I'm reading, but it's not getting through...

[llamamushroom]

How annoying is it when you're reading, and for some reason one section seems to make no sense until you read it again and again and again? It keeps happening to me in this pretty interesting document I'm reading, but it happened about 4 times in this one section:


The brainstem cell groups that control arousal from sleep are, in turn, influenced by two groups of nerve cells in the hypothalamus, part of the brain that controls basic body cycles. One group of nerve cells, in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, contains the
inhibitory neurotransmitters galanin and GABA.When the ventrolateral preoptic neurons fire, they are thought to turn off the arousal systems, causing sleep. Damage to the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus produces irreversible insomnia.

It's just plain aggravating!

[Dallas-Dakota]

I don't see whats difficult about it?:smallconfused:

Maybe if you use other terms instead of the latin names?

[llamamushroom]

The point is that it's easy, and I can understand it, but for some reason the meaning was just... hovering? ... out of reach of my brain.

[Phase]

It's what happens. Maybe you're bored. Maybe you're tired. Maybe you're thinking about going out and buying some bread later.

Whatever it is, just sit down, do something else, then come back. I've sometimes read one line over and over before then just falling asleep right there. :smallamused:

[Don Julio Anejo]

Now imagine whole classes and textbooks written like that. Welcome to my life :biggrin:

[evnafets]

It's what happens. Maybe you're tired.

Yeah, maybe your ventrolateral preoptic neurons are firing.

[BugFix]

The point is that it's easy, and I can understand it, but for some reason the meaning was just... hovering? ... out of reach of my brain.

There's no "meaning" in that passage that I can see, it's just a straightforward recitation of facts. Is it maybe the jargon that's causing trouble? That probably just means that you need more background in the subject.

[RTGoodman]

Solution: Skip the science and study history, literature, or some other liberal art instead. :smallbiggrin:

[Leper_Kahn]

The brainstem cell groups

You beat me. I stopped reading just about here.

[_Zoot_]

Why are you even reading that?

Also i stoped at "hypothalamus"

[Haruki-kun]

Why are you even reading that?

Also i stoped at "hypothalamus"

So did I. This happens a lot, especially when you're not really into what you're reading, or in some cases, when you're reading it in a language other than your own and find it complicated to understand what's going on. (Pratchett books, in my case.)

[Player_Zero]

So did I. This happens a lot, especially when you're not really into what you're reading, or in some cases, when you're reading it in a language other than your own and find it complicated to understand what's going on. (Pratchett books, in my case.)

I kheel you! :smalltongue:

...Interestingly enough I can't listen to a conversation and read at the same time. I tune one of them out, either not listening to the words that are being spoken or not understanding any of the words I read.

[Haruki-kun]

Actually, I can't do that either. :smalltongue:

I can, however, play videogames and have a conversation at the same time.

[Mustiado]

Ah, that's because they're two different processes, Haruki-Kun.

*puts on his Professor Hat*

Playing video games is, first and foremost, a reaction of your hand-eye coordination, usually with very little verbal comprehension required whatsoever. So, unless the game you're playing requires a high amount of problem solving or reading (action adventure puzzle games, Day of the Tentacle, etc.) you're actually using two different parts of your brain at once, your verbal ability and your hand-eye coordination, making this feat far more attainable than trying to hold two conversations at once (which is basically what reading and talking are. Two different verbal inputs coming in at once, the one that's easier to focus on gets precedent.)

*Off with the hat*

I still can't hold a conversation and write. I end up saying the things I'm writing mid-sentence and confusing the bajeezus out of someone.

[Supagoof]

*snip*

I still can't hold a conversation and write. I end up saying the things I'm writing mid-sentence and confusing the bajeezus out of someone.Funny college story, had a friend whose was having his girlfriend Meghan type his english composition assignment for him as he read it out loud. She was helping as she was faster at typing then him, and it was due in an hour. He jokingly every once in awhile threw in "I love you" and "Meghan has sexy legs" - which she would catch and smile and backspace and then begin typing again.

You see where this is going.

He turned the paper in. A few days later the class broke into groups to discus each others papers. It wasn't until then that a classmate asked my friend if he had the hots for the professor.

The profs name was Meghan as well.

Not all the "I love you" and "Meghan is very sexy" notes were caught.

The prof had read the paper already. She wasn't upset, but found it quite humerous.

Needless to say, besides being embarrassed, he got a low grade for poor transition between subjects.

[Mr. Moon]

@Haruki - Try holding a conversation while playing DDR some time. It can be done. Or at lest, so I've been told.

I don't have to much of a problem talking and gaming - as long as the subject sticks mostly to the game I'm playing. If I talk while I'm writing, I end up just writing what I'm saying, then getting frustrated and scribbling it out, then offering a pencil to whoever I'm talking to with a polite hint as to where they can put it.

[Mauve Shirt]

@Haruki - Try holding a conversation while playing DDR some time. It can be done. Or at lest, so I've been told.

Depends on what level of DDR and on the conversation. :smalltongue: I studied for my English exam while playing DDR. I got a B+

[Haruki-kun]

Hmm... never tried that with DDR. I did try it with Guitar Hero, though. Worked fairly well. :smallsmile:

@Mustiado: Awesome explanation! Thanks!

[Mr. Moon]

@Mauve: Wait, people actualy study for English exams? :smalleek: What possible studying can be done? At lest, the way their done down here, where all there is to them is reading a few short stories and writting an essay on them. I mean, I suppouse if they actualy ask you things based on the books your suppoused to have read, then studying makes sense. But props to you, if you're actualy good enough at DDR to focus on other things while playing. I can just about comprehend the time while I'm playing, and maybe shout at my brother to get the hell of the matt, what are you doing you moron!, but that's about it.

[Mauve Shirt]

lol Well, our exam was an essay on something out of the textbook, somebody had an opinion about something and we had to write about it. So really it was just someone shouting possible questions at me while I flailed about on the mat. :smallbiggrin: This is only possible playing basic, basic is just slow enough to think over but fast enough to be fun.

[Jokerz]

Blarg. I cant listen and read at the same time either. Mauve, what did you get on your essay?

[Calamity]

People should be able to tell when I'm not listening to them. often I'll be reading and someone will ask me: "Do you know where room 2 is?

My reply: "Do I know where.. room.. 2.. is? What?
*pause*
Oh! Yeah it's just up the corridor"

If I listen to someone while trying to read, I'll end up reading the same line over and over again.

[Solo]

The brainstem cell groups that control arousal from sleep are influenced by two groups of nerve cells in the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that controls basic body cycles.

One group of nerve cells, in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, contains the
inhibitory neurotransmitters galanin and GABA.

When those neurons fire, they are thought to turn off the arousal systems, causing sleep.

Damage to them produces irreversible insomnia.

[Jae]

haha happens to me constantly. Yay for being completely scatterbrained and daydreamy..??

I have never been good at MAKING myself focus on anything. My psych books are getting harder now, though. Everything I now read I try to formulate my own ideas on and then I miss the next point and then im just all messy and messed up and grrrr.

and uhm solo didnt you just exactly repeat it??

@V lol I was unaware that you were to do anything, although it seems rather frivolous to repeat exactly.
summmmarize, if anything??

[Solo]

and uhm solo didnt you just exactly repeat it??

What was I suposed to do?

[Em Blackleaf]

I read through it. But I have NO IDEA what it means. But I think that's because I'm too tired to think about anything...

When in doubt, look things up in the dictionary! The medical dictionary!

Main Entry: hy·po·thal·a·mus
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -mi /-secondarystressmimacr/
: a basal part of the diencephalon that lies beneath the thalamus on each side, forms the floor of the third ventricle, and includes vital autonomic regulatory centers (as for the control of food intake)

So, yeah, controls body cycles like digestion, I guess?

Main Entry: ven·tro·lat·er·al
Function: adjective
: ventral and lateral

Ventral and lateral. Yeah. Makes sense... >.>

Main Entry: preoptic nucleus
Function: noun
: any of several groups of nerve cells located in the preoptic area especially in the lateral and the medial portions

So, altogether, it's a ventral and lateral bundle of nerves, right before the optic area. Which make galanin and GABA, which, when sent to the nerve bundles that cause you to wake up, cause you to fall asleep. If the preoptic nucleus is damaged, it will stop producing galanin and GABA, therefore, you will be unable to fall asleep.

Am I right?
Was that even the point of this thread? :smallconfused:
Dang, I really have nothing better to do... :smalltongue:

If I'm tired or just not interested in what I'm reading, I'll reread the same line or paragraph over and over. Or if someone's talking to me. Like, just today, I was reading and my mom was trying to tell me something. So, I kept reading the same two paragraphs, like, three times.

[Aereshaa_the_2nd]

I can't multitask. Ever. When I'm doing something, I really focus focus focus focus on it, which is why I'm really good at video games.

[Fostire]

I can't multitask. Ever. When I'm doing something, I really focus focus focus focus on it, which is why I'm really good at video games.

im the exact opposite, i cant focus on things, i get distracted to easily. Which is why i fail lots of courses.

[Gorbash Kazdar]

As far as multitasking... I'm playing in an online game session, watching a video podcast, chatting on IRC, and reading this thread currently. I CRAVE STIMULATION.

[Arameus]

I know EXACTLY what you mean. This happens most often when reading things with complex sentence structure, but can happen anytime.

Happened a lot while reading anything by Conrad. That Polish SOB writes so hypnotically, there are entire pages of the same 4 buzzwords in the most labyrinthine sentence structure conceivable... You'll just buzz through a half a page and realize you have absolutely no clue what's going on in the current paragraph because the last three paragraphs didn't even register in your brain.

Other than that though, it usually just comes in the form of reaching the end of a sentence and realizing you forgot what the beginning of the sentence was. Huh.

[Mauve Shirt]

Blarg. I cant listen and read at the same time either. Mauve, what did you get on your essay?

I got a B+ actually.