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Best notes from the book:
“Connections (synapses) between the brain’s thinking cells (neurons) are being made through late childhood/prepuberty. What is fascinating here is that humans have this time of brain growth after birth. And this time of brain growth after birth allows interactions with the environment and experiences with other humans to begin shaping personalities.”
“The brain has several key components and pieces. The brain belongs to the nervous system. There are two main divisions to our nervous system: the peripheral (noncentral) nervous system (PNS—each letter said individually) and the central nervous system (CNS—each letter said individually). The PNS has two mains parts. One is the sensory thinking cells (sensory neurons) that detect touch or pressure or heat on the surface of the body or within our body. The other main division of the PNS is motor thinking cells (motor neurons) that regulate things like planned movements (walking) or unplanned movements (flight or fight).”
“The brain belongs to the CNS (as does the spinal cord). The CNS is responsible for analyzing and integrating all the information from the sensory and motor information collected by the PNS.”
“The brain has two hemispheres (right and left). These two sides are joined in the middle (a region called the corpus callosum). The left hemisphere regulates logical functions and is responsible for words, numbers, analysis, lists, linearity, and sequence. The left hemisphere also controls the right side of the body. The right hemisphere is the more creative. It is responsible for rhythm, spatial awareness, imagination, daydreaming, and holistic awareness. The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.”
“The cerebral hemispheres have four lobes: the frontal lobe, the partial lobe, the temporal lobe, and the occipital lobe. The frontal lobe regulates executive functions, planning, and decision making. In other words, the frontal lobe is the CEO. The parietal lobe is responsible for reading, attention, short-term memory, spatial awareness, and visual perception. The temporal lobe regulates hearing, language, memory, smell, and taste. The occipital lobe is responsible for visual processing.”
“Development of the brain can be summarized in five basic steps: (1) creation and closing of the neural tube (neurulation), (2) birth and growth of cells that could become a lot of things (precursor cells), (3) cells find their proper location (migration), (4) precursor cells figure out what kind of cell they are going to be (differentiation), and (5) connections between different cells are made—the brain is starting to be wired together (targeting/synaptogenesis).”
“The brain is undergoing development during childhood through various experiences with the environment and learning and memory tasks that are occurring within the first 7 years of life.”
“Neurons are the thinking cells. They are the cells receiving and sending information within the brain. ”
“Support cells (glia) are necessary in order for the brain to function.”
“The differ- ence between the two areas: Broca’s area stores motor programs for speaking words, while Wernicke’s area contains sound images of words. ”
“The brain uses multiple regions to generate direction, force, timing, and execution of movement. Signals sent between thinking cells (neurons) and other thinking cells (neurons) or the muscles are action potentials, which are changes in electricity due to movement of ions across the thinking cell (neuron)’s membrane. There are several movement disorders that occur when these action potentials are dysregulated, including MS, seizure disorders, and PD. ”
“Exercise not only helps muscles, the profound calming effect it can have on the brain (and thus ultimately the heart) should make it a top priority for a portion of each day. If we want to improve at school or excel at work, a 20-minute break to exercise and relax the brain can improve learning and memory. ”
“Stress is an everyday issue. Like pain, stress is necessary to keep us out of danger. However, too much stress can cause problems.”
“There are two phases or types of a stress response—a fast response driven by the chemical message (neurotransmitter) epinephrine and a slow response driven by the chemical message (neuro-transmitter) cortisol. ”
“The fast response is governed by the sympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the flight or fight response. In a situation where we sense danger, our brain very quickly assesses if you are going to fight the danger or flee it. ”
“When one thinking cell (neuron)’s axon communicates with the receiving structure (dendrite) of a neighbor cell, they form a synapse. The synapse is made up of the axon (sending structure), the dendrite (receiving structure), and a space between those two called the synaptic cleft. A chemical synapse is set up to respond to chemical messages (neurotransmitters). ”
“Common Neurotransmitters: GABA—primary inhibitory; Glutamate—primary excitatory; Acetylcholine—memory, heart rate, muscle and motor control; Norepinephrine—attention, alertness, circadian rhythms, memory, moods; Serotonin—mood and circadian rhythms; Dopamine—motor control and reward. ”
“So how do we battle the things that cause our chronic stress if we cannot reduce or eliminate the thing causing the stress? Sleep, exercise, and eating right... Sleep improves our ability to learn, remember, and be alert. Sleep can help combat the side effects and some of the cause of chronic stress. When we exercise, we are focused on what we are doing, which gives our brain a break from the stress. Exercise also releases endorphins which act as a mild sedative, calming the brain. Finally, eating right gives our brain the proper nutrition necessary for peak performance. ”
“Learning is a behavioral change due to an experience. Memory is storage and recall of information. Memory itself can be broken down into two types: explicit and implicit. Explicit (or declarative) memory is recall of personal events/personal facts (episodic memory) or recall of facts (semantic memory). Implicit (or nondeclarative) memory is recall of reflexive motor skills or perceptual skills ”
“So learning is the structural change in brain connections (synapses) and memory is the storage and recall of past experiences. ”
“Mice and humans share approximately 85% of the protein-coding regions of their genes. ”
“The brain receives the majority of its oxygenated blood from the two common carotid arteries on either side of the neck, which branch into the internal carotid artery and external carotid artery. The external carotid artery is responsible for transporting the majority of the blood that supplies the neck and the face. The internal carotid artery is responsible for transporting about 75% of the total blood flowing to the brain... To meet the needs to the brain, approximately 0.5 L of blood are pumped through the brain each minute. ”
“In an adult, the brain accounts for approximately 2% of the total body mass, but the brain utilizes approximately 20% of the total energy requirements. Energy requirements for a child’s brain which is still developing is approximately 40% of total energy requirement. ”
“The adult brain requires about 150 g of glucose a day. The adult brain also requires about 72 L of oxygen each day. ”
“Detection of water in the body and nutrients in the blood allow the hypothalamus to sense if we are hungry or thirsty. Blood protects the brain, eliminates waste, and delivers the much needed nutrients of glucose and oxygen. ”
“Biorhythms are the timekeepers that our body has in place to control a multitude of biological processes that are linked to cycles of the day (day and night) and seasons. ”
“Circadian rhythms are the rhythms that last a day and are synchronized to the light/dark cycle created by the Earth’s rotation. Circadian rhythms—wakefulness during the day and sleep during the night, are a result of evolution. ”
“Circadian rhythms regulate several key functions for our body. They regulate wakefulness and sleep, hormone secretion, frequency of eating and body temperature. Circadian rhythms last between 24 and 25 hours for humans. We cannot adjust to a 22- or a 28-hour day. ”
“Jet lag is a disruption in our circadian rhythm caused by crossing time zones. It is a mismatch in the circadian rhythm and the actual external time. Jet lag can result in sleepiness during the day, sleeplessness at night, depression and impaired cognition. ”
“As we sleep, memories that were formed in short-term memory go to a final storage place and become a long-term memory when we get a good night’s sleep. ”
“Biorhythms and circadian rhythms regulate daily behaviors which aids in human survival. Sleep can be measured by the activity of the thinking cells (neurons) during the different stages of sleep. ”
“A good night’s sleep is something we all need to function well the next day ”
Read more:
1) Product-Market Fit (Failory)
2) How to Read Faster and Recall More (Gordon R. Wainwright)
3) Teaching reading by Jen Tindale
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