Welcome to your Brain
The book “Welcome to your Brain” by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang, discusses the basic functions of the brain, senses and its connections to the brain, brain development, emotional, rational, and altered moments in our brains.
Our brain consists of the brainstem, spinal cord, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum, thalamus, cortex, and the occidental, temporal, and frontal lobe. Each section has different functions and work together to make it possible to interact with the world. Through our interactions, it raises the question whether our brains are reliable. It is proven that our brains are not always trustworthy with it providing the fastest answer processed rather than the correct answer. People are also weak in analyzing visuals fully. Many experiments have shown that our brains only process a portion of what is going on around us, being self-selecting of what it chooses to see. An additional topic discussed is amnesia, stating that the perception of amnesia within people is highly false from its reality due to movies, shows, and literature. For example, many believe that hits on the head can cause amnesia and a second hit can bring back memory. This is scientifically incorrect with our neurons and synapses being too tightly packed together for a hit to loosen them up and reverse the amnesia. Our brains are fully made of brain cells that can be divided into neurons and glial cells. Neurons are the method cells communicate with each other in every part of the body. Glial cells support the neurons and insulate in order to maintain the structure. In order to send signals from a neuron to another, it creates a current that carries electricity down the membrane. This electric signal will be released to form dendrites to input sources. Our brains also receive signals from light when it comes to our biological clocks. Light triggers our brains to think it is time be active and awake. It additionally discusses about weight regulation and the levels of leptin in the body. Scientist states that leptin was supposed to reduce appetite and therefore cause weight loss. However, it was found that overweight people also have sufficient leptin that is not functioning due to the resistance of leptin in their bodies. It is clear that many neurons allow our body to function and many things can affect our neurons such as light, a strike, and our weight.
Our brains take the lead in the function of our bodies. This includes in our senses being seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching. Often, brains interpret visuals before we have a chance to realize it. In fact, neural activity occurs with how much light is catched by the eye. The brain also determines which objects are wanted to be catched in a visual image. Hearing also involves our neurons, first starting with pressure waves that are sound. These waves go into the inner ear, cochlea, which causes the movement in the hair cells, transforming this movement to electrical signs that the neuron can interpret. These sounds are then transported to the neurons in the brainstem. In the sense of taste, our tongues have flavor receptors that transmit information to the brain through electrical impulses, being able to distinguish flavor. Our noses work the same way when smelling, having olfactory receptors inside of the nose. When these receptors are activated, they send information through electrical impulses to the nerve fibers that result in it going into the brain. Touch functions through our skin, which includes various receptors that sense things such as pressure, pain, and temperature. Each sensor in our body has its own communication line to give information to the brain. Through this, the brain is able to know exactly where in the body the sense is happening. Every single sense relies heavily on the brain with its receptors, letting our bodies realize that senses exist.
As body develops occurs as people age, so do brains. In early childhood, brain development does not require any special care or attention. Brain development first starts during pregnancy inside the mother with the brain development of neurons being born and axons growing, being enough for a child to thrive after birth. However, sensory interactions may stimulate brain development by deciding which neuron receives synapses. In humans, there is the “sensitive period” when developing. This stage is in the early stages in life where the foundation of brains are built, being much easier for us to learn new information such as languages. As children reach adolescence, there are major changes in the brain and the body. During this period, neural connections are being formed at a fast rate, with each brain region developing at its own pace. As the prefrontal brain structure is still developing, it stimulates risk taking behavior and impulsiveness in adolescence. Learning consistently occurs through the bounding of receptors to synapses or release of neurotransmitters. Bounding strengthens synapses, making a process of long-term potential. This creates the synaptic plasticity, affecting how the brain learns and overall intelligence throughout one’s lifetime. Aging surely worsens the brain’s ability to function properly. It would include worsening of memory, spatial navigation, and executive function which is behaving properly for a situation. Memory is declined through the shrinkage of the hippocampus, also controlling spatial navigation. The intelligence rate of people has been rising overall. However, this cannot lead to conclude that this is due to the evolution of the brain, rather the improvement of education and availability to sources. Brain development continually occurs throughout a lifetime and differs by phases of life.
Throughout one’s life, emotions are constantly forming and changing. Emotions are mostly made by sets of brain parts. Brain damage can largely impact emotions by modifying the experience of being fearful or feeling disgust. Parts of the brain such as the Insula regulate social behavior, helping one to identify emotions through physicals appearances. Often, regulating emotions can be challenging. However, it can be regulated through reappraisal, which is thinking about the meaning of an even in a positive way. This method relies heavily on the prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain. Anxiety is a common feeling that many people feel by the stimulation of the amygdala. The hypothalamus, controls one’s stress responses and it is linked to the amygdala. The amygdala stimulates the nervous system, releasing glucocorticoid stress hormones, ultimately causing anxiety. Ways to avoid anxiety include exercise, meditation, reducing caffeine, alcohol, and medication, and getting enough sleep. Everyone seeks happiness in life through the comparison of others. Yet, genetic factors influence about fifty percent of happiness from one to another. The feeling of “rewardment” is what stimulates neurons to respond as happiness. Every individual has a personality that can be categorized in activity, reactivity, and avoidance. In the brain, personality is based on dopamine and serotonin that are neurotransmitters that regulate the nervous system. Love is another emotion that all feel. This is formed by human bonds that can be stimulated through the oxytocin that increases trust of people. Sexual behavior is based on the hypothalamus which can affect one's sexual behavior entirely if damage to it. Emotion is a very complicated factor that is crucial in human life and is detected and formed through the brain.
It is often challenging to make rational decisions is our lives. Decisions are made through the lateral intraparietal area. This area has neural activity that can show the value of the information coming into the brain. These neurons work together to process information and eventually make decisions. The decision is usually shown by the movement of the eyes. Intelligence is important when making decisions. It is proven the environment that surrounds one makes a huge influence in one’s intelligence.