WAYS TO IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Personal Development (Lecture)
STEM Grade 11 | Michelle Cruz | SEM 1 2022
BRAIN
● Is the most complex organ in the
human body
● It is composed of approximately 86
billion neurons that communicate
in trillions of connections called
synapses.
● It is always active and acts as the
control center of the body.
● The brain only weighs about 3
pounds or 1.4 kilogram, which
represents a mere 2% of the
body's total weight; however, it
uses 20% of our body's energy
and is surprisingly fatty. About 60%
of the brain is fat
● The brain is the seat of our
intelligence. Our creativity,
emotions, and memory are just a
few of the many things governed
by the brain
● lying in its bony shell and covered
by protective fluid, the brain is the
source of all the qualities that
define our humanity.
The brain works as a single organ but it is
divided into areas with their own unique
expertise and function. The brain has
three main regions: the forebrain, the
midbrain, and the hindbrain.
FOREBRAIN
● is in the uppermost region of the
brain
● it includes the cerebrum, thalamus,
hypothalamus, and the limbic
system
● Cerebrum: the largest part of the
brain covered by the cerebral
cortex. It regulates senses,
memory emotion, intellectual
activities, and body movement
● Cerebral cortex: responsible for
processing information is divided
into hemispheres by a band of
fibers called the corpus callosum.
The right cerebral hemisphere
controls the left side of the body
while the left cerebral hemisphere
controls the right side of the body.
● According to a 2012 study from the
university of Utah, brain scans
demonstrate that activity is similar
on both sides of the brain
regardless of one's personality,
they studied the brain scans of
1011 young people between the
pages of 7 and 29 and divided
different areas of the brain into
7000 regions to determine whether
one side of the brain was more
active or connected than the other
side. No evidence of sightedness
was found. The researchers
concluded that the notion of some
people being more left-brained or
right-brained is more of a figure of
speech than an anatomically
accurate description.
Each cerebral hemisphere contains
four lobes that share complex
relationships. The frontal lobe,
parietal lobe, temporal lobe, and
occipital lobe.
● The frontal lobe is situated at the
front part of the brain which
controls memory, emotion, stress
response, speech,
decision-making, and planning.
● The parietal lobe is situated near
the back of the frontal lobe which
regulates sensory perception.
● The occipital lobe is situated at
the back of the head which
regulates sight. It is responsible
for receiving and processing
visual information from the retina.
● The temporal lobe is in the lower
lobe of the cortex sitting close to
ear level within the skull. It
regulates memory, hearing, and
comprehension
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WAYS TO IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Personal Development (Lecture)
STEM Grade 11 | Michelle Cruz | SEM 1 2022
LIMBIC SYSTEM
● the part of the brain involved in our
behavioral and emotional
responses especially when it
comes to behaviors we need for
survival, feeding, reproduction, and
caring for our young and
fight-or-flight responses. The limbic
system is a complex set of
structures that lies on both sides of
the thalamus just under the
cerebrum. It includes the
hypothalamus, the hippocampus,
the amygdala, and several other
nearby areas. It appears to be
primarily responsible for our
emotional life and has a lot to do
with our memories
THALAMUS
● The thalamus connects areas of
the cerebral cortex that sends,
receives, and organizes
information. It also plays a role in
the control of sleep and wake
cycles.
HYPOTHALAMUS
● The hypothalamus is located below
the thalamus and above the
brainstem. It is one of the busiest
parts of the brain and is mainly
concerned with homeostasis.
Homeostasis is the process of
returning something to some set
point. It also means a healthy
balanced bodily state that our body
is always trying to achieve. This
balance for example the feelings of
hunger are the brain's way of
letting us know that we need more
nutrients to achieve homeostasis.
● The other way the hypothalamus
controls things is via the pituitary
gland. It is neurally and chemically
connected to the pituitary which
pumps hormones called releasing
factors into the bloodstream. The
pituitary is the so-called master
gland and its hormones are vitally
important in regulating growth and
metabolism. The hippocampus
which looks like a pair of
seahorses that curves back from
the amygdala stores your memory
and it's also another part of the
brain that is involved in your fear
responses. If the hippocampus is
damaged, a person cannot build
new memories.
MIDBRAIN AND HINDBRAIN
● The midbrain is located between
the forebrain and the hindbrain. It
functions mainly as a relay center
for sensory and motor nerve
impulses between the palms and
spinal cord in the thalamus and
cerebral cortex.
● The hindbrain is situated at the
back of the head, it's the brain's
well-protected central core which
includes a cerebellum that receives
information from the sensory
system and the spinal cord to
regulate balance and posture and
coordinate movement.
Evolutionarily speaking the
hindbrain contains the oldest parts
of the brain. Also, the midbrain and
hindbrain form the brainstem; the
brainstem is located at the lower
part of the brain which leads to the
spinal cord. It contains the pons
and medulla oblongata. It connects
the cerebrum and cerebellum to
the spinal cord, it is composed of
nerve fibers that carry signals to
and from all parts of the body. Its
functions are for safety and
survival as it regulates breathing,
consciousness, heart rate, body
temperature, blood pressure,
digestion and weight, and sleep
cycles.
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WAYS TO IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Personal Development (Lecture)
STEM Grade 11 | Michelle Cruz | SEM 1 2022
● The cerebrum and cortex have
something to do with your ability to
think, the limbic system has
something to do with your feelings
and the brain stem has something
to do with your behavior to safely
survive.
● These are all important for
personal development, they enable
you to think critically, creatively,
and carefully in various situations.
The experiences you gain from
these situations help you to
develop specific reactions towards
yourself and others which in turn
determine who you are as a
person who possesses right and
good thoughts, processes feelings
and perceptions. Understanding
the different parts of the brain
processes and functions can help
you improve your thoughts and
behaviors.
● Enhancing and balancing your
mental abilities will support your
personal development. The brain is
responsible for our way of thinking,
feeling, and behaving. It is
essential to observe and exercise
ways to improve your brain
functions as a maturing adolescent
Tips to improve brain power:
1. Have a physical and mental
exercise
- It is said that exercising can help
improve brain health, improve
memory and protect your brain
from degeneration. Exercising
may include the following:
meditation, aerobics, solving
problems, or playing mind games
2. Lead a healthy lifestyle
- This includes having enough
sleep and for adolescents like
you, that means at least six to
eight hours of sleep at night. This
lifestyle also means that you
need to avoid drinking alcohol
and smoking. Did you know that
smoking can cause a brain
disorder called dementia.
People who smoke more than
two packs of cigarettes a day
had twice the dementia rate
when compared with
nonsmokers in their latter years.
3. Proper food intake
- It is important that we feed our
brain as well. include
brain-boosting food rich in
omega-3, antioxidants, amino
acids, and vitamin e in your diet.
Eat more vegetables, limit calorie
and saturated fat intake, and
drink green tea and wine or
grape juice in moderation.
REMEMBER!
● Turn off negative thoughts in
your mind. Positive thinking
especially in the future tense
speeds up the creation of cells
and dramatically reduces stress
and anxiety so think positive,
stay curious, and train your brain
to innovate and create fresh
ideas when you experience
something new. That actually
stimulates your brain. Keep on
reading, imagination is a great
way to train your brain
Be the engineer of your brain. Maintain
and operate it to be always in its perfect
condition.