Join our email list to get notified when new episodes drop (and merch in the near future). In today's episode, our guest of honor is... Justin Sipla! We discuss Justin's neuroanatomy course and the concept of free will. Follow us on twitter @theEBCpod :); we appreciate the love. Thanks for listening :) As always, stay educated and seek confusion.
FACT CHECK!
Do we have volition over walking?
Yes, we do have volition, or the ability to make conscious choices, over walking. Walking is an activity that is primarily controlled by our motor cortex and cerebellum, which are parts of the brain involved in voluntary movement. While some aspects of walking, such as maintaining balance and coordinating limb movements, are automated to some extent, we can consciously choose when and where to walk, as well as modify our walking patterns or speed.
Explore more in this paper: Petersen, T H et al. “The motor cortex drives the muscles during walking in human subjects.” The Journal of physiology vol. 590,10 (2012): 2443-52. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2012.227397
Is there scientific merit to Wim Hof breathing?
From the Wim Hof Website “What "The Iceman" Wim Hof is capable of was long viewed as scientifically impossible. It wasn't until the first Radboud University study in 2011 that things really kicked off. The study showed that by using his method, Wim was able to voluntarily influence his autonomic nervous system - something which until then was thought impossible. This ground-breaking finding, published in PNAS, established credibility, quite literally rewrote biology textbooks and piqued scientists' curiosity.”
Read more here: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/science
Free will article: Libet B, Gleason CA, Wright EW, Pearl DK. Time of conscious intention to act in relation to onset of cerebral activity (readiness-potential). The unconscious initiation of a freely voluntary act. Brain. 1983;106 (Pt 3):623-642. doi:10.1093/brain/106.3.623
Kavli Summer Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience https://sicn.cmb.ucdavis.edu/
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