In the Mind of a Child

           Dr. William Devonshire, Child Psychologist, along with colleagues, Dr. Hanna Porter, who earned a degree in Cognitive Psychology, and Dr. Lillian Gray, with degrees in Behavioral Neuroscience and Cognitive Neuroscience, combined their efforts to work on a theory they shared regarding the minds of children.

           In their study, this group of brilliant minds had determined the mystery of pure, unaltered thought laid within the mind of a child under the age of two, so they combined their efforts to devise a way to not only tap into the brainwaves of a baby, but, in theory, become part of the baby’s thought process. They described it as hypnotism meets transcendental meditation meets neuroscience.

           The study came to fruition after Dr. Devonshire finished a session with a toddler and his six-month-old sister. The toddler, who was thirty months old at the time spoke very few words, yet when placed in a room with his sister, Dr. Devonshire observed that the two had a communication between them that reached beyond his comprehension. It was almost like a psychic connection.

           After further studies, he found that there were similar outcomes with other siblings around the same age groups. Nothing in his medical journals could explain it, so he reached out to his colleague, Dr. Hanna Porter. Her study of cognitive behaviors in humans and animals had opened the doors to further investigation of how the brain functioned on a biological level.

           With the equipment that she had access to in her lab, Dr. Porter was able to measure levels of dopamine neurons in the brain of an adult and compare it to that of a child. There appeared to be less activity within the neurotransmitters of the adult brain than there was inside the brain of a two-year-old.

           Hanna contacted her friend from medical school, Dr. Lillian Gray to join in on the study. She was able to locate specific neural connections within the Cerebrum, located at the front of the brain. This connection functioned as a transmitter which, through brainwaves, was able to communicate directly with an opposing brain.

           The nerve cells would generate impulses which were carried to the optic nerves, and then transmitted through a visual connection of the two individuals. If the receiving individual broke the gaze, however, the connection would be lost. It began to make Dr. Devonshire wonder if that was where the term, “love at first sight” originated from.

           With the help of her team, Dr. Porter had created neural caps which would, in theory, allow two individuals to create a neural link between them. They would then be able to share the same thoughts.

The caps, based on the brain cap created by scientists at John Hopkins University to measure electroencephalography (EEG), dove deeper into the Cerebral cortex and were designed to locate specific brain functions; in this case, the firing of neurons related to communication.

           The experiment was first done between two adult males. Both were in their forties with similar backgrounds. The caps locked in on the soma, or brain cells related to communication, gathered the information through the dendrites, and passed it on to other cells, which in turn traveled through neurons along a cable-like system known as the axon.

           There was little progress made between the two men, so they tried a female and a male subject. Both were in their mid-twenties, and both attractive. The neural impulses were firing stronger, though they did not create a pathway between the two subject brains as expected.

           Next, they tried to combine an adult woman with a toddler that was eighteen months old. Dr. Porter had volunteered to be the adult case study, and her niece, Jessica, was the child case study.

           At first, Jessica was unable to focus on one thing for more than a second or two, but after they made eye contact, something unexpected happened. Dr. Porter felt herself being drawn into the eyes of her niece as if she were being syphoned through a straw.

           The experience lasted milliseconds in real time, but in Dr. Porter’s mind, minutes had passed. When the world around her came back into focus, she found herself surrounded by undiscovered colors and clouds made of bubbles. The ground appeared to be made of a grayish-colored grass, and the sky was pink.

           In front of her, sitting on the ground, was her niece, Jessica. The toddler looked up at her aunt and raised her arms in the air. Dr. Porter leaned down and lifted her up into her arms. They began to walk through this land of indescribable mystery that even Alice from Wonderland would find odd.

           A brief time later, they came across a zoo. Dr. Porter remembered taking Jessica there in the summer, but she did not remember the zoo being as Jessica remembered it. A sea lion waved to them at the entrance and guided them inside. Yellow monkeys played leapfrog across their path, while an elephant with a giraffe’s neck ate bananas off a nearby tree.

           Jessica giggled with delight at the sight of a turtle tossing a ball to an alligator. Dr. Porter had a tough time comprehending the imagination that her niece had at such an early age. She was, however, delighted to be a part of it with her.

           As they neared the edge of the zoo, a shadowy mist appeared out of nowhere. Jessica began to cry and clung tightly to her aunt’s neck. As if out of a nightmare, a dark figure apparated before them. It’s menacing appearance struck fear in both, but for her niece’s sake, Dr. Porter needed to remain calm.

           She quietly whispered to her niece, “Don’t worry, sweet Jessica, I won’t let him hurt you. You are safe in my arms.”

           Jessica continued to sob lightly, but slowly loosened her grip around Dr. Porter’s neck. As she did, the dark apparition disappeared back into the shadows. They quickly headed back toward the entrance. Dr. Porter could hear her voice being called and headed in the direction of the disembodied voice.

           A blinding light suddenly flashed before her eyes, and as her vision cleared, she found herself back in the laboratory with Jessica on the chair in front of her. A big smile had filled her adorable little face as if she remembered the same experience that Dr. Porter had.

           The doctor quickly grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled down every detail while it was still fresh in her mind. Her colleagues looked at her like she was crazy. When she finished writing, Dr. Porter filled them in on her experience, but was shocked when they told her that they had only begun recording changes in neurological patterns for a matter of seconds when they noticed that the heart rates for both her and her niece had increased. That was when Dr. Gray called her name.

           Dr. Porter told them that she felt as if they had been gone for close to thirty minutes, but according to the readings from the caps, the entire ordeal had lasted about thirty seconds. Time seemed to work differently within the brain. That would explain why information was able to travel at lightning speed within the body allowing the other bodily functions to react immediately.

           The studies continued with various age groups over the next several months, and they had gathered enough data to publish their findings in the medical journal, but no other test subjects were able to make the same connection that Dr. Porter and Jessica had. Perhaps it was their genetic relationship, or their bond with each other, but only time would tell.

           While some things remain a mystery about the human brain, they now knew that the possibility of a direct connection between two brains could lead to countless medical, psychological, and emotional discoveries.