23.11.2011Mental Timetraveling: When the brain dreams of christmas

Dr. Julia Weiler, Neuropsychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Timetraveling is more than science-fiction. Our brain carries us to other times and to other places all the time. For example we can recall last Christmas vividly and we also have a colourful picture of our next Christmas. Recent research shows that in the brain there are similar regions active when we look in the past or in the future. How does the brain manage then to distinguish between past and future thoughts? Examinations with functional magnetic resonance therapy as well as with people who suffered a stroke give first answers to these questions.