1. Brain-ology

2. How well do you know your brain?
QUIZ time
“Above all else, know thyself.”
-Socrates

3. The Spinal Cord Reflexes Relay Routine tasks
The spinal cord does things w/ finesse tell the story of toddler learning to walk/ teenager driving a car

4. 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

5. 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

6. The Limbic System Thalamus Hypothalamus Amygdala Pituitary gland
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

7. The Hypothalamus Fully functioning at birth Controls: Fear Anger
Aggression
Fight/flight response
Hunger
Thirst
Water balance
Body temperature
Hormones
E.K.S.
We can eat, run from it, mate with it

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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!!
weeks of gestation
st 10 – 12 yrs of life

11. What does a mighty oak and a Charlie Brown Christmas tree have to do with our brains?

12. 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
Sleeping after learning grows 2X as many dendrites as learning the material did
Charlie Brown Christmas Tree & Mighty Oak neurons DRAW or SCAN
Toddlers 20,000 dendrites / minute
Non rem cycles of sleep
Adolescents need 8.5 hours of sleep

13. Sleep Requirements 3-5 years 11 hours 5-9 years 10.5 hours
Adults 7 hours