Imagine going to school and really succeeding; you understand everything, you’re getting good grades and all the praise you can dream of from your parents and teachers. But then you move up and things get harder, you don’t understand everything, your grades are dropping and you are scared that you will no longer get that praise. You have two options, you can either take on the challenge and get back to where you used to be, or you can sit down when you feel threated by the hard work.
Brain controls all of the organs in our body and what makes human different from animals is that we have the ability to think and have our own thoughts. Everything is possible in reality and what makes it possible is our knowledge. Richard Wright, who explains the definition of the word cognitive the best by using his memoir the ‘Black Boy’. In his memoir Richard explains his struggles of life as a child, teen and adult. But eventually succeed using his knowledge and experience. In Richard Wright’s Black Boy, Richard’s cognitive need meets and continuous to achieve his dream by unit people together and taught them how to be a good human being through his writing.
Nicholas Carr in The Shallows (2010) asserts that the internet is changing the very way people live today. Carr supports this assertion by providing key points of how the Internet changed so much like how he did in this quote “With the exception of alphabets and number systems, the Net may well be the single most powerful mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use. At the very least, it’s the most powerful that has come along since the book” (Carr, 2010, pg.118). The writer concludes that everyday life in the modern age includes the use of the Internet. The writer establishes a direct tone to readers that the way people think is changing due to the Internet.
The article, “Bad mix for the teen brain,” by Janet Hopson, reviews many different surveys conducted by psychiatry researchers at various universities. Each survey tracked varying numbers of 12-14 year olds for a duration of time. These researchers found out that the teenage brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, has not reached full maturity. The prefrontal cortex is just behind the forehead and controls the, “ability to stop oneself from acting impulsive…” (Hopson, 2013) The effects of drinking in young adolescents is very harmful to the brain. A study conducted by Susan F. Tapert of the University of California, San Diego found that kids can diminish their ability to learn and memorize. Scientists used MRI scans to examine the adolescents’ brains. Four years later, they re-examined the same adolescents’ brains and found that there was less activity in certain parts of the brain than the original scan. This article is part of ongoing research to find out if the damage to the brain is reversible.
Serial killers have significantly affected people’s lives for thousands of years however, we’ve only recently been getting an insight into why they commit these horrendous acts of violence. Many people have written it off as pure evil but there is more to these people that meets the eye. One famous serial killer was Joel Rifkin. Through many psychological tests and brain scans, researchers were able to learn more about his brain and the parts of it that did not function correctly. The defective or damaged parts of his brain had a large role to play in the murders he committed and even this information can help us identify dangerous behavior and possibly prevent the death of innocent people.
Everyone acts like they are invincible. Impervious. Untouchable. However, just a few circumstances lining up can not only alter your life, but destroy it, changing everything familiar, twisting any feeling into a delusion, and even altering your memory. The human mind is more susceptible to injury and disease than anyone may be led to think. Since a person’s brain is so fragile, considering how important it is becomes even more daunting. After all, the brain, is the body’s ultimate controller, taking charge of even a person’s own desires and actions once it is compromised by injury, illness, or other ailment (Cahalan, 2012, pg.87). As much as the human race wants to believe they are in control, the truth is one event could drastically change
The brain controls everything the body does. The spinal cord carries messages between the body and the brain. Together, they make up the central nervous system (CNS). Some prescription drugs slow down, or depress, the CNS. Others speed up, or stimulate, the CNS. People who abuse CNS stimulants or depressants give control of their bodies to the drug, sometimes with dangerous consequences.
Phineas Gage has one of the most interesting and famous brain injury cases. Gage was born in New Hampshire on July 9, 1823. At the time of his injury he was a 25 year old hardworking and capable railroad foreman. His injury and the repercussions of it, has answered many questions about the brain and the role in plays in our bodies.
In the Crash Course video, I learned about the different structures of the brain. Franz Joseph Gall, the first phrenologist, introduced a new theory in the early 1800’s. Gall believed that a person’s personality was linked to the ridges and bumps on the skull. However, scientists today understand that the brain contains different parts that are responsible for specific functions. One system of the brain is commonly referred to as the “old brain”. This inner core layer of the brain keeps the body’s basic functions running smoothly. Another system is the limbic system, which includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. These structures are responsible for memory, motivation, emotion, and learning. The largest part of the brain is the
The brain is the most complex organ in our body. It serves as the command center of the human nervous system. The brain is composed of different parts and functions that are dependent upon each other. The brain consists of two distinct sides: the right and left cerebral hemispheres. The side of the brain that endures damage will impact the function on the opposite side of the body and impairs mental capabilities. Hence, any injury or damage to the brain can produce impairment on the brain functions. Brain injuries has often led to low psycho-social functioning (Pierson & Noggle, 2010) as well as a variety of emotional and behavioral symptoms (Wozniak, Krach, Ward, Mueller, Muetzel et al., 2007). The most frequent sequelae after severe brain
Amygdala The amygdala has historically been considered to be part of the limbic system, with connections mainly in the hypothalamus and brainstem. Studies conducted over the last 30 years show that the amygdala has a wide area network to a wide range of brain areas (Aggleton, Burton, & Passingham, 1980; Aggleton
The amygdala, the seat of emotion and motivation, is a fascinating telencephalic component of our limbic system located in the anterior temporal lobe. Scientific advancements in the field of neuroscience have revealed that this almond shaped wonder is a versatile emotional genius contributing to various facets of cognition. The term
The Amygdala The Amygdala is a small, almond shaped cluster of nuclei residing in the temporal lobes of the brain. It is part of the limbic system, which is a cluster of brain structures above the brainstem. There are two amygdala, the right and the left one. Functionally, the two look
The mind and brain can be both interconnected and yet distinct. As the text says, the mind is a realm of logic, induction, ethics and morals, while the brain as an organ is composed of cellular machinery, hormones and gene expression (Hassert, 194). However, these two layers often overlap and are not easy to distinguish. I do feel like there is a dualism between the mind and brain. The text suggests that positive attitudes in treatment can cause the placebo effect. This shows a link between the mind and brain; the positive thoughts of the mind help express a change cellularly that causes the placebo effect. If the brain did not have this duality, why would biological influences effect our thoughts and feelings? Similarity, pharmaceuticals, illegal drugs, and alcohol can do damage to the brain, but also alter our behavior. It seems that you cannot effect the mind without in turn affecting the brain. This information all suggests that the thing that changes the mind (drugs, learning, etc) is able to change the brain physically. On discussing the linkage between the brain and mind, Hassert says, “Taking note of these everyday occurrences suggests a very tight linkage between the psychological and the biological, a linkage that supports taking both elements seriously in our discussions related to the ethical implications of psychological/behavioral and neurological/biological manipulations” (Hassert 195). The brain can address how something has occurred, but the mind might
Neuropsychology is a field with historical origins in both psychology and neurology. The crucial activity of neuropsychologists is to assess the brain functioning, through prearranged and organized behavioral observation.