on 25-Jun-2017 (Sun)

Deus sic ubique totus, ut res nulla ipsum totum capiat

THE poetry of medieval Persia came into being and developed to a high level of artistic excellence under the patronage of the local Iranian dynasties that began to emerge in the latter half of the tenth century. Despite subsequent changes in patterns of patronage (particularly in the mid-twelfth century and after), a significant amount of poetry continued to be produced in and for courtly circles up to the beginning of the mqdern age.

It is to be expected that this circumstance would exert a pro- found influence on the forms and genres most favored and the values depicted therein, but it is a lamentablefacfofPersian studies that in general such influence has been evaluated neg- atively and court patronage has been judged as leading pri- marily to the composition of fulsome and insincere panegyric characterized stylistically by excessive ornamentation, artifi- ciality, and rhetorical bombast.

While not denying that such patronage can produce bad writing as well as good (as can any other kind of patronage or, for that matter, none at all), the view that it is inevitably in- imical to artistic creativity is grossly erroneous, as is the auto- matic equation of "courtly" taste with the "lush, artificial, and over-ingenious," as opposed to the "real" or "natural."

The temporal lobes, found on the outsides of each hemisphere (i.e., around the temples), contain the primary auditory cortex.

The temporal lobes rest on top of, and are connected to the limbic system (e.g., amygdala and hippocampus); thus the temporal lobes are also involved in emotional behavior and memory

The left temporal lobe is involved in verbal memory and language comprehension (Wernicke's area)

The right temporal lobe is involved in visual memory.

Temporal lobe damage may result in increased aggressive behavior, increased or decreased interest in sexual behavior, interference with memory, and problems understanding speech (Wernicke's aphasia).

The occipital lobes, located at the back of the brain, housethe primaryvisual cortex and are involved in sight, reading, and visual images.

Occipital lobe damage is not very common, but may result from a stroke or tumor.

Damage may lead to difficulty recognizing drawn objects, difficulty identifying colors, hallucinations and illusions, inability to recognize words (word blindness), and problems with reading or writing.

the subcortical brain areas that include the corpus callosum, the limbic system, and the basal ganglia

The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that serves as a bridge between the left and right hemispheres,

The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and sensory experiences on the leftsideof the body (e.g., an object placed inthe left hand) are always processed by the right hemisphere. In contrast, the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body, and sensory experiences on the right side of the body (e.g., an image flashed in the right visual field) are always processed by the left hemisphere. This is true regardless of whether the person's corpus callosum is intact or severed.

split-brain patients

To better understand communication between the two hemispheres, experiments have been undertaken with split-brain patients. These patients have had their corpus callosum severed in an attempt to reduce severe epileptic seizures. With a severed corpus callosum, the right hemisphere still processes the experiences of the left side of the body, and vice-versa; however, information can no longer be shared with or transferred to the opposite hemisphere. In the classic study with split-brain patients, the word HEART was flashed in such a way that HE was seen in the left visual field only, and ART was seen in the right visual field only. Since HE was seen in the left visual field, it was processed by the right hemisphere. With a severed corpus callosum no communication could occur between the two hemispheres, thus patients were unable to verbalize the word (as there is no language in the right hemisphere). They were able to verbalize ART since it was flashed to the right visual fields and therefore directly registered in the left hemisphere, which controls language

The limbic system is largely involved in emotions (e.g., fear, anger, pleasure), basic drives (e.g., sex, hunger), learning, olfaction, and memory. The limbic system also influences our autonomic nervous system and endocrine system.

Key limbic system structures include the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and septum.

The limbic system, a set of brain structures that forms the inner border of the cortex, is considered our primitive brain and plays a key role in our survival

The thalamuslies belowthe corpuscallosum. It serves as the major sensory relay center for the brain, receiving input from all our senses except olfaction (smell).

The thalamus then integrates and processes this information before projecting it to the appropriate cortical areas. The thalamus is critical in the perception of pain. Abnormalities of the thalamus have also been linked to schizophrenia (e.g., misperceptions of sensory input).

Through its connections to the endocrine system (e.g., pituitary, thyroid, adrenal glands) and autonomic nervous system, the hypothalamus serves a major role in homeostasis, including regulating temperature, hunger, thirst, sex, cyclic sex hormone secretion (e.g., the menstrual cycle), aggression, and the sleep-wake cycle.

Withinthe hypothalamus, the group of cells called the suprachiasmic nucleus (SCN) is considered the body's circadian clockbecause it regulates the sleep-wake cycle.

The hypothalamus directly influences the pituitary gland by secreting hypothalamic releasing andhypothalamic inhibiting hormones (e.g., thyrotropin-releasing hormone, corticotropin-releasing hormone). In response to hypothalamic hormones the pituitary secretes its own hormones (e.g., growth hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone) that activate the other endocrine glands (e.g., thyroid, pancreas)

The primary function of the hippocampus is memory, specifically the consolidation of conscious memories. The hippocampus stores new information and events as lasting memories.