Download Inside the Human Brain - Hale

Inside the Human Brain
HSP3M
Inside the Teenage Brain
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Adolescence is characterized by extreme
mood swings and participation in risk-taking
behaviour.
Many changes are occurring in the frontal
cortex which account for these behaviours.
The frontal cortex, which is responsible for
reason and logic, is not fully developed in
adolescents.
Inside the Teenage Brain
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Due to this, many adolescents misinterpret
emotions causing conflict with parents, peers
and teachers.
Example: Misinterpreting one’s behaviour as
anger.
The adolescent brain does not interpret
environmental information in the same
manner as adult do.
Inside the Teenage Brain
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The cerebellum, responsible for organizing
thoughts and cognition, changes the most
during adolescence.
The cerebellum is not fully developed until a
person is 21 years old.
This lack of development can account for
adolescents not always hearing or
understanding what their parents or teachers
are trying to communicate and their lack of
organization.
Inside the Teenage Brain
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Getting adequate sleep is one of the best
things adolescents can do to enhance
learning and brain development.
Adolescents need 9 ¼ hours sleep a night to
function properly.
Despite this, on average adolescents get only
7 ½ hours sleep per night.
This continuous sleep deficit causes
significant gaps in learning.
Inside the Teenage Brain
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Adolescents circadian clock keeps teens up late at
night, however as school starts early they are forced
to get up before they have received enough sleep.
As a result most adolescents are not able function
properly in school as they are still in a sleep like
state.
Studies show that when teens get adequate sleep
they perform better on cognitive tasks.
Teens that are sleep deficient show significant gaps
in their ability to retain information and perform
cognitive tasks.
Inside the Teenage Brain
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So why does school start so early?
Later school start studies indicate that when
school starts later (10 am- 4:30 pm), teens
perform better academically and they are less
frequently absent.
However they are less likely to participate in
extra curricular activities which are also
beneficial to healthy development.
The Human Brain--Functions
Human Brain
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The brain is made of three main parts: the
forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.
The forebrain consists of the cerebrum, thalamus,
and hypothalamus (part of the limbic system).
The midbrain consists of the tectum and tegmentum.
The hindbrain is made of the cerebellum, pons and
medulla.
Often the midbrain, pons, and medulla are referred
to together as the brainstem.
Human Brain
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The cerebrum or cortex is the largest part
of the human brain, associated with higher
brain function such as thought and action.
The cerebral cortex is divided into four
sections, called "lobes": the frontal lobe,
parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and
temporal lobe.
Human Brain
Right Hemisphere
 The right hemisphere
controls the left side of
the body
 Temporal and spatial
relationships
 Analyzing nonverbal
information
 Communicating emotion
Left Hemisphere
 The left hemisphere
controls the right
side of the body
 Produce and
understand
language
Human Brain
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Frontal Lobe- associated with
reasoning, planning, parts of
speech, movement, emotions, and
problem solving
Parietal Lobe- associated with
movement, orientation, recognition,
perception of stimuli
Occipital Lobe- associated with
visual processing
Temporal Lobe- associated with
perception and recognition of
auditory stimuli, memory, and
speech
Human Brain
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The cerebellum, or "little brain", is
similar to the cerebrum in that it has
two hemispheres and has a highly
folded surface or cortex.
This structure is associated with
regulation and coordination of
movement, posture, and balance.
The Human Brain
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Thalamus is a large mass of gray matter
deeply situated in the forebrain at the
topmost portion of the diencephalon.
The structure has sensory and motor
functions.
Almost all sensory information enters this
structure where neurons send that
information to the overlying cortex.
The Human Brain
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Hypothalamus- The structure is involved in
functions including homeostasis, emotion,
thirst, hunger, circadian rhythms, and control
of the autonomic nervous system.
Examples:
 Moods and motivation
 Sexual maturation
 Temperature regulation
 Hormonal body processes
The Human Brain
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Amygdala- involved in memory,
emotion, and fear.
The amygdala is both large and just
beneath the surface of the front, medial
part of the temporal lobe.
Human Brain
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Hippocampus- This part of the brain
is important for learning and memory.
Specifically for converting short term
memory to more permanent memory,
and for recalling spatial relationships in
the world about us.
Human Brain
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Pons- It is involved in motor control and
sensory analysis... for example, information
from the ear first enters the brain in the
pons.
It has parts that are important for the level of
consciousness and for sleep.
Some structures within the pons are linked to
the cerebellum, thus are involved in
movement and posture.
Human Brain
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Medulla- this structure is the caudalmost part of the brain stem, between
the pons and spinal cord.
It is responsible for maintaining vital
body functions, such as breathing and
heart rate.