Mental Abilities- Genius, Savant. Autism

1. Explain in detail what "savant syndrome" means.
----> The syndrome of Savant occurs when a person of low intelligence is very talented in a specific area. This syndrome is associated with autism and approximately half of the children who have autism are also victims of the savant syndrome. It is been tested than more boys are associated with this syndrome, than girls. Researches have been done to know the cause of the savant syndrome and have come up with two theories: 1) A change in genes. 2) A damage in the left hemisphere of the brain that affects the right hemisphere. Savant children are very intelligent in areas like mathematical calculations, vision, art and speed. There is nothing bad about being a Savant child since they have a very high IQ in a specific category. 

2. What does genius mean?  Explain the difference between genius and savant.
---->According to the dictionary, a genius is someone who has an exceptional intellectual ability and capacity and is very skilled in any field. The difference between a genius and a savant varies because a genius is skilled and talented in many fields and a savant has a low intelligence and is only skilled in one field or area. 


3. What is a stroke and how could it affect your mental functioning?
---->A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks and interrupts the blood flow to the brain. If this occurs, then the brain cells begin to die and not do the function they are required. Depending on the part of the brain in which the stroke occurs, the mental function can have negative effects. If the stroke occurs in the parietal lobe then the speech is affected. 

4. What is a functional MRI and how does it help us understand brain activity?
---->The functional MRI is Magnetic Resonance Imaging that helps physicians to diagnose brain functions and treat medical conditions. It helps us understand brain activity because it produces images of the different parts of the brain like its tissues, bones and organs. It helps diagnose tumors, diseases, etc. 


5. What is the corpus callosum and what role does it play in your brain's activity?
---->The corpus callosum are a lot of nerves that connect the right side of the brain with the left side. It plays the role of communication between both sides. 


6. What is epilepsy and how might it affect your brain's abilities?
---->Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting mental and physical functions. 
7. What is autism?
---->Autism is a general disease of people who lack of communication and relation with other people, interaction with themselves and think they are different. Autistic people are pretty much different than others and have a view of the world different than ours. 
8. What is Asperger's Syndrome?
---->The Asperger's Syndrome is a syndrome that relates to autism. The people who suffer from this are socially isolated and have repetitive speech. They are very clumsy and lack of interest.  




Work Cited:
http://www.healthofchildren.com/S/Savant-Syndrome.html
http://www.stroke.org/site/PageServer?pagename=myth
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodymr
http://www.dyslexia.org/corpus.shtml
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/index.cfm
http://www.autism.org.uk/about-autism/autism-and-asperger-syndrome-an-introduction/what-is-autism.aspx
http://www.aspergers.com/aspclin.htm