spectral conditions. She also mentioned the dyslexic brain functions in a more symmetrical manner, than average brains were language is processed the more readily in the right hemisphere.

I do not know what the real sciences behind brain laterality, but I find it very interesting to speculate. The other thing that I been reading up on and watching documentaries about is the phenomenon of DMT. There are numerous documentaries online claiming that DMT is produced by the pineal gland an organ that sits in the centre of the brain during heavy REM sleep whether there is any truth in it I do not know, but the claim is made that the body also manufactures this chemical under severe stress and that it is released during near death experiences. It is also claimed that the DMT molecule is present in numerous plants and is the active ingredient within ayahuasca a psychedelic used by indigenous tribes in Brazil and featured in the documentary series Bruce Parry’s tribe. In the television show Bruce Parry describes taking the drug and how it makes him extremelyintrospective and respectful and reviews his experiences with the world from this altered perspective. American comedian and television presenter Joe Rogan is also an advocate the use of this chemical compound as well as owning a sensory deprivation tank which you regularly uses and describes his experiences online on you tube. DMT is a class A controlled drug in the United Kingdom and I am in no way advocating its use, but what I do find interesting is the experiences of the people have had using the drug and wonder whether it is true that that is produced while we're dreaming and what this in turn says about consciousness. DMT the spirit molecule documentry is currently available on NETFLIX.

I do wonder if brain functioning can be altered or improved, and about what measures should be taken to find out. I was intrigued by the film “ lawnmower man” when it came out and do wonder if smart drugs, physical training, assistive computer technology and other methods may unlock hidden potential within the human brain. If anyone has their own thoughts on this subject they would be very interested to find out what they are in the comment section.