Download You and Your Brain ppt - Oregon School District

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Welcome to you and your
brain.
You will be navigating through a presentation on your
brain. The major parts and functions, how your brain is
protected, how your brain changes, and how your
choices affect your brain FOREVER.
continue
Choose Wisely
Brain Parts & Functions
Built in Security
Brain development
Brains need
Your brain, your life, your choices!
What the heck’s a neurotransmitter
Parts & Functions of the Human
Brain
Parietal Lobe
Click on the parts of the
brain to to learn more about
the function.
Frontal Lobe
Occipital Lobe
Corpus Callosum
Temporal Lobe
Brain Stem
Check out 3-D Brain Anatomy for more parts & more functions!
Cerebellum
Main Menu
Frontal Lobe
•Found under your frontal bone.
•Center of reasoning, planning,
movement (motor cortex),
emotions, and problem solving.
Return to brain parts
Parietal
Lobe
•Found under the parietal bones,
near the top of your head.
•Receives and interprets sensory
input from the skin. (touch,
pressure, temperature, & pain)
Temporal Lobe
•Found on the sides of your head
under the temporal bones.
•Functions include speech
perception, hearing, some types
of memory
Return to brain parts
Occipital Lobe
•Found at the back of your head,
under the occipital bone.
•Receives visual stimuli from the
eyes
•Often referred to as the visual
cortex
Return to brain parts
Cerebellum
•Found at the at the back of your
head under the cerebrum.
•Means “little brain”
•Responsible for movement,
balance, posture.
•Often takes over learned
activities- Like riding a bike!
Brainstem
•Most basic part of your brain.
•Controls functions essential to life
(breathing, digesting, eliminating
waste, sleeping, maintaining body
temperature…)
•Maintains these essential life
tasks without conscious
control
Return to brain parts
Corpus
Callosum
•This is located centrally
between the left and right
hemispheres of your brain.
•It is a bundle of fibers that
connects the left and right
hemispheres.
• It is believed this area is
involved in creativity and
problem solving.
Click here to find out more about split brains!
The protection of your Brain
• Your brain sits inside your
skull which protects it from
physical damage.
•The cranium is the part of your
skull that surrounds the brain.
•The cranium is made up of 8
bones that have fused together.
List these bones in your notepacket!
•Your scalp also serves to
protect your bones/brain.
Specialized coverings called Meninges:
• Dura Mater- outermost
• Arachnoid Layer- middle
• Pia Mater- innermost
*Here’s a good way to remember
the order of the meninges (innermost
To outermost): “The meninges PAD
the brain.” (Pia, Arachnoid, Dura)
www.washington.edu/chudler/meninges.html
Foramen magnum:
Opening at base of cranium
(occipital bone) where the
medulla oblongata extends,
and nerves & blood pass
into and out of the brain.
Image from: www.mayoclinic.com and
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/meninges.html
Images from
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/skull.html
Check out the Meningeal Layers in a REAL brain!
Image from http://faculty.une.edu/com/fwillard/Meninges/
Protecting your brain -From the inside
The skull protects your brain from the
outside environmental dangers, but what
about damage from inside the body
itself? E.g., bacteria or viruses?
Your brain is protected from the internal
environment of your body by the blood brain
barrier (BBB). Blood is responsible for moving
materials around your body. You do not want
all of the potential harmful substances in blood
(like bacteria or viruses) to have access to your
brain. So the outside of the blood vessels in
the brain are made of cells that are VERY
tightly packed together. These cells prevent
large, unwanted molecules from entering the
brain. Unless they are lipids - then they easily
pass through.
Main Menu
faculty.washington.edu
Brain Development
At birth you had the majority of all the neurons that make
up your brain! But your brain only weighed about
400grams. By now your brain weighs1300-1400 grams.
What accounts for the huge change in weight?
This picture shows
how neurons
change overtime
by growing in size.
Neurons continue
to make new
synapses
(connections to
other neurons)
throughout your
lifetime.
Click here to
see what an
infant “sees”
QuickTi me™ and a
T IFF (Uncom pressed) decom pressor
are needed to see t his pict ure.
Image from: Dr. Venkatesh Murthy, Harvard University. “Synapses: from vesicles to circuits” 7/12/05
The Teen Brain
The high school student’s (14-18yr) brain is still growing and
developing. In fact these years are not only crucial to development
but explain why teenagers think “differently” than adults.
What a teenager chooses to
spend his/her time doing will
affect what neuronal
connections are kept. The
pathways in the brain that
are used are those that are
kept. So someone who
spend a lot of time in front of
the T.V. or video games will
be forging very different
pathways than someone
who is active or spend time
reading, or is well balanced
in activities.
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101040510/brain/
The Teen Brain
These images show how the brain
matures from the ages of five to 20.
(Keep in mind each individual can be
slightly different) The red/yellow
colors indicate more gray matter
while the blue(s) indicate less gray
matter and a more mature brain.
?
Click here to find out what
the big deal about gray
matter is!
NIMH/UCLA Project Visualizes Maturing
Brainhttp://www.loni.ucla.edu/~thompson/DEVEL/PR.html
The Teen Brain
During the teen years several parts of the brain finish
developing.
•The frontal cortex goes through a growth period for approximately12 years, then
continues to fine tune the connections. (Known as pruning)The frontal cortex
houses your judgment/rational thinking and does not finish developing until about
20 years of age.
•The Corpus Callosum - the fibers that connect the two sides of the brain thicken.
•Cerebellum -recently scientists have thought this area changes a lot during the
teen years.
•The Amygdala - found near the Corpus Callosum develops quickly and is where
emotions are centered. Many teen brains rely on this center to
Click here to see an
experiment showing
make decisions before the frontal cortex is fully developed.
what part of the brain
Teens use to process
emotion
Main Menu
What Matter?
The neurons of the nervous system are often divided into two
general categories. White Matter and Gray Matter. (The names
indicate the color of that type of tissue.)
White Matter
Gray Matter
• White in color due to myelin sheath.
• Gray/red in color due to the lack of
myelin sheath.
• Generally responsible for carrying
information
• Generally responsible for processing
information. (Nerve impulses are
generated here.
Image from: http://www.bioon.com/book/biology/whole/image/1/1-6.tif.jpg
What a brain wants, what a brain needs
Your brain cells use 2 times as much energy compared to other body cells.
Your brain cells receive their usable energy from mitochondria
(just like other cells). Remember that mitochondria utilize
glucose to make usable energy. So your brain NEEDS
glucose!!
So your thinking that pop tart and soda you had for breakfast was a good idea?
WRONG! Too much sugar at once is BAD and will actually cause a depletion in the
amount of sugar available to the brain. You are better off having complex carbohydrates
(fruits, veggies, & whole grains) and forget the processed sugar.
What about water? Remember that
you’re your cells are mostly water.
What would happen if a cell lost
water? -It will not function properly.
The same is true for your brain cells.
Don’t forget about
oxygen! Brain cells begin
to die with in minutes of
being deprived of oxygen.
Main Menu
Your Brain, your Life Your Choices!
Click on your choice of topics to find out how
choices YOU make affect your brain.
Sports
Why should I care?
Sleep
Exercise
Drugs
Diet
Alcohol
Main Menu
Sport
While there are enormous benefits to participating in sports
there are also some dangers to your brain.
Some sports are more detrimental to the brain than others (boxing, football, soccer, horse back riding, bike
riding, etc.)and a general awareness of the dangers is important. The CDC estimates that every year 300,000
sports-related concussions occur in the U.S. A concussion is a minor form of brain trauma where the individual
loses consciousness for a short period of time. There is some concern regarding Second Impact Syndrome
(SIS), when an athlete receives a second concussion before healing from the previous one. According to an
Article in Discover magazine recent studies have shown that “football players with three or more concussions
suffer depression at three times the normal rate.” The same article also sites a study comparing mental skills of
soccer players to swimmers and runners that found soccer players are 3-4 times more likely to have deficits in
memory and planning skills. To read "Lights Out" in December's (2004) issue of Discover click here. Studies
indicate that repeated brain trauma can lead to long term problems. Muhammad Alli suffers from pugilistic
Parkinson's syndrome (caused by repeated blows to the head) after a career of boxing.
Click here to read about
the statistics of high
school and concussions
Wearing a helmet when bike riding
can reduce traumatic brain injury
by 85%. Click on the helmet to
learn more about concussions.
Remember that brain cells DO NOT REGENERATEwhen brain cells die they are gone forever.
The Damage Caused by Concussion
The Neurocascade
Stage 1: An impact slams the
brain against the skull
Stage 2: To fuel the absorption
of new potassium, the neuron
consumes glucose.
Stage 3: The calcium clogged
mitochondria are starved for
oxygen causing a neuronal
energy crisis. Blood flow drops
and cells begin to die.
Graphic By Bryan Christie: Yeoman, Barry “Lights Out” Discover (online) December 2004
http://www.discover.com/images/issues/dec-04/sports-illus-65k.jpg
Remember that brain cells DO NOT REGENERATE
when brain cells die they are gone forever.
Your Life Menu
RIP
Neuron
Exercise
According to the Franklin institute online nearly 50% of people
ages 12-21 do not participate in physical activity. Less than 1/4
get at least a half hour of any type of physical activity!
Exercise has the following effects on our brains:
Animation from: http://philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/smallgroups.htm
• increases cerebral blood flow which is important for brain
growth/development and functioning
• increase in cognitive abilities
• a positive effect on neurotransmitters
• enhances our mood (there are conflicting theories why our mood is affected
but there is agreement that it is affected)
A study in mice showed that those mice
that exercised (using a wheel) were
better able to learn and navigate a maze.
Your Life Menu
It’s hard to imagine being old when you
are young! But studies show that daily
exercise helps keep your brain young. It
decreases brain tissue loss.
Sleep
If you spend an average 8 hours a day sleeping, how much of
one year do you sleep away? If we “waste” this much time
sleeping there MUST be some value for our bodies.
It seems as if we are not doing ANYTHING while we sleep,
however if we take a close look at our brains we will find that our
brains are very active while our bodies sleep. Examine the graphs
below, notice how active our brain is when we are asleep
compared with awake!
Scientists still are not
sure why we sleep but
there are two theories.
Why we sleep?
Two Theories:
1. Restorative Value
This is the theory that sleep has an restorative advantage. The body uses sleep
time to recover from the mental and physical work that was done during the day.
It is thought that REM sleep is used to restore mental functions and may even
help reinforce new connections. (neuronal connections are believed to be the
basis to learning and memory) SWS sleep is thought to allow physical recovery.
Look at the graph on the previous page and compare the different types of sleep
to the recorded brain and muscle activity.
2. Adaptive Value
This is the theory that sleep has an adaptive advantage.
While an animal was not foraging for food, hunting, etc the
animal could conserve energy. Which do you think sleeps
more the hunter or the hunted?
Which animal sleeps
the most? Take a
guess then click here to
find the answer.
Image from: http://animals.timduru.org/dirlist/bear/
Lack of Sleep
According to the an article posted on the Society of Neuroscience web
site a recent study showed the importance of sleep to procedural
memory. The researchers had subjects repeatedly type a sequence
using a key board. They found that there was no significant
improvement when the subjects were tested 12 hours later. But there
was a 20% improvement when the subjects had a full night sleep in
between the original learning and being tested again.
We all know that lack of sleep makes us cranky, makes it difficult to
concentrate on a task (listening to a lecture!), it slows down our
reaction time, and even seems to make it more difficult to solve a
problem.
Although sleep deprivation can lead to problems,
including death, the verdict is still out on whether or
not 8 hours of sleep a night is going to help you live
Your Life Menu
longer, so stay tuned.
Diet
As discussed previously your brain requires
large amounts of glucose as a fuel source.
But your brain requires other resources as
well. Brains need a variety of vitamins,
minerals, amino acids, and lipids to function.
Brains do more then use energy they also
form new synapses (learning), make repairs
to damaged cells, produce neurotransmitters,
and more. All of these tasks require a variety
of materials for successful brain function.
Malnutrition while the brain is growing leads
to obvious problems. It’s like running out of
lumber before the house is built- no lumber
the house does not get built, no nutrition - the
brain does not get built. Remember if your
body is starved so is your brain.
If your blood gets overdosed with
sugar because you consumed too
much glucose this can slow your brain
down. If you want to have full mental
capacity not only should you eat a
“balanced diet” but stick to whole
grains, veggies, fruits, and avoid pop
tarts, cookies, candy…..
Toxins
Lead
Lead is quite toxic to the brain and is most dangerous to those whose brains are still
developing. Lead blocks the majority of neurotransmitters by blocking Calcium
channels. Pencil lead is not truly made of lead, in fact you probably are not exposed
to very much lead on a daily basis. The major source of lead poisoning in young
people is old lead paint.
Mercury
What the heck is a
neurotransmitter?
Your Life Menu
Every heard of the Mad Hatter? The fictional character from “Alice in
Wonderland” who is found to be having a lovely tea party with no one in
particular. This character was based on real life hatters who often went
“mad” due to mercury poisoning, which often happened to individuals who
made felt hats. Mercury is one of the most toxic substances known to man, it
causes a number of problems which include neurological conditions.
Mercury is an industrial pollutant and does build up in certain types of fish.
There are certain limits to the amount of some types of fish people eat. But
don’t use this as an excuse there are also omega-3 Fatty acids in fish that
are GOOD for your brain.
Wright, Karen “Our Preferred Poison: A little mercury is all that
humans need to do away with themselves quietly, slowly, and
surely” DISCOVER Vol. 26 No. 03 March 2005
Illegal Drugs
Click on the drug below to find out how it affects
the brain.
Marijuana
Ecstasy
Cocaine
Heroin
Your Life Menu
More information
on drugs and the
brain
Marijuana
Marijuana contains a molecule, elta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC for short), that binds
to receptors found in brain neurons. The receptors are called cannabinoid receptors
are found in the parts of the brain associated with memory, concentration, perception
and movement. When THC binds to the receptors the nerve function is disrupted
“Why do we
have cannabinoid
receptors in our
brains?
We produce a chemical called anandamide
which binds to cannabinoid receptors just
like THC does. Scientists are not sure
what anandamide does in the brain.
There is no known long term effect
•Sleepiness • Altered sense of space and time.
(although there is some suggestion
that THC may affect memory) on •Lowered blood
•Delusions
•Hallucinations
pressure
the brain but there are temporary
•Disorientation
effects:
•Reduced coordination
•Relaxation
•Difficulty concentrating
•Impaired memory
Illegal Drugs Menu
Ecstasy
Ecstasy,3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine or "MDMA” is a
dangerous drug to party with. There are risks of dying during use
but this page will discuss long term affects on the brain.
MDMA (Ecstasy) affects serotonin in the
brain by causing the release of serotonin,
keeping serotonin from being cleaned up,
and depleting available serotonin. This
leads to an elevated mood but the loss of
serotonin will lead to a depression of the
mood. Maybe even worse than the
depression that follows ecstasy is the
damage caused to brain cells. Examine
the picture to the right, notice the
extensive damage several weeks after
ecstasy use and even after seven years
the damage is still very visible.
Illegal Drugs Menu
Did you know that ecstasy was first invented and used as a medicinal drug
but the use was stopped after scientists found it caused brain damage.
Cocaine
Cocaine is a VERY dangerous drug, it can cause
long term damage to your brain and death.
Cocaine acts by blocking dopamine removal within the brain, especially in the reward centers of the brain. A
rewarding event causes the release of dopamine in the brain and is associated with good feelings. Cocaine
blocks the removal of the neurotransmitter dopamine causing it to build up between neurons which leads to
constant firing of those neurons producing the good feelings. When the effects of cocaine wear off the
individual often starts to feel depressed, which leads to the next use (to stop the depressed feeling). Cocaine
can lead to death because it increases blood pressure and constricts blood vessels which can lead to a stroke
(bleeding in the brain). Recent studies have found that cocaine causes a depletion in memory and higher
brain function.
“The PET scan allows one to see how the brain uses glucose;
glucose provides energy to each neuron so it can perform work. The
scans show where the cocaine interferes with the brain's use of
glucose - or its metabolic activity. The left scan is taken from a
normal, awake person. The red color shows the highest level of
glucose utilization (yellow represents less utilization and blue shows
the least). The right scan is taken from a cocaine abuser on cocaine.
It shows that the brain cannot use glucose nearly as effectively –
hence the loss of red compared to the left scan. There are many
areas of the brain that have reduced metabolic activity. The
continued reduction in the neurons' ability to use glucose (energy)
results in disruption of many brain functions.” NIDA
Image from: http://www.nida.nih.gov/pubs/teaching/Teaching4.html
Click here to see an animation of cocaine’s affect on the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Illegal Drugs Menu
In 1973, scientists discovered that
the brain had receptors for opiates.
Or you can spell it by its chemical In other words, there are places on
name: diacetylmorphine.
neurons that recognize opiates.
These receptors were located in
parts of the brain important for
breathing, pain and emotions. The
discovery of opiate receptors in the
brain raised the question as to why
neurons would have such receptors.
Two years later, scientists found the
answer: the brain manufactures its
own opiates known as
"endorphins." Endorphins are
always in the brain, but they are
released in greater amounts when
people and animals are in pain or
under stress.
Heroin
Illegal Drugs Menu
Alcohol
Alcohol is a small molecule that easily passes the blood brain barrier. (Remember
the blood brain barrier protects your brain from internal invaders and chemicals)
Alcohol is very easily absorbed by the body and the brain.
Research shows that alcohol consumption before the brain has finished
developing leads to less development. Alcohol introduced during
brain development causes problems with the brain systems
associated with learning and memory .
Your Life Menu
The images to
the left shows an
alcoholic man
and a nonalcoholic man.
Notice the
ventricle space
is much larger in
the alcoholic
man. Long-term
drinking results
in loss of brain
tissue as well as
causes other
damage to the
brain
Neurotransmitters
Neurons must be able to communicate
with each other they do this by passing
on signals. There are two types of
ways neurons signal one another, both
result in a charge flowing from one
neuron to the next. Neurotransmitters
are one way neurons signal each
other. One neuron releases a
“neurotransmitter” and the other
neuron has special receptors that bind
to the transmitter thus sending
information. There are hundreds of
neurotransmitters below are just a few.
Serotonin
Dopamine
Epinephrine
Acetylcholine
Main Menu
Click here
for more
information about
neurotransmitters
This is a picture of three
neurons, each neuron is
connected to at LEAST
one other neuron. The
zoomed in portion shows
how neurotransmitters are
released from one neuron
and bind to the next.
Image from: http://www.besttreatments.co.uk/btuk/images/epilepsy_neurotransmitter.gif
Click here to see an animation
of neurotransmitters in action.
Why should I
care?
Your brain is like a computer
with one REALLY big
difference. You can back up
all the information on your
computer and if it crashes you
can restore all the information.
Once the neurons in our
brains that held a particular
memory or knew how to speak
are gone we can’t get them
back.
Your Life Menu
Image from: http://www.wonderquest.com/images/2004-04-09brain.jpg