ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Oliver Sacks - Neurological anthropologist
Since "Awakenings" stormed the bestseller lists (and the silver screen), Oliver Sacks has become an unlikely household name, single-handedly inventing the genre of neurological anthropology.

Why you should listen

Oliver Sacks was a ground-breaking neurologist -- and a gifted storyteller who enriched our knowledge of the infinite variations of human psychology. After his pioneering work with “sleepy sickness” patients (who were in fact survivors of an early-20th-century pandemic), Sacks went on to study the connections between music and the brain, as well as disorders such as Tourette's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and many other little-understood disorders that often count Sacks as one of their first chroniclers.

Sacks was well known as a writer of such best-selling case histories as Hallucinations, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, An Anthropologist on Mars, and his memoir of his early work, Awakenings, all of which have breathed new life into the dusty 19th-century tradition of the clinical anecdote. Sacks' writing, compassion and wide-ranging knowledge catapults the genre into the 21st century and brings the far frontiers of neurological experience into the view of millions of readers worldwide. Sacks died at age 82 in August 2015.

Read TED's long, wonderful Q&A with Oliver Sacks >>

More profile about the speaker
Oliver Sacks | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds

Oliver Sacks: Que revelan as alucinacións sobre as nosas mentes?

Filmed:
8,482,258 views

O neurólogo e escritor Oliver Sacks chámanos a atención sobre a síndrome de Charles Bonnet, condición en que os pacientes con dificultades visuais experimentan alucinacións lúcidas. El describe as experiencias dos seus pacientes con detalles conmovedores e guíanos a través da bioloxía deste fenómeno pouco descrito.
- Neurological anthropologist
Since "Awakenings" stormed the bestseller lists (and the silver screen), Oliver Sacks has become an unlikely household name, single-handedly inventing the genre of neurological anthropology. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
We see with the eyes,
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Vemos cos ollos,
00:15
but we see with the brain as well.
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mais tamén vemos co cerebro.
00:18
And seeing with the brain is often called imagination.
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Ver co cerebro é o que
chamamos imaxinación.
00:22
And we are familiar with the landscapes of our own imagination,
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E estamos familiarizados coas
paisaxes da nosa propia imaxinación,
00:27
our inscapes. We've lived with them all our lives.
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coas nosas paisaxes interiores.
Vivimos con elas toda a vida.
00:31
But there are also hallucinations as well,
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Mais tamén hai alucinacións,
00:35
and hallucinations are completely different.
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e as alucinacións son
completamente diferentes.
00:38
They don't seem to be of our creation.
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Non parecen creacións nosas.
00:40
They don't seem to be under our control.
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Non parecen estar baixo o noso control.
00:42
They seem to come from the outside,
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Parecen vir de fóra,
00:44
and to mimic perception.
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e imitar a percepción.
00:47
So I am going to be talking about hallucinations,
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Así que vou falar
sobre alucinacións,
00:51
and a particular sort of visual hallucination
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e sobre un tipo particular de
alucinacións visuais
00:55
which I see among my patients.
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que vexo entre os meus pacientes.
01:00
A few months ago, I got a phone call
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Hai uns meses, recibín unha chamada
01:04
from a nursing home where I work.
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dunha residencia de anciáns onde traballo.
01:06
They told me that one of their residents, an old lady in her 90s,
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Dixéronme que un dos residentes,
unha muller duns 90 anos,
01:11
was seeing things,
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estaba a ver cousas
01:13
and they wondered if she'd gone bonkers
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e preguntábanse se estaba toleando
01:16
or, because she was an old lady,
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ou, como era unha señora maior,
01:18
whether she'd had a stroke, or whether she had Alzheimer's.
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se tivera un ictus
ou se tería Alzheimer.
01:21
And so they asked me if I would come and see Rosalie,
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Así que me pediron que me
achegase a ver a Rosalie,
01:26
the old lady.
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a señora maior.
01:28
I went in to see her.
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Fun vela.
01:30
It was evident straight away
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A primeira cousa evidente era
01:32
that she was perfectly sane
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que estaba perfectamente corda
01:35
and lucid and of good intelligence,
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e lúcida e
que era intelixente,
01:38
but she'd been very startled and very bewildered,
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pero estaba moi asustada
e perplexa,
01:42
because she'd been seeing things.
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porque estivera a ver cousas.
01:45
And she told me --
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Díxome
01:48
the nurses hadn't mentioned this --
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- os enfermeiros non o mencionaran-
01:50
that she was blind,
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que era cega,
01:52
that she had been completely blind from macular degeneration for five years.
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que levaba cinco anos completamente cega
por dexeneración macular.
01:57
But now, for the last few days, she'd been seeing things.
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Pero nos últimos días,
vía cousas.
02:00
So I said, "What sort of things?"
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Así que lle preguntei:
"Que tipo de cousas?"
02:03
And she said, "People in Eastern dress,
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E dixo: "Xente con traxes orientais
02:06
in drapes, walking up and down stairs.
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e roupaxes, subindo
e baixando escaleiras.
02:10
A man who turns towards me and smiles.
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Un home que se volve cara a min e sorrí.
02:13
But he has huge teeth on one side of his mouth.
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Pero ten dentes enormes
nun lado da boca.
02:17
Animals too.
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Tamén vexo animais.
02:19
I see a white building. It's snowing, a soft snow.
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E un edificio branco.
Está nevando, unha neve maina.
02:22
I see this horse with a harness, dragging the snow away.
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Vexo un cabalo cun arnés,
arrastrando a neve.
02:27
Then, one night, the scene changes.
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Logo, unha noite, a escena cambia.
02:31
I see cats and dogs walking towards me.
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Vexo gatos e cans camiñando cara a min.
02:33
They come to a certain point and then stop.
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Achéganse ata un punto e logo paran.
02:36
Then it changes again.
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Entón cambia outra vez.
02:38
I see a lot of children. They are walking up and down stairs.
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Vexo un montón de nenos.
están subindo e baixando escaleiras.
02:41
They wear bright colors, rose and blue,
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Visten cores brillantes, rosa e azul,
02:44
like Eastern dress."
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coma os traxes orientais."
02:47
Sometimes, she said, before the people come on,
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Díxome que, ás veces,
antes de que chegara a xente,
02:50
she may hallucinate pink and blue squares on the floor,
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podía alucinar con cadros
rosas e azuis no chan,
02:54
which seem to go up to the ceiling.
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que parecían subir ata o ceo.
02:57
I said, "Is this like a dream?"
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Pregunteille: "É coma un soño?"
03:01
And she said, "No, it's not like a dream. It's like a movie."
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E dixo: "Non, non é coma un soño.
É coma unha película.
03:04
She said, "It's got color. It's got motion.
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Ten cor. Ten movemento.
03:07
But it's completely silent, like a silent movie."
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Pero é completamente silenciosa,
coma unha película muda."
Dixo que era unha película
bastante aburrida.
03:11
And she said that it's a rather boring movie.
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03:13
She said, "All these people with Eastern dress,
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"Toda esa xente
con traxes orientais,
03:16
walking up and down, very repetitive, very limited."
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subindo e baixando,
moi repetitivo, moi limitado."
03:21
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:23
And she has a sense of humor.
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Ten sentido do humor.
03:25
She knew it was a hallucination.
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Ela sabía que era unha alucinación.
03:27
But she was frightened. She'd lived 95 years
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Pero estaba asustada.
Vivira 95 anos
03:29
and she'd never had a hallucination before.
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e nunca antes tivera
unha alucinación.
03:32
She said that the hallucinations were unrelated
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Dixo que as alucinacións
non estaban relacionadas
03:35
to anything she was thinking or feeling or doing,
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con nada que ela pensara
ou sentira ou fixera,
03:39
that they seemed to come on by themselves, or disappear.
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que parecían chegar ou desaparecer
por si mesmas.
03:43
She had no control over them.
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Non tiña control sobre elas.
03:45
She said she didn't recognize
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Non recoñecía
03:47
any of the people or places
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ningunha das persoas ou dos lugares
03:49
in the hallucinations.
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nas alucinacións.
03:51
And none of the people or the animals,
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E ningunha das persoas ou dos animais,
03:53
well, they all seemed oblivious of her.
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parecían ser conscientes dela.
03:57
And she didn't know what was going on.
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E ela non sabía o que ocorría.
03:59
She wondered if she was going mad
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Preguntábase se
estaría volvéndose tola
04:01
or losing her mind.
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ou perdendo a cabeza.
04:03
Well, I examined her carefully.
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Ben, examineina coidadosamente.
04:05
She was a bright old lady,
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Era unha anciá brillante,
04:07
perfectly sane. She had no medical problems.
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perfectamente corda. Non tiña
problemas médicos.
04:11
She wasn't on any medications which could produce hallucinations.
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Non tomaba ningunha medicación
que lle puidera producir alucinacións.
04:15
But she was blind.
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Pero estaba cega.
04:17
And I then said to her,
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Entón díxenlle:
04:19
"I think I know what you have."
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"Creo que sei o que ten.
04:21
I said, "There is a special form of visual hallucination
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Hai unha forma especial
de alucinación visual
04:25
which may go with deteriorating vision or blindness.
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que se dá coa dexeneración
da vista ou coa cegueira.
04:29
This was originally described," I said,
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Foi descrito por primeira vez,
04:32
"right back in the 18th century,
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alá polo século XVIII,
04:34
by a man called Charles Bonnet.
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por un home chamado Charles Bonnet.
04:37
And you have Charles Bonnet syndrome.
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E vostede ten a síndrome
de Charles Bonnet.
Non ten ningún problema cerebral.
Non ten ningún problema mental.
04:40
There is nothing wrong with your brain. There is nothing wrong with your mind.
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04:42
You have Charles Bonnet syndrome."
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Vostede ten a síndrome de Charles Bonnet."
04:45
And she was very relieved at this,
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Ela sentiuse moi aliviada ao oílo,
04:48
that there was nothing seriously the matter,
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ao saber que non era nada grave,
04:52
and also rather curious.
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e tamén sentíu curiosidade.
04:55
She said, "Who is this Charles Bonnet?"
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Dixo: "Quen era ese Charles Bonnet?,
04:57
She said, "Did he have them himself?"
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el tamén o tivo?"
05:00
And she said, "Tell all the nurses
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E dixo: "Dígalles aos enfermeiros
05:03
that I have Charles Bonnet syndrome."
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que teño a síndrome de Charles Bonnet."
05:06
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:08
"I'm not crazy. I'm not demented. I have Charles Bonnet syndrome."
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"Non estou tola. Non teño demencia.
Teño a síndrome de Charles Bonnet."
05:12
Well, so I did tell the nurses.
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Así que llelo dixen aos enfermeiros.
05:14
Now this, for me, is a common situation.
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Isto, para min, é algo habitual.
Traballo, principalmente,
en residencias de anciáns.
05:17
I work in old-age homes, largely.
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05:19
I see a lot of elderly people
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Vexo un montón de persoas maiores
05:21
who are hearing impaired or visually impaired.
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con dificultades auditivas ou visuais.
Preto do 10 % das persoas
con problemas auditivos
05:25
About 10 percent of the hearing impaired people
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05:27
get musical hallucinations.
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teñen alucinacións musicais.
05:30
And about 10 percent of the visually impaired people
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E preto do 10 % das persoas
con problemas visuais
05:33
get visual hallucinations.
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teñen alucinacións visuais.
05:35
You don't have to be completely blind,
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Non é preciso estar
completamente cego,
05:37
only sufficiently impaired.
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abonda con ter a vista moi afectada.
05:39
Now with the original description in the 18th century,
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Segundo a descrición orixinal
do século XVIII,
05:43
Charles Bonnet did not have them.
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Charles Bonnet non tivo alucinancións.
05:45
His grandfather had these hallucinations.
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Foi o seu avó quen as tivo.
05:48
His grandfather was a magistrate, an elderly man.
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O seu avó era maxistrado,
un home ancián.
05:51
He'd had cataract surgery.
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Operárano de cataratas.
05:54
His vision was pretty poor.
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A súa visión era moi pobre.
05:56
And in 1759, he described to his grandson
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E en 1759, describiulle ao seu neto
06:01
various things he was seeing.
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varias cousas que estaba vendo.
06:03
The first thing he said was he saw
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A primeira cousa que dixo que vía
06:05
a handkerchief in midair.
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era un pano no medio do aire.
06:07
It was a large blue handkerchief
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Era un pano grande e azul
06:09
with four orange circles.
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con catro círculos laranxas.
06:11
And he knew it was a hallucination.
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El sabía que era unha alucinación.
06:14
You don't have handkerchiefs in midair.
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Non hai panos no medio do aire.
06:16
And then he saw a big wheel in midair.
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E despois viu unha roda grande no aire.
06:20
But sometimes he wasn't sure whether he was hallucinating or not,
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Pero ás veces non estaba seguro
de se estaba alucinando ou non,
06:25
because the hallucinations would fit
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porque as alucinación cadraban
06:27
in the context of the visions.
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co contexto das visións.
06:29
So on one occasion, when his granddaughters were visiting them,
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Nunha ocasión, cando os
seus netos estaban de visita,
06:32
he said, "And who are these handsome young men with you?"
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dixo: "E quen son eses guapos mozos
que están convosco?"
06:37
And they said, "Alas, Grandpapa, there are no handsome young men."
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E responderon: Ai, avó, non
hai ningún mozo guapo."
06:41
And then the handsome young men disappeared.
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Entón, os mozos guapos
desapareceron.
06:45
It's typical of these hallucinations
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É típico desas alucinacións,
06:48
that they may come in a flash and disappear in a flash.
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aparecen nun intre e desaparecen noutro.
06:51
They don't usually fade in and out.
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Normalmente non se esvaecen.
06:53
They are rather sudden, and they change suddenly.
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Son bastante repentinas e
cambian de súpeto.
06:56
Charles Lullin, the grandfather,
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Charles Lullin, o avó,
06:59
saw hundreds of different figures,
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viu centos de figuras diferentes,
07:02
different landscapes of all sorts.
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paisaxes de todos os tipos.
07:04
On one occasion, he saw a man in a bathrobe smoking a pipe,
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Nunha ocasión, viu un home
en albornoz fumando en pipa,
07:08
and realized it was himself.
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e deuse conta de que era el mesmo.
07:11
That was the only figure he recognized.
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Esa foi a única figura que recoñeceu.
07:14
On one occasion when he was walking in the streets of Paris,
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Nunha ocasión, cando camiñaba
polas rúas de París,
07:18
he saw -- this was real -- a scaffolding.
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viu, isto era real, un andamio.
07:21
But when he got back home, he saw a miniature of the scaffolding
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Pero cando volveu á casa,
viu unha miniatura do andamio
07:24
six inches high, on his study table.
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de 15 cm de alto, no seu escritorio.
07:28
This repetition of perception
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Esta repetición da percepción
07:31
is sometimes called palinopsia.
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denomínase palinopsia.
07:33
With him and with Rosalie,
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Ben, que estaba a ocorrerlles
07:38
what seems to be going on --
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a el e a Rosalie?
07:40
and Rosalie said, "What's going on?" --
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"Que está pasando?" preguntoume Rosalie.
07:42
and I said that as you lose vision,
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E expliqueille que cando un
perde a visión,
07:45
as the visual parts of the brain are no longer getting any input,
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como as áreas visuais do cerebro
xa non reciben ningún estímulo,
07:48
they become hyperactive and excitable,
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vólvense hiperactivas e excitables
07:51
and they start to fire spontaneously.
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e comezan a disparar espontaneamente.
07:53
And you start to see things.
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E un comeza a ver cousas.
07:56
The things you see can be very complicated indeed.
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De feito poden verse cousas
bastante complexas.
07:59
With another patient of mine,
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Outra paciente miña,
08:03
who, also had some vision,
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que tamén tiña algo de vista,
08:05
the vision she had could be disturbing.
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sufría visións que
podían ser perturbadoras.
08:09
On one occasion, she said she saw
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Nunha ocasión, dixo que vía
08:12
a man in a striped shirt in a restaurant.
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un home cunha camisa de raias
nun restaurante.
08:15
And he turned around. And then
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E que daba a volta. Entón
08:17
he divided into six figures in striped shirts,
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dividiuse en seis figuras con
camisas de raias,
08:20
who started walking towards her.
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que comezaron a camiñar
cara a ela.
E despois, as seis figuras xuntáronse
outra vez coma un acordeón.
08:23
And then the six figures came together again, like a concertina.
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08:26
Once, when she was driving,
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Unha vez, cando estaba conducindo,
ou máis ben, o seu esposo
estaba conducindo,
08:28
or rather, her husband was driving,
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08:30
the road divided into four
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a estrada dividiuse en catro
08:32
and she felt herself going simultaneously up four roads.
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e ela sentiuse a si mesma indo
asemade polas catro estradas.
08:36
She had very mobile hallucinations as well.
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Tiña alucinacións de
movemento tamén.
08:41
A lot of them had to do with a car.
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Moitas tiñan que ver cun coche.
08:44
Sometimes she would see a teenage boy
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Ás veces, vía un rapaz adolescente
08:46
sitting on the hood of the car.
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sentado no capó do coche.
Era moi resolto e movíase
con bastante graza
08:49
He was very tenacious and he moved rather gracefully
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08:51
when the car turned.
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cando o coche xiraba.
08:53
And then when they came to a stop,
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E cando chegaban a un stop,
08:56
the boy would do a sudden vertical takeoff, 100 foot in the air,
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o rapaz levantábase
de súpeto 30 m no aire,
08:59
and then disappear.
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e desaparecía.
09:02
Another patient of mine had a different sort of hallucination.
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Outra paciente miña tiña
un tipo diferente de alucinacións.
09:07
This was a woman who didn't have trouble with her eyes,
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Esta era unha muller que
non tiña problemas cos ollos,
09:10
but the visual parts of her brain,
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senón coas partes visuais do cerebro,
09:12
a little tumor in the occipital cortex.
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un pequeno tumor no córtex occipital.
09:15
And, above all, she would see cartoons.
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E ela vía, sobre todo, debuxos animados.
09:20
These cartoons would be transparent
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Estes debuxos eran transparentes
09:25
and would cover half the visual field, like a screen.
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e cubrían a metade do campo visual,
coma unha pantalla.
09:28
And especially she saw cartoons of Kermit the Frog.
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E vía, sobre todo, debuxos
da Ra Gustavo.
09:34
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
09:35
Now, I don't watch Sesame Street,
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Ben, eu non vexo Barrio Sésamo,
09:38
but she made a point of saying,
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pero ela salientou:
09:41
"Why Kermit?" She said, "Kermit the Frog means nothing to me.
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"Por que Gustavo?",
"A Ra Gustavo non significa nada para min.
09:45
You know, I was wondering about Freudian determinants.
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Sabe, estaba preguntándome
sobre os determinantes Freudianos.
09:48
Why Kermit?
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Por que Gustavo?
09:50
Kermit the Frog means nothing to me."
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A Ra Gustavo non significa
nada para min."
A ela non lle molestaban moito
os debuxos animados.
09:52
She didn't mind the cartoons too much.
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09:54
But what did disturb her was she got very persistent
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Pero o que si a incomodaba
era ter imaxes
09:58
images or hallucinations of faces
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ou alucinacións moi
persistentes de caras
10:01
and as with Rosalie, the faces were often deformed,
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e, coma Rosalie, as caras
estaban a miúdo deformadas,
10:04
with very large teeth or very large eyes.
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con dentes moi longos ou
ollos moi grandes.
10:08
And these frightened her.
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E isto asustábaa.
10:11
Well, what is going on with these people?
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Ben, que ocorre con esta xente?
10:15
As a physician, I have to try and define what's going on,
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Como médico, teño intentado
explicar que ocorre
10:18
and to reassure people,
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e tranquilizar as persoas,
10:20
especially to reassure them that they're not going insane.
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especialmente para asegurarlles
que non se están volvendo tolas.
10:24
Something like 10 percent, as I said,
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Como dixen, preto do 10 %
10:27
of visually impaired people get these.
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de xente con dificultades
visuais sofre alucinacións.
10:30
But no more than one percent of the people acknowledge them,
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Pero só o recoñece
o 1 % das persoas,
10:34
because they are afraid they will be seen as insane or something.
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porque teñen medo de
que as vexan como tolas ou algo así.
10:37
And if they do mention them to their own doctors
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E se llo mencionan ao seu
médico
10:39
they may be misdiagnosed.
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poden acabar cun
diagnóstico errado.
10:42
In particular, the notion is that if you see
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En concreto, a idea
é que se vemos
10:44
things or hear things, you're going mad,
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cousas ou oímos cousas,
estamos volvéndonos tolos,
10:47
but the psychotic hallucinations are quite different.
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pero as alucinacións psicóticas
son bastante diferentes.
10:50
Psychotic hallucinations, whether they are visual or vocal,
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As alucinacións psicóticas, xa for
visuais ou de voces,
10:53
they address you. They accuse you.
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diríxense a nós. Acúsannos.
10:55
They seduce you. They humiliate you.
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Sedúcennos. Humíllannos.
10:57
They jeer at you.
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Búrlanse de nós.
11:00
You interact with them.
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Interactuamos con elas.
11:02
There is none of this quality of being addressed
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Non hai nada desa cualidade
de dirixirse a nós
11:05
with these Charles Bonnet hallucinations.
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nestas alucinacións de
Charles Bonnet.
11:08
There is a film. You're seeing a film which has nothing to do with you,
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É coma unha película. Vemos unha película
que non ten nada que ver connosco,
11:12
or that's how people think about it.
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ou iso é o que a xente cre.
11:15
There is also a rare thing called temporal lobe epilepsy,
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Outra cousa pouco habitual é a
epilepsia do lóbulo temporal
11:19
and sometimes, if one has this,
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e, ás veces, se un a sofre,
11:22
one may feel oneself transported back
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pode sentirse transportado
11:24
to a time and place in the past.
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a un tempo ou a un lugar do pasado.
Estamos nun cruzamento
de estradas concreto.
11:27
You're at a particular road junction.
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11:29
You smell chestnuts roasting.
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Ulimos castañas asadas.
11:31
You hear the traffic. All the senses are involved.
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Oímos o tráfico. Todos os
sentidos están involucrados.
11:34
And you're waiting for your girl.
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E estamos agardando
pola nosa moza.
11:36
And it's that Tuesday evening back in 1982.
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E é ese martes pola tarde en 1982.
11:40
And the temporal lobe hallucinations
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As alucinacións
do lóbulo temporal
11:42
are all-sense hallucinations,
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son alucinacións
de todos os sentidos,
11:44
full of feeling, full of familiarity,
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cheas de sensacións,
de familiaridade,
11:47
located in space and time,
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localizadas no espazo e no tempo,
11:49
coherent, dramatic.
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coherentes, efectistas.
11:51
The Charles Bonnet ones are quite different.
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As de Charles Bonnet
son bastante diferentes.
11:54
So in the Charles Bonnet hallucinations,
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Nas alucinacións
de Charles Bonnet,
11:58
you have all sorts of levels,
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temos todo tipo de niveis,
12:00
from the geometrical hallucinations --
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desde as alucinacións xeométricas,
12:02
the pink and blue squares the woman had --
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os cadros rosas e azuis que tiña a muller,
12:05
up to quite elaborate hallucinations
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ata alucinacións moi elaboradas
12:09
with figures and especially faces.
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con figuras e especialmente caras.
12:12
Faces, and sometimes deformed faces,
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E ás veces as caras deformadas,
12:15
are the single commonest thing
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son a forma máis común
12:18
in these hallucinations.
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desas alucinacións.
12:20
And one of the second commonest is cartoons.
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E a segunda forma máis
común son os debuxos animados.
12:23
So, what is going on?
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Daquela, que está pasando?
12:26
Fascinatingly, in the last few years,
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De xeito fascinante,
nos últimos anos,
12:28
it's been possible to do functional brain imagery,
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foi posible facer imaxes
funcionais do cerebro,
12:32
to do fMRI on people as they are hallucinating.
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facer resonancias magnéticas funcionais
mentres as persoas alucinaban.
12:36
And in fact, to find that different parts
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E, de feito, atopáronse
as diferentes partes
12:40
of the visual brain are activated
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do cerebro visual que
se activaban
12:43
as they are hallucinating.
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mentres estaban
sufrindo alucinacións.
12:45
When people have these simple geometrical hallucinations,
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Cando as persoas teñen estas
alucinacións xeométricas simples,
12:48
the primary visual cortex is activated.
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está activado o córtex visual primario.
12:52
This is the part of the brain which perceives edges and patterns.
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Esta é a parte do cerebro que
percibe bordos e patróns.
12:55
You don't form images with your primary visual cortex.
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Non formamos imaxes
co noso córtex visual primario.
12:59
When images are formed,
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As imaxes fórmanse,
13:02
a higher part of the visual cortex
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na parte do córtex visual
13:04
is involved in the temporal lobe.
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situado no lóbulo temporal.
13:06
And in particular, one area of the temporal lobe
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E, en particular, nunha área
do lóbulo temporal
13:11
is called the fusiform gyrus.
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chamada xiro fusiforme.
13:13
And it's known that if people have damage in the fusiform gyrus,
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E sábese que a xente que
ten danado o xiro fusiforme,
13:17
they maybe lose the ability to recognize faces.
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pode perder a capacidade
para recoñecer caras.
13:21
But if there is an abnormal activity in the fusiform gyrus,
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Pero se hai unha actividade
anormal no xiro fusiforme,
13:25
they may hallucinate faces,
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pode ter alucinacións de caras.
13:27
and this is exactly what you find in some of these people.
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Isto é exactamente o que atopamos
nalgunhas destas persoas.
13:30
There is an area in the anterior part of this gyrus
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Hai unha área na parte
anterior deste xiro
13:34
where teeth and eyes are represented,
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onde se representan
os dentes e os ollos
13:39
and that part of the gyrus is activated
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e esa parte do xiro
actívase
13:42
when people get the deformed hallucinations.
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cando a xente ten
as alucinacións deformadas.
13:46
There is another part of the brain
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Hai outra parte do cerebro
13:48
which is especially activated
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que se activa especialmente
13:50
when one sees cartoons.
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cando vemos debuxos animados.
13:52
It's activated when one recognizes cartoons,
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Actívase cando recoñecemos
debuxos animados,
13:55
when one draws cartoons, and when one hallucinates them.
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cando os debuxamos e
cando alucinamos con eles.
13:59
It's very interesting that that should be specific.
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É moi interesante
esa especificidade.
Hai outras partes do cerebro que
están implicadas especificamente
14:02
There are other parts of the brain which are specifically involved
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14:05
with the recognition and hallucination
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no recoñecemento e na alucinación
14:07
of buildings and landscapes.
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3000
de edificios e paisaxes.
14:10
Around 1970, it was found that there were not only parts of the brain,
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Ao redor de 1970, descubriuse
que non só eran partes do cerebro,
14:13
but particular cells.
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senón células particulares.
14:15
"Face cells" were discovered around 1970.
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As "células cara" foron descobertas
ao redor de 1970.
14:20
And now we know that there are hundreds of other
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E agora sabemos
que hai centos
14:22
sorts of cells,
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doutros tipos de células,
14:24
which can be very, very specific.
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que poden ser moi, moi específicas.
14:26
So you may not only have
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Así que podemos ter non só
14:28
"car" cells,
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células "coche",
14:30
you may have "Aston Martin" cells.
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tamén podemos ter
células "Aston Martin".
14:33
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
14:35
I saw an Aston Martin this morning.
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Vin un Aston Martin esta mañá.
14:37
I had to bring it in.
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Tiña que contalo.
14:39
And now it's in there somewhere.
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E agora está nalgures
aquí dentro.
14:42
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
14:45
Now, at this level, in what's called the inferotemporal cortex,
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Ben, neste nivel, que chamamos
córtex temporal inferior,
14:49
there are only visual images,
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só hai imaxes visuais,
14:52
or figments or fragments.
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ou representacións ou fragmentos.
14:55
It's only at higher levels
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É só nos niveis máis altos
14:58
that the other senses join in
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cando se unen aos outros sentidos
15:00
and there are connections with memory and emotion.
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e se conectan coa
memoria e a emoción.
15:02
And in the Charles Bonnet syndrome,
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E na síndrome de Charles Bonnet,
15:05
you don't go to those higher levels.
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non se chega a eses niveis superiores.
15:07
You're in these levels of inferior visual cortex
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Quedamos nos niveis do
córtex visual inferior
15:10
where you have thousands and tens of thousands
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onde hai miles
e decenas de miles
15:12
and millions of images,
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e millóns de imaxes,
15:15
or figments, or fragmentary figments,
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ou representacións fragmentadas,
15:17
all neurally encoded
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todas codificadas
neuralmente
15:19
in particular cells or small clusters of cells.
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en células particulares
ou en pequenos acios de células.
15:23
Normally these are all part of
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Normalmente, todas elas
forman parte
15:26
the integrated stream of perception, or imagination,
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do caudal integrado
da percepción, ou da imaxinación,
15:30
and one is not conscious of them.
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e ninguén é consciente delas.
15:33
It is only if one is visually impaired or blind
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Só se un ten dificultades
visuais ou está cego
15:37
that the process is interrupted.
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interrómpese o proceso.
15:39
And instead of getting normal perception,
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E, en vez de ter unha
percepción normal,
15:42
you're getting an anarchic,
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prodúcese unha estimulación ou liberación,
15:44
convulsive stimulation, or release,
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anárquica e convulsiva,
15:47
of all of these visual cells
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de todas estas células visuais
15:49
in the inferotemporal cortex.
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no córtex temporal inferior.
15:51
So, suddenly you see a face. Suddenly you see a car.
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Así, de súpeto, vemos unha cara.
De súpeto vemos un coche.
15:54
Suddenly this, and suddenly that.
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De súpeto isto e de súpeto aquilo.
15:57
The mind does its best to organize
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A mente fai o que pode para organizar
15:59
and to give some sort of coherence to this,
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e darlle algún tipo
de coherencia a isto
16:02
but not terribly successfully.
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pero non ten
moito éxito.
Cando se describiron estes casos
por primeira vez,
16:04
When these were first described,
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16:06
it was thought that they could be interpreted like dreams.
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pensouse que poderían
ser interpretados como soños.
16:10
But in fact people say,
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Pero, en realidade, a xente di:
16:12
"I don't recognize the people. I can't form any associations."
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3000
"Non recoñezo as persoas. Non
podo facer ningunha asociación."
16:15
"Kermit means nothing to me."
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3000
"Gustavo non significa nada para min."
16:18
You don't get anywhere thinking of them as dreams.
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Non imos a ningún lado
pensando nelas como en soños.
16:23
Well, I've more or less said what I wanted.
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Ben, máis ou menos
xa dixen o que quería.
16:28
I think I just want to recapitulate
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Penso que só me queda recapitular
16:31
and say this is common.
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2000
e decir que isto é común.
16:33
Think of the number of blind people.
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Pensemos na cantidade de persoas cegas.
16:35
There must be hundreds of thousands of blind people
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2000
Debe haber centos de miles de
persoas cegas
16:37
who have these hallucinations,
336
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2000
que teñen estas alucinacións,
16:39
but are too scared to mention them.
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2000
pero están moi asustadas
para mencionalas.
16:41
So this sort of thing needs to be brought into
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Así que este tipo de cousas
precisa divulgación
16:44
notice, for patients, for doctors, for the public.
339
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6000
para os pacientes, para
os médicos, para o público.
16:50
Finally, I think they are
340
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2000
Finalmente, creo que son
16:52
infinitely interesting and valuable,
341
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3000
infinitamente interesantes
e valiosas,
16:55
for giving one some insight as to how the brain works.
342
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4000
porque nos axudan a entender
como funciona o cerebro.
16:59
Charles Bonnet said, 250 years ago --
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3000
Charles Bonnet preguntouse, hai 250 anos,
17:02
he wondered how, thinking these hallucinations,
344
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4000
pensando nesas alucinacións,
17:06
how, as he put it, the theater of the mind
345
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3000
'o teatro da mente', nas súas palabras,
17:09
could be generated by the machinery of the brain.
346
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3000
como poderían ser xeradas
pola maquinaria do cerebro.
17:12
Now, 250 years later,
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3000
Agora, 250 anos despois,
17:15
I think we're beginning to glimpse how this is done.
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penso que estamos comezando
a entrever como o fai.
17:18
Thanks very much.
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2000
Moitas grazas.
17:20
(Applause)
350
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3000
(Aplauso)
17:23
Chris Anderson: That was superb. Thank you so much.
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Chris Anderson: Foi magnífico.
Moitas grazas.
17:26
You speak about these things with so much insight
352
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Falou desas cousas con
tanta perspicacia
17:28
and empathy for your patients.
353
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3000
e tanta empatía cara
aos seus pacientes.
17:31
Have you yourself experienced any of the syndromes you write about?
354
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Vostede experimentou algunhas
das síndromes que describe?
17:36
Oliver Sacks: I was afraid you'd ask that.
355
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2000
Oliver Sacks: Temía que
me preguntase iso.
17:38
(Laughter)
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1000
(Risos)
17:39
Well, yeah, a lot of them.
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3000
Ben, si, un montón delas.
17:42
And actually I'm a little visually impaired myself.
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3000
En realidade, teño algunhas
dificultades visuais.
17:45
I'm blind in one eye, and not terribly good in the other.
359
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3000
Estou cego dun ollo
e non vexo moi ben do outro.
17:48
And I see the geometrical hallucinations.
360
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4000
E teño alucinacións xeométricas.
17:52
But they stop there.
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2000
Pero paran aí.
17:54
CA: And they don't disturb you?
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CA: E non lle molestan?
Porque vostede entende o que ocorre,
non lle preocupa?
17:56
Because you understand what's doing it, it doesn't make you worried?
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2000
17:58
OS: Well they don't disturb me any more than my tinnitus,
364
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4000
OS: Ben, non me molestan
máis que o meu acúfeno,
18:02
which I ignore.
365
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3000
- o pitido do oido- que ignoro.
18:05
They occasionally interest me,
366
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2000
De cando en vez interésanme,
18:07
and I have many pictures of them in my notebooks.
367
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3000
e teño moitos debuxos deles
nos meus cadernos.
18:10
I've gone and had an fMRI myself,
368
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Fixen unha resonancia
magnética funcional
18:13
to see how my visual cortex is taking over.
369
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3000
para ver como funciona
o meu córtex visual.
18:16
And when I see all these hexagons
370
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4000
E cando vexo todos
eses hexágonos
18:20
and complex things, which I also have,
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e outras cousas
complexas,
18:22
in visual migraine,
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durante a xaqueca,
18:24
I wonder whether everyone sees things like this,
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pregúntome se todo
o mundo ve cousas así
18:26
and whether things like cave art or ornamental art
374
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3000
e se cousas como a arte das
cavernas ou a arte ornamental
18:29
may have been derived from them a bit.
375
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3000
poderían derivar un pouco disto.
CA: Esta foi unha charla total e
absolutamente fascinante.
18:32
CA: That was an utterly, utterly fascinating talk.
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2000
18:34
Thank you so much for sharing.
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Moitas grazas por compartila.
18:36
OS: Thank you. Thank you.
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OS: Grazas, grazas.
18:38
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Carme Paz
Reviewed by Montse Corral

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Oliver Sacks - Neurological anthropologist
Since "Awakenings" stormed the bestseller lists (and the silver screen), Oliver Sacks has become an unlikely household name, single-handedly inventing the genre of neurological anthropology.

Why you should listen

Oliver Sacks was a ground-breaking neurologist -- and a gifted storyteller who enriched our knowledge of the infinite variations of human psychology. After his pioneering work with “sleepy sickness” patients (who were in fact survivors of an early-20th-century pandemic), Sacks went on to study the connections between music and the brain, as well as disorders such as Tourette's syndrome, Parkinson's disease, and many other little-understood disorders that often count Sacks as one of their first chroniclers.

Sacks was well known as a writer of such best-selling case histories as Hallucinations, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, An Anthropologist on Mars, and his memoir of his early work, Awakenings, all of which have breathed new life into the dusty 19th-century tradition of the clinical anecdote. Sacks' writing, compassion and wide-ranging knowledge catapults the genre into the 21st century and brings the far frontiers of neurological experience into the view of millions of readers worldwide. Sacks died at age 82 in August 2015.

Read TED's long, wonderful Q&A with Oliver Sacks >>

More profile about the speaker
Oliver Sacks | Speaker | TED.com
THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON TED.COM