> > "Therion Ware" <autodel...@city-of-dis.com> wrote in message
> > news:2r7391lpvncgv44mk6n327oil7g9littdq@4ax.com...

> > > IT says here:

> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4566319.stm

> > > Discovery of 'irony' brain areas

> > > Scientists say they have located the parts of the brain that
> > > comprehend sarcasm - honestly.

> > > By comparing healthy people and those with damage to different
parts
> > > of the brain, they found the front of the brain was a key to
> > > understanding irony.

> > > Damage to any of three different areas could render individuals
unable
> > > to understand sarcastic comments.

> > > The Israeli team from Haifa University told Neuropsychology how
their
> > > findings might help to explain autism features.

> > > Sarcasm

> > > Autistic children can have problems interpreting irony as well as
> > > other social cues such as emotions.

> > >  If someone has a problem understanding a social situation, he or
she
> > > may fail to understand the literal language
> > > Researcher Dr Simone Shamay-Tsoory

> > > This same skill is sometimes lost in people with brain damage,
> > > suggesting similar brain regions may be involved in autism.

> > > Brain scan studies of autistic children have shown that they have
> > > different activity in the frontal lobe to other children.

> > > Dr Simone Shamay-Tsoory and colleagues studied 25 people with
> > > prefrontal lobe damage, 16 with damage to the posterior lobe of
the
> > > brain and 17 healthy volunteers.

> > > They played the study participants tape-recorded stories, some
> > > sarcastic and some neutral.

> > > An example of sarcasm was "Joe came to work, and instead of
beginning
> > > to work, he sat down to rest. His boss noticed and said to Joe
'don't
> > > work too hard.'"

> > > In fact, what Joe's boss actually meant by his comment was "you
are a
> > > slacker".

> > > In the neutral version Joe came to work and began work
immediately.
> > > His boss made the same "don't work too hard" comment, but this
time,
> > > he actually meant that Joe was a hard worker.

> > > The volunteers who had damage to their prefrontal lobes were
unable to
> > > correctly interpret the sarcastic story, while all of the other
> > > participants could.

> > > Anatomy

> > > Dr Shamay-Tsoory said this fitted with what is already known
about the
> > > anatomy of the brain.

> > > She said language areas on the left hand side of the brain
interpret
> > > the literal meaning of words and the frontal lobes and the right
side
> > > of the brain understand the social and emotional context.

> > > An area called the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex then
> > > integrates the literal meaning with the social/emotional context,
> > > which will reveal any sarcasm.

> > > "A lesion in each region in the network can impair sarcasm,
because if
> > > someone has a problem understanding a social situation, he or she
may
> > > fail to understand the literal language," she said.

> > > A spokeswoman from the National Autistic Society said: "The
causes of
> > > autism are still being investigated.

> > > "Many experts believe that the pattern of behaviour from which
autism
> > > is diagnosed may not result from a single cause.

> > > "There is strong evidence to suggest that autism can be caused by
a
> > > variety of physical factors, all of which affect brain
development."

> > > Story from BBC NEWS:
> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4566319.stm

> > > Published: 2005/05/23 00:10:18 GMT

> > > © BBC MMV

> > So...Creationists may be suffering from some form of brain damage.
Is
> that
> > really news-worthy?

> Well, of course not.  Anybody can evaluate the symptoms (echolalia,
the
> word salad explanations, concrete and magical thinking, faulty logic,
the
> aggression, etc.)  But it's good to have experimental evidence that
points
> to the actual site in the brain that's damaged.