Ernst Poppel – författare

Cultural neuroscience combines brain imaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging and event-related brain potentials with methods of social and cultural psychology to investigate whether and how cultures influence the neural mechanisms of perception, attention, emotion, social cognition, and other human cognitive processes. The findings of cultural neuroscience studies improve our understanding of the relation between human brain function and sociocultural contexts and help to reframe the “big question” of nature versus nurture. This book is organized so that two chapters provide general views of the relation between biological evolution, cultural evolution and recent cultural neuroscience studies, while other chapters focus on several aspects of human cognition that have been shown to be strongly influenced by sociocultural factors such as self-concept representation, language processes, emotion, time perception, and decision-making. The main goal of this work is to address how thinking actually takes place and how the underlying neural mechanisms are affected by culture and identity.

The neuropsychological rehabilitation of patients with brain in­ juries presents a new challenge for medicine and psychology. In any society patients who have suffered a stroke or a traumatic brain lesion constitute a large group requiring special therapy; even nowadays only a small group of these patients obtain adequate rehabilitational support. Brain injuries may lead to loss or impair­ ment of functions like language, sight, memory, attention, emo­ tional control, or movement, and such impairments are usually ac­ companied by handicaps in the patient''s daily life. Every attempt should be made to improve functional competence and the pa­ tient''s capacity to cope with their disability and handicap. In recent years, the aim of much research in the basic sciences has been to gain insight into the mechanisms of restitution of function, partly by trying to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms that are initiated by a traumatic event. However, in spite of this broad research initiative into recovery of function and the possibilities of cognitive remediation, our knowledge is still rather limited, with respect to both the neurobiological mecha­ nisms that may underlie functional plasticity and the factors that may account for neuropsychological rehabilitation. In spite of these shortcomings, we would like to stress that progress can only be expected if an intense research effort is made to unite the con­ cepts and results from the basic sciences with the practical demands of neuropsychological rehabilitation.

Mit dem autistischen Spiegel deutet Ernst Pöppel in seinem Beitrag zum Kursbuch 173 die Unmöglichkeit an, sich selbst so zu sehen, wie andere Menschen es tun. Mit Beispielen aus der Malerei illustriert der medizinische Psychologe die Rollen der rechten und linken Gehirnhälfte für unsere Selbst- und Fremd-Wahrnehmungen.

"Wir Hirnforscher sind Experten für alles. Aber eigentlich haben wir keine Ahnung." Ernst Pöppel leitet seinen Beitrag zum Kursbuch 180 mit dem Ausruf "Ich habe keine Ahnung" ein und macht gerade in der bildverliebten Hirnforschung eine Sucht nach Ontologisierung aus.

"Wenn man es positiv ausdrücken will, dann kann man sagen, dass sich das Gehirn Aktivitäten erfindet, um die neuronale Maschine am Laufe zu halten, damit sie für den Ernstfall gerüstet ist." Ausgehend von den Grundbedürfnissen des Menschen erklären Ernst Pöppel, Eva Ruhnau und Alexandra von Stosch aus naturwissenschaftlicher Sicht, warum Menschen Kunst machen. Sie stecken den Rahmen für ästhetische Bewertungen ab und schlussfolgern, dass selbst auf der operativen Ebene des künstlerischen Tuns Menschen ihrer Natur nicht entsagen können. Bilder, Melodien, Verse sind stets eingebettet in unser evolutionäres Erbe.

Keiner von uns hat sich selbst ausgesucht, wann er oder sie zur Welt gekommen ist. Geschweige denn wo. Keiner von uns hat sich ausgesucht, welche Muttersprache er lernt, ob er als Zeichen der Zustimmung nickt oder den Kopf schüttelt, ob er zur Begrüßung Hände schüttelt, Küsschen gibt oder sich verbeugt. Das biologische Grundsetting, so erläutert Ernst Pöppel in seinem Beitrag in Kursbuch 201, ist bei allen Menschen gleich. In der Kindheit aber werden nur diejenigen neuronalen Verknüpfungen ausgebildet, die man zum Aufwachsen im jeweiligen Kulturkreis braucht. Kindheit wäre demnach die reinste Unterwerfung, um nicht zu sagen Sklaverei.

The Federation of German Scientists together with the Institute of Medical Psychology, Ludwig Maximilian University, organized an interdisciplinary and international "autumn school" in 2023 when 30 young researchers and students participated. This important volume comprises lectures presented by international leading scientists and prominent experts from different academic fields who provided the background knowledge for "balanced sustainability in a changing world".Topics selected in the first block of lectures focused on climate change and biodiversity. And in the second block, lectures were given on social and personal challenges in a changing world: How should "smart cities" be organized in the future, and how a successful urban transformation can be managed. Then it was explained how a neuropolitical approach to humanization can help to overcome polarization in countries. The aspect of a necessary social togetherness was addressed in the third block with an example from Nepal and beyond. Finally, in a fourth block, questions of peace and intercultural spirit were evaluated.How can we reach and maintain equanimity in a changing world? How can peace be obtained? All these lectures were followed by intense discussions with the students, and their questions reflect the interdisciplinary background of the participants.It is hoped that the pragmatic suggestions from the participants of this autumn school will provide inspiration in finding solutions for imminent global and local problems.