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Lesson #2: My Amore: My Amygdala

Objectives

1. Studentswillbeabletoidentifythefunctionoftheamygdalaandhippocampusinthelimbicsystem.

2. Studentswillbeabletoidentifytherolesandtasksoftheprefrontalcortex.

3. Studentswillbeabletoexplainthe“AmygdalaHijack”concept.

4. Studentswillbeabletoapplyatleastonestrategytohelpcalmtheiramygdalawhenitisalerted.Specifically,the90-secondrule.

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MaterialsNeeded

➔ SmallKooshball(oneperstudent)➔ Almonds(optional-onlyifnostudentsinyourgroupdonothavenutallergies)

Warm-Up Exercise/Introduction

1.ReviewtheGroupAgreement

2.ReviewtheHandModelwiththestudents.

Ø Askwhatfamilymembers,friends,teachers,etc.theysharedthehandmodelwithsinceyourlastmeeting.Invitebriefdiscussion.

3.Next,transitiontheconversationtoaskingaboutthelimbicsystem—specifically,theamygdala.● WhorememberswhatIsharedaboutthelimbicsystem?● Whereistheamygdala?Whereisthehippocampus?➔ Itisthesourceofouremotionsandmotivations,especiallythoselinkedtosurvival

suchasfearandangeraswellasourresponsestorewardandpunishment.Thelimbicsystemisalsoinvolvedwithfeelingsofpleasure.

ThislessonistoteachstudentsaboutthelimbicsystemwiththefocusprimarilyontheAmygdala,Hippocampusandthentobeginemphasizingtheimportanceofdevelopingandpracticingskills/behaviorsoperatedinthePrefrontalCortex

Supportingvideo:Dr.JillBolteTaylor(intendedforfacilitatorifneededforbackgroundknowledge/prepareforlesson)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzT_SBl31-s

Part1:TeachingtheLimbicSystem&PFC

*Thebelowinformationisabouttheamygdala,hippocampus(withinthelimbicsystem).Additionally,thissectioncontainsinformationaboutthePre-frontalcortex.Pleasereviewastheinformationiswhatistobedeliveredtothestudentsinthelesson.Page7oftheYouthActivityGuideprovidesthisinformationtoo.

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LimbicSystem:limbicsystemislargelyresponsibleformemoryandemotions,includingourresponsestorewardandpunishment.—sometimesreferredtoasthe“emotionbrain”

Amygdala:Itisshapedlikean“almond”--actuallythereare2amygdale;oneineachhemisphere.

Themainfunctionoftheamygdalaistorespond/notice/acknowledgeaggressionandfear--itisthekeytotheemotionalcenter.Theamygdalaalsospecializesintheprocessingofemotionalmemories(workswiththehippocampus).Itsjobistokeepyousafeatallcosts.However,itcancauseyoutoreactwithoutthinkingbecauseateen’sbrainisn’tfullydevelopedsoitcan’talwaystellbetweenastressfulsituationandatrueemergency.

Itisouralertsignalandactslikeourwatchdog--workingtokeepussafe.

Asking,“AmISafe?”ALERT,ALERT,ALERT--thatistheamygdala’sjob*Actslikeawatchdogtoworktowardkeepingmyselfsafe

Resource:Best,B.(2009).Theamygdalaandtheemotions.InAnatomyofthemind(chap.9).RetrievedfromWelcometotheWorldofBenBestwebsite:http://www.benbest.com/science/anatmind/anatmd9.html

Hippocampuslookslikeaseahorsethatcurvesbackfromtheamygdala.Thehippocampusisimportantintakingshorttermmemoryandstoringinformationtolong-termmemory.

Locateddeepwithinyourbrain,thehippocampusworkswiththecerebralcortextocreatememories(bothshortandlong-termmemory).Thehippocampusisalsoresponsibleforhelpingyounavigateyoursurroundings--helpsyourememberyourpatternsofmovement.

Ø Howmanyofyoucouldnavigate(getaround)yourhouseiftheelectricitywentout?Ifyes,itisbecausethereisamemorymapthathelpsyouremember.

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o Thehippocampusnotonlyencodesmemoriesbutalsoisresponsibleforretrievingthem.

PrefrontalCortex:The“CEOofthebrain”—partofthebrainthathelpsusmakedecisions,carefulcalculations,andproblem-solves.Itkeepsyoufocused.TheAmygdalaneedstobeinarelaxedandcalmstateforinformationto

gettothePFC.

ThinkofthePFCastheCEOofyourbrain.Situatedatthefrontthirdofyourbrain,itactslikeasupervisorfortherestofyourbrainandbody.Itisthebrain’sbrakethathelpsyouthinkaboutwhatyousayanddobeforeyousayordoit.Itisinvolvedwithattention,judgment,planning,impulsecontrol,followthrough,andempathy.● Criticalthinking● Decisionmaking● EmotionalRegulation● PerspectiveTaking● Attention/Focus● Organization● Time-Management● Problem-Solving

**Thispartofyourbrainisnotfullydevelopeduntilyouare25-30yearsold.Sothink,youhavealotoftimetodevelopthisareaofyourbrain!

Ø Whatare2activitiesyoudidtodaytohelpstrengthenyourprefrontalcortex?

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Part2:90-SecondStrategy

INFORMATION:Ittakes“lessthan90seconds”foranemotiontogettriggered,surgechemicallythroughthebloodstream,thengetflushedout.There’sanautomaticandchemicalresponseinthebody,eventoanEXTREMEemotion,thatsimplycannotlastlongerthan90seconds.Beyondthat,anythingthatyoufeelisOFYOUROWNCHOOSING.

IfyouFIGHTtheemotionandyoudon’tallowit’snaturalreleasethroughyourbody,youaregoingtohavetofightitagainandagain.Ifyouopenyourselftoitandremaincompletelypresent,itwillpasswithin90seconds (JillBolteTaylor)

1.Explainthe90-SecondStrategytostudentsusingtheinformationabove.

2.Afteryouexplainthe90-SecondStrategytostudents,takeoutastopwatch,cellphone,(somethingwithatimer)todemonstratehowlong90-secondsis---remindingstudentsthatattheendof90-secondsitistheirchoicewhethertojmpbackontheemotionalcycleortoallowtheemotiontobefree.TheimportantaspectistoallowyourselftofeeltheemotionandacknowledgeandNAMEtheemotion-don’tfightit,justfeelit.

3.Onemorereminderforstudents----Remember,90-seconds,thenjumpoffthecycleandmoveforward-don’tletyouramygdalahijackyourday.

4.RefertoPage#8oftheYouthActivityGuideandhavestudentsreviewtheinformationwithyou.Additionally,invitethestudentstotrythinkingaboutanemotionandonceagain,

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time90-secondstodemonstratehowlongthatfeelstoallowtheemotiontoreleasethroughtheirbody.

Part3:WhatEmotion?

BackgroundInformationtoSupportActivityWeusedtothinkthatteensresponddifferentlytotheworldbecauseofhormones,or

attitude,orbecausetheysimplyneedindependence.Butwhenadolescents'brainsare

studiedthroughmagneticresonanceimaging(MRI),weseethattheyactuallywork

differentlythanadultbrains.

AttheMcLeanHospitalinBelmont,Mass.,DeborahYurgelun-Toddandagroupofresearchershavestudiedhowadolescentsperceiveemotionascomparedtoadults.Thescientistslookedatthebrainsof18childrenbetweentheagesof10and18andcomparedthemto16adultsusingfunctionalmagneticresonanceimaging(fMRI).Bothgroupswereshownpicturesofadultfacesandaskedtoidentifytheemotiononthefaces.UsingfMRI,theresearcherscouldtracewhatpartofthebrainrespondedassubjectswereaskedtoidentifytheexpressiondepictedinthepicture.Theresultssurprisedtheresearchers.Theadultscorrectlyidentifiedtheexpressionasfear.Yettheteensanswered"shocked,surprised,angry."Andtheteensandadultsuseddifferentpartsoftheirbrainstoprocesswhattheywerefeeling.Theteensmostlyusedtheamygdala,asmallalmondshapedregionthatguidesinstinctualor"gut"reactions,whiletheadultsreliedonthefrontalcortex,whichgovernsreasonandplanning.Astheteensgotolder,thecenterofactivityshiftedmoretowardthefrontalcortexandawayfromthecruderresponseoftheamygdala.

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Yurgelun-Todd,directorofneuropsychologyandcognitiveneuroimagingatMcLeanHospitalbelievesthestudygoespartwaytounderstandingwhytheteenageyearsseemsoemotionallyturbulent.Theteensseemednotonlytobemisreadingthefeelingsontheadult'sface,buttheyreactedstronglyfromanareadeepinsidethebrain.Thefrontalcortexhelpedtheadultsdistinguishfearfromshockorsurprise.OftencalledtheexecutiveorCEOofthebrain,thefrontalcortexgivesadultstheabilitytodistinguishasubtletyofexpression:"Wasthisreallyfearorwasitsurpriseorshock?"Fortheteens,thisareawasn'tfullyoperating.Reactions,ratherthanrationalthought,comemorefromtheamygdala,deepinthebrain,thanthefrontalcortex,whichledYurgelun-Toddandotherneuroscientiststosuggestthatanimmaturebrainleadstoimpulsivity,orwhatresearchersdub"risk-takingbehavior."Althoughitwasknownfromanimalstudiesandbrain-injuredpeoplethatthefrontalcortexmaturesmoreslowlythanotherbrainstructures,ithasonlybeenwiththeadventoffunctionalMRIthatresearchershavebeenabletostudybrainactivityinnormalchildren.

Thebrainscansusedinthesestudiesareavaluabletoolforresearchers.Neverbeforehavescientistsbeenabletodevelopdatabanksofnormal,healthychildren.Outliningthechangesinnormalfunctionanddevelopmentwillhelpresearchersdeterminethecausesofpsychiatricdisordersthatafflictchildrenandadolescents.

References:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/work/onereason.htmlhttp://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/d/d_04/d_04_cr/d_04_cr_peu/d_04_cr_peu.html

Part 3 Activity #1: Recognizing Emotions

RecognizingFacialMessage/Emotion

*Referbacktotheslidesandactivityyoudidasawholegroup.

WhenwerealizethattheprefrontalcortexallowsREFLECTIONwhiletheamygdalaisdesignedforREACTION,wecanbegintounderstandhowteensoftenrespondwiththeiramygdalasinsteadofengagingthePFC.

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1.Explaintostudentsthatsometimestheteenbrainrespondstononverbalcuesdifferentlythantheadultbrain.Theamygdalacanbefirsttorespondandforgetstoengagethe“thinkingbrain”--leadingtomiscommunicationormisunderstandingofnonverbalmessages.----REACTING---justusingtheamygdalaoremotions—itissometimescalledanamygdalahijack.

2.Remindstudentsthatonekeywaywecommunicateisnonverballythroughourfacialexpressions.Forexample,afrown(demonstrateafrown)couldmean,“Iamthinking.”ORitcouldmean,“Ifellupsetorfrustrated.”

3.Continuetoexplainandconnecthowitisreallyimportanttostopandengageour“thinkingbrain”sowemakesurewedonotjustREACTfromouramygdalawhenwerespondtoothers.---Instead,wetakeamomenttoREFLECTandengageourPre-frontalcortexandthinkaboutwhatmessagethepersonisconveying.

4.Invitethestudentstotryanactivitytoseehowtheywilldowhenlookingatfacesandtryingtomatchthefaceswiththecorrectfeelings.

5.InstructthestudentstoturntoPage#9intheYouthActivityGuide.Askthemtoindependentlycompletethe,WhatIsTheEmotion?activity.Allowafewminutesofindependentworkandthentellstudentstheycanworkwithapartneriftheyneedassistance.After5-10minutes,bringthegroupbacktogetherandshareoutresponsestoseeifeveryoneagreeswithhowstudentsidentifiedthefacesandfeelings.ThestudentsdoNOThavethecorrectanswersheet—onlyyouJ.

REVIEW—page10ofYouthActivityGuidewhenfinishedandhavestudentspartner(orworkinsmallgroups)tocomeupwithafewexamples.

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Part 3 Activities #2: Memory

MemoryExercise#1:WhichCard?

Forthisactivity,invitethestudentstoturntoPage#10intheYouthActivityGuide.Asthefacilitator,youwillneedtousetheWhichCard?PowerPoint.Thisgameisdesignedtobeanengagingwaytoencouragememory-buildingskilldevelopmentandtoshowhowthehippocampusworks.*Youmaywanttosetthetimingsinthepowerpointtohelpkeeptrackofthe4secondintervalsofthegamedescribedbelow.

Gameinstructions:Theinstructionsbelowexplainthegameforyou.Thestudentinstructionsareseparate.

● Therewillbe5playingcardsonaslide.● Studentsneedtoremembertheplayingcardsonthescreen.● Theyhave4secondstolookattheslidewiththecards.After4seconds,movetothe

nextslidewheretherewillbeonemissingcardfromtheoriginal5cards.● Eachstudentisaskedtorememberandwritedowntheonecardthatthey

remember(orthink)ismissingontheirsheetintheYouthActivityGuide.ThegamegetsalittlemorechallengingasafewUnocardsaremixedintothegame(laterslides).Forthelasttwoslides,studentsareallowedtoworkwithapartner(thesefinaltwotasksaskstudentstoremember2missingcards).

Uponcompletionofthegame,invitethelargegrouptoengageindiscussionofthebelowquestions(thesearealsopostedonthelastslide).

InstructionsfortheStudents:1.Forthisgame,youwillsee5playingcardsontheslide.Youwillhave4secondstolookattheslideandtrytorememberthecards.Afterthe4seconds,Iamgoingtomovetothenextslidewhereoneoftheoriginalcards(ofthe5)willbemissing.2.Youneedtowritedownwhichcardismissing.3.Questions?Thisisagametochallengeyourhippocampus(remember,yourhippocampushelpswithyourmemory).

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ProcessQuestions

Ø Howdidyoudo?Ø Whatstrategiesdidyouusetohelpyouremember?Ø Howdidithelptohaveapartner?Ø Eventhoughthetasksgotmorechallenging,didanyonefeelorthinkthegamegot

easier?Ø Whatpartofthebraindidwejustexerciseandstrengthen?

MemoryExercise#2:Let’sTakeATrip

Gatherstudentsinalargecircle,preferablyanopencirclesonodesksareblockingtheabilitytoseeeachother.Sharewiththestudentthattogetherwearegoingtoplayaclassicgamethat’sbeenaroundalong,longtime.Explainthatthestudentthatstartsthetripwillgettochoosethedestinationandwillgettoselectthefirstitemthats/hewantstobringonthetrip.Thatitemneedstobeginwiththeletter,”A”.Thenextstudentwilladdanitemtobringonthetripandthatitemshouldbeginwiththeletter,“B,”andsoon.Ifitgetstoastudentandthatstudentgetsstuck,s/hehas5secondsbeforethegameends.Atthattime,thenextplayerwillbeginanewtrip.

Example:Tripdestination:Beach:Tostart,thefirstpersonsays,“I’mgoingonatriptothebeachandIambringinganapple.”Thenthenextpersonwouldrepeattheirsentenceandaddwhattheyarebringing.“I’mgoingonatriptothebeachandIambringinganappleandabeachchair..”Thiscontinuesuntilyouhavecompletedthealphabetoruntilsomeonegetsstuck.

**Asthefacilitator,youwillneedtodecideifyouaregoingclockwiseorcounterclockwiseoryoucanevenmakeitmorechallengingandaddaballandtosstheballfromstudenttostudent.

***Youcanalsomakeitmoreinterestingbystartingwithletter,“Z”andworkingbackwardsforoneround.

Processquestions● Whatwaschallenging?● Whatdidyoudotohelpyouremember?