Have you ever wondered whether you were more right brain or left brain? Ever been told you were more one or the other? Did you decide your profession, major or favourite subject based on that information? Then listen to Iain McGilchrist, a psychiatrist and author of The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, talk about the meaning of having a “divided” brain and whether it actually means anything to say we are more prone to using one side than the other.
Today’s topic will be Oxytocin and its function in the brain! Here’s a diagram on what happens when you’re in love. If you click on the image, there’s a link to the Scientific American article it came from!
(Source: ilovecharts)
Don’t forget guys…if you have any questions go to my “ask” link entitled “work that brain” or if you have something to contribute (art, articles, papers, research, interesting facts), please go to “feed your head” which is my “submit” button. It would be awesome to make this blog as big and as informative as possible. As a fellow scientist, I appreciate anything you can bring to the discussion! Thank you!!
Adriana
Mirror neurons: those little buggers necessary for the perceived notion of ourselves. Have you ever noticed that when babies first discover themselves in the mirror many of them will kiss their own reflections? They haven’t developed the inner voice of physical self awareness yet and do not have the perpetual internal critical dialogue. Enjoy this information reblogged from another site I saw! Great piece on the “inner voice” and self-awareness.
Our body perceives, sends these perceptions to the brain. The brain, informed, sends back information to the body in order for him to react. The body is affected by this and sends back information, thus creating a loop.
Simple enough.
Of course, the brain is part of the body, but we have…
(Source: antsinmypants)
All too true! If you are someone between the ages of 13-25 then you are probably getting less than 64% of the sleep and nutrient fueled rest you need!
Click the photo to learn more about why we, the youth of the world, need more sleep.
(Source: embizzle, via partsofspeech)
You’ve heard it a thousand times and still don’t want to believe it…you’d be much happier sitting on your bed and watching episode after episode of your favourite tv show to relax, unwind and get those endorphins going…but the fact is this: you’re better off working out! Yes, it’s true. Between your brain on tv/computer screens and kicking butt on the treadmill, your brain has a 72% increase in dopamine (the reward response) and endorphin release once you punch that “quick start” button. So if your stressed, feel down or just want to unwind and use up that extra adrenaline…put your running shoes on! I’ve provided some tunes to work out to! If you have a iPhone or an Android, download the 8tracks app and you can take this playlist with you!
check out this blog for tips on working out and making your time at the gym effective! http://blogilates.tumblr.com/workoutindex
“I be up in the gym just working on my fitness”
(Source: 8tracks.com)
![And now for the parts of speech! Well, the parts of your brain that control speech. There are two different areas that are involved in the production and comprehension of speech, Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area.
youwontlikemewhenimhungry:
Broca’s area:
situated in the left frontal lobe of the brain
responsible for the motor functions involved in speech production
also responsible for facial neural control and language processing
named after Paul Broca (19th century physician, anatomist) who studied the inability to produce coherent words/phrases in two of his patients.
Broca’s aphasia: inability to produce speech [read more]
the person can still understand language; he/she just can’t respond in an appropriate manner. For example, one of Broca’s patient’s vocabulary was limited to “yes”, “no”, “three” and “always”.
Broca’s area is commonly thought to be connected to Wernicke’s area by nerve fibres (collectively called arcuate fasciculus). Recent research indicates that the arcuate fasciculus actually connects posterior receptive areas with the premotor/motor areas. [read more: 1 - 2]
Wernicke’s area:
is in the left posterior lobe of the brain
named after Carl Wernicke (19th century physician, anatomist, etc etc blah) - inspired by Broca’s work, he started his own research and found that not all language deficits are localized to Broca’s area.
Wernicke’s aphasia: inability to understand speech [also known as receptive aphasia]
Wernicke’s patients speak clearly but the words they put together make no sense [read more]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lund4twBPh1qdod0oo1_250.jpg)
And now for the parts of speech! Well, the parts of your brain that control speech. There are two different areas that are involved in the production and comprehension of speech, Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area.
Broca’s area:
- situated in the left frontal lobe of the brain
- responsible for the motor functions involved in speech production
- also responsible for facial neural control and language processing
- named after Paul Broca (19th century physician, anatomist) who studied the inability to produce coherent words/phrases in two of his patients.
- Broca’s aphasia: inability to produce speech [read more]
- the person can still understand language; he/she just can’t respond in an appropriate manner. For example, one of Broca’s patient’s vocabulary was limited to “yes”, “no”, “three” and “always”.
Broca’s area is commonly thought to be connected to Wernicke’s area by nerve fibres (collectively called arcuate fasciculus). Recent research indicates that the arcuate fasciculus actually connects posterior receptive areas with the premotor/motor areas. [read more: 1 - 2]
Wernicke’s area:
- is in the left posterior lobe of the brain
- named after Carl Wernicke (19th century physician, anatomist, etc etc blah) - inspired by Broca’s work, he started his own research and found that not all language deficits are localized to Broca’s area.
- Wernicke’s aphasia: inability to understand speech [also known as receptive aphasia]
- Wernicke’s patients speak clearly but the words they put together make no sense [read more]
(Source: plesiosauridentifying, via partsofspeech)
A 14-year old female with a mass in the left parahippocampal region…can you name some of the everyday functions that might me affected by this mass? Send me your answers and I’ll tell you if you’re right!
CT-scan of a 14-year old female with a brain mass
Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system (CNS) of animals including humans. It is a well-known contributor to feelings of well-being; it is also known to contribute to happiness.
Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter in both the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS). It is one of many one of many neurotransmitters in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the only neurotransmitter used in the motor division of the somatic nervous system (sensory neurons use glutamate and various peptides at their synapses). Acetylcholine is also the principal neurotransmitter in all autonomic ganglia. Acetylcholine slows the heart rate when functioning as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. However, acetylcholine also behaves as an excitatory neurotransmitter at neuromuscular junctions.
