I would like to know about the effects of television viewing on the
human nervous system.  This is not about content, altho that would be
welcome, but about the actual affects of the "flickering" screen, etc.
The more information, the better. (Is Palafala-ga out there?)

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Request for Question Clarification by guillermo-ga on 20 May 2005 10:14 PDT

Hello Ryoyu-ga,

I hadn't noticed that you had addressed this question to Pafalafa-ga.
Now I've unlocked it so he can take it.

Guillermo

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 20 May 2005 10:42 PDT

ryoyu-ga,

Hello again, and thanks so much for directing this question to my
attention (and thanks to guillermo-ga, as well, for his
considerateness).

I haven't looked into your question yet in any depth, but off the top
of my ahead, I was aware of the condition known as photosensitive
epilepsy, which has to do with seizures brought on by flickering
lights.  It's often associated with video games, as well as rapidly
changing and flickering scenes on certain TV shows.

You can read a bit about it here:


http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/photo.html


It seems to be a combination of normal flicker plus "scene flicker"
(deliberately making very fast and -- to my sensibilities, annoying --
scene changes through editing, as is the style in many visual media
these days).


A few years ago, an outbreak of seizures in Japan were linked to a
popular kids cartoon show (one that my own children both watched when
they were younger):


http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pokemon.html
Pokemon on the Brain


Is this the sort of thing you're asking about?

If so, I suspect that photosensitive epilepsy may be the only
documented health effect of flicker (though I'll certainly look to
confirm if this is true or not).

But if that's all there is, what would be the best way for me to craft
an answer for you?

pafalafa-ga

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Clarification of Question by ryoyu-ga on 20 May 2005 11:26 PDT

Howdy,

Good of Guillermo to pass this on.  Here we go!

I am not interested, solely, in intense pathological effects such as
the one you mention.  That's useful, but it's extreme.  I just want to
know what is going on in the brain of my son, for example, when he
watches television.  What's the effect of keeping up with scene
changes, "flicker", and colors. And contrary to my original question,
it would be interesting to know what happens to dopamine receptors,
for example, when watching a violent program vs. say, my hero Fred
Rogers.  Adults are of interest too of course.  I have a feeling that
ancient responses in the amygdla are stirred up.

(FYI, I have developed some meditative exercise to deal with those
annoying scene shifts that we are both so annoyed by)

To recap:  What are the effects, in general, on the human brain,
nervous system and body, of watching television? And the bonus
question, what are the effects of types of content on the brain, etc?

My suspicion is that the effects are not so good.

The final paragraph of this overly long clarification: you might see
if you can dig up an old book called four Arguments for the
Elimination of Television, by Gerry Mander.

Ryoyu

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Clarification of Question by ryoyu-ga on 20 May 2005 17:59 PDT

Palafala-ga,

I'll think more about the question tonight and in the morning.  It
might be a day or two before I get back to you.  I write most of the
day during weekdays so like to give myself some time off on the
weekend.

I need to clarify one thing.  I used my son as an example and that was
unwise.  But just so we can stay away from an area where I get really
defensive, let me say that my 15 year old son is an honors student at
one of the three best prep schools in the country.  He's a blues
musician of great skill, a physics whiz,an athlete, and one of the
wisest and gentlest people I have ever had the privilege to know.  He
can do just about anything with his butt that he wants, but he does
not park it in front of a TV.  I won't use him as an example again. 
It was a poor choice.  He actually thinks that TV is pretty stupid.

Thanks for your careful attention to my question and thanks in advance
for your patience over the next few days.

Ryo

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 21 May 2005 16:51 PDT

Have a good weekend...I'll await your comments, whenever you're ready.

paf

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Clarification of Question by ryoyu-ga on 22 May 2005 17:09 PDT

Hello Pafalafa,

I've decided to cancel the question.  I have a feeling this stuff is
pretty subjective.  It was also beginning to take over this book I'm
writing and it is only a small part of the whole.

I've like working with you quite a lot.  I have two questions:

1 - as I'm cancelling it, I don't know if you get paid or not and I
don't want to stiff you so if there's some way I can pass some money
your way, please tell me.

2 - If I have more science questions, is there a way I can direct them
to you.  Assuming of course that you would want me to.

Best, ryo

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 22 May 2005 17:49 PDT

Hi ryoyu-ga,

Hope you had a great weekend...it was absolutely beautiful in
Washington DC, where I live.

No problem with cancelling the question, and don't worry about payment
--- I didn't do much on this yet anyway.

As for future questions, if you want to bring one to my direction,
just include "For pafalafa-ga" in the subject AND in the body of the
question, and I'll be sure to see it.

All the best,

paf

---

Clarification of Question by ryoyu-ga on 23 May 2005 03:32 PDT

Pafalafa

OK...you'll hear from me again, certainly.  What are your specialites?

My brother lives in Washington and was telling me yesterday about the
fine weather, at last.  I live in Gainesville, FL where, as Muddy
Waters once sung, "The sun shines damn near every day."  My other home
is in a primitive part of Costa Rica - true paradise!

Ryo

Ryoyu: Are you looking for some scientific rationale to urge your son
to get his butt from in front of the TV?  I have been searching the
scientific literature, and so far have found no solid evidence for any
alterations in brain development or lasting functional changes
associated with television viewing, despite the fact that a few
anti-TV hrangues were published in the literature in the 80s. 
Probably the biggest danger is getting physically unfit and socially
dysfunctional.  But really, that can happen with too many books too. 
Probably people used to curse the printing press for destroying social
fabrics knit together by the tradition of oral storytelling.

Anyway, enough editorializing.  Before your question can be answered,
you need to clarify it.  A lot of psychophysical studies use TV
screens to project images during experiments.  To study the effects of
TV properly, one would need to substitute comparable visual stimuli,
which would be...?  So the most likely sort of experimental results
along the lines you're seeking would probably come from functional MRI
or something of people watching TV or staring at a wall or something. 
I've no doubt there are differences in brain activity between people
watching TV or staring at a wall, but what does that mean except that
one is doing something different with one's brain?  What I suspect you
want to see are neurophysiological or anatomical changes correlated
with a large amount of TV viewing.  Again, this is tough because any
stimulation is generally better than no stimulation when it comes to
brain development.  Watching TV is better than your son being locked
in a closet.  But you knew that already too, right?

Basically, what I'm asking is: What do you want to compare the TV
viewing to?  Once you decide that, it's just a matter of seeing
whether anyone has looked for brain differences following those
things.  Either they have or they haven't.

You should definetly read this --- explains so much

please go to:

http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/node/108

guessianswer-ga,

Thank you!  This is useful.  My son is not a problem, happily, but
there is a dangerous "dark side" to TV viewing, isn't there?

Hi Ryoyu,

I am a medical student and have just completed my course in neuroscience.
In terms of physiology, the signals to various parts of the brain and
what they mean, I can answer.
But there are a lot of "whys" that simply can't be answered. Things
like "Why are dopamine receptors activated due to certain stimulus?"
are simply things that we don't know yet.

I have a theory about what people are subjected too, directly or
indirectly.  Starters think as your mind as a  glass jar,  everything
thing that you are subjected too adds colored marbles to the jar.  A
positive image adds blue marbles.  Negative images add red marbles to
the jar.  Neutral images add clear marbles.  When a topic is presented
to a person the decision is made by looking through the marbles of
past experience.  Thats why I don't read, or watch the new.  Too
negative.  But, I'm going to throw a monkey wrench in my theory,  it
also depends on the glass jar that holds the marbles and the eyes that
see through the marbles.  I'm am big fan of violent video games,
violent movies, but I have the eyes and knowledge behind my
interpretation of the world that I can make an educated decision
beside of regurgitation false or negative facts and images.  Also, the
noise of the world, advertisement, radio, signs, lights, everything in
the world that is trying to get are attention is, on a sub-conscience
level but its like snapping your fingers all the time to get someone's
attention you loose your train of thought,  that my theory of "A.D.D."
 too many distractions as a child make them mold their brain to handle
attention getters every few seconds, but we they down gear to read a
book, take a test, or listen to a teacher, it doesn't hold their
attention, and leads to problems.