Brain-ology

How well do you know your brain?

““Above all else, know thyself.” Above all else, know thyself.” --SocratesSocrates

The Spinal Cord

• Reflexes

• Relay

• Routine tasks

The Hind Brain• Medulla & pons

– Heartbeat, breathing, paralyzes your muscles while you sleep

– RAS—screens incoming sensory info• Relates to ADD

– Priorities of the RAS• Physical need•Novelty• Self-made choice

Our Brain Needs…

1. Oxygen Just standing, after being

seated, adds >15% more Oxygen

2. Glucose 2 ounces of Fruit (raisins)

increases long term memory by 35% & working by 20% (lasts 30 minutes)

3. Water We need 8 ounces of water for

every 25 pounds of body weight

The Limbic System• Thalamus

– Switchboard for sensory data

• Hypothalamus• Amygdala

– Sophisticated emotions & memory making

• Pituitary gland– Hormones for growth, etc.

• Hippocampus– Forms memories for us– Separates during Alzheimer’s disease

The Hypothalamus• Fully functioning at birth• Controls:

– Fear– Anger– Aggression– Fight/flight response– Hunger– Thirst– Water balance– Body temperature– Hormones– E.K.S.

The amygdala

• Plays important role in emotions

• Later development• Adult part of the brain

that brings empathy to the adolescence brain

• Puts “warm fuzzies” on the hypothalamus

The Cortex• Makes up 85% of our brain

• Only 6 cells thick

• Where we store knowledge

• Creativity

• Humor

• Problem solving

• Burns 1.5 calories/minute– 75% of blood sugar & 20% of oxygen

So, just what is our brain made of?

• Neurons—aka brain cells– Timeline of neurons

• 525 billion• 200 billion• 100 billion

We’re born with ½

of our brains already

gone!!

What does a mighty oak and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree have

to do with our brains?

If we can’t grow new neurons, how do we store more in our brains?

• Dendrites—the branches of the neurons

• Learn something new, grow a new branch– Growth takes place while you sleep

• Don’t use them, you lose them

• Once you grow one you can keep it forever

Sleep Requirements

• 3-5 years 11 hours

• 5-9 years 10.5 hours

• 10-13 years 10 hours

• 14-18 years 8.5 hours

• Adults 7 hours