Workbased Learning
Workshop
Saturday March 27 th
Lights out 8:30-9:30pm
Brain Awareness Day
What you need to know about the brain
THE HUMAN BRAIN
THE HUMAN BRAIN has mystified people
throughout history. Though it weighs a
mere three pounds and is small enough to
hold in our hands, it is our body’s most vital
organ. Its complex network of 100 billion or
more nerve cells orchestrates every aspect
of our thoughts, perception, and behavior.
Your brain…
consumes up to 20% of your body
energy
makes up less than 2.5% of your total
body weight
is made up of about 75% water
is the fattest organ in the body and may
consists of at least 60% fat
will stop growing when you reach 18
Hemispheres of the Brain
Left side: words and logic
Right side: art, music, intuition
Right and left connected by nerve fibers:
corpus callosum
Crossover: right half connects to left side of
body and vice versa.
The cerebral cortex has two halves, called
hemispheres. They are separate, but connected.
The left side of your brain connects to the right
side of your body, while the right brain
connects to the left side. In most people, the left
brain handles words and logic, and the right
brain is better at art, music, and intuition.
The Left Hemisphere of the Brain:
The left hemisphere processes information
sequentially and is described as analytical because
it specializes in recognizing parts which make a
whole. Although it is most efficient at processing
verbal information, language should not be
considered as being 'in' the left hemisphere. This
hemisphere is able to recognize that one stimulus
comes before another and verbal perception and
generation depends on the awareness of the
sequence in which sounds occur.
The Right Hemisphere:
While the left hemisphere separates out parts that make a
whole, the right hemisphere specializes in combining the
parts to produce a whole. Unlike the left, the right
hemisphere organizes simultaneously. It specializes in a
method that perceives and constructs patterns. It is most
efficient at visual and spatial processing and it is thought
that non verbal stimuli are processed primarily in the right
hemisphere. Research into the operation of the right and
left hemispheres shows that the effective processing of
information requires access to both as they complement
each other.
The Anatomy of the Brain
Using the Handout Provided
Label the parts of the Brain
Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
FRONTAL LOBE
Located in front of the central sulcus.
Concerned with reasoning, planning,
parts of speech and movement (motor
cortex), emotions, thought process and
problem-solving.
PARIETAL LOBE
Located behind the central sulcus.
Concerned with the reception and
processing of sensory information from
the body such as touch, pressure, heat
and cold and pain.
OCCIPITAL LOBE
Located at the back of the brain, behind
the parietal lobe and temporal lobe.
Concerned with many aspects of vision.
The occipital lobe (back of the head)
receives and processes visual information.
TEMPORAL LOBE
Located below the lateral fissure.
Concerned with perception and
recognition of auditory stimuli (hearing)
and memory (hippocampus).
The temporal lobe receives auditory signals,
processing language and the meaning of
words.
Did you know…
Your brain is electric. It generates 10 to
12 watts of electricity - enough to power a
flashlight.
The Brain Stem
Oldest part of the brain
Heartbeat and breathing
Swallowing, blinking, and digesting
The brainstem regulates things like
heartrate, breathing, swallowing,
blinking, and more. Maybe we only do
the basic things in life, but our job is
really important!
Cerebellum:
The Coordinator
most muscles
learned skills
movement and timing
When you look at the cerebellum from
the outside, it has lots of lines and ridges.
If you slice it in half, it looks like a
cauliflower cut open. The cerebellum,
however, does not taste like cauliflower.
A Real Neural Forest
Your brain is made up of lots and lots of nerve
cells called neurons. There are as many
neurons in your brain as there are stars in the
Milky Way galaxy.
Neurons
Building blocks of the brain
100 billion neurons
30,000 on a pinhead
Neurons are the building blocks of
your brain. They communicate
with each other thousands of times
a second.
Motor cortex Somatosensory cortex
Pars Sensory associative
opercularis cortex
Visual associative
cortex
Broca’s
area
Visual
cortex
Primary
Auditory cortex
Wernicke’s
area
Hippocampus
Hippocampus
Stores and processes memories
Helps find memories
Affects emotions
The hippocampus helps to encode
memories, and then helps to find them
when you want to remember something.
Memory
When you remember something, it's not
like finding a snapshot in your brain.
Instead, your brain has to construct
pieces of the memory from different
clues. It's easier to remember events that
you had strong feelings about.
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters are the messengers
that travel between one brain cell and
another. They are chemical signals that
neurons use to talk to eachother, which is
what makes your brain work. They help
determine how you feel, think and act.
Cerebellum:
Switching Station
Your cerebellum is a busy switching
station. It receives messages from most of
the muscles in your body. It
communicates with the other parts of the
brain, and then sends messages about
movement and balance back to your
body.
When the brain is removed from the
skull, it looks a bit like a large pinkish-
gray walnut. The brain can be divided
down the middle lengthwise into two
halves called the cerebral hemispheres.
Each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex is
divided into four lobes.
Question:
Ifyou were going to receive an
injury to the head what area would
you choose and why?
Babies Lose Half their
Neurons at Birth
It is estimated that a baby
loses about half their
neurons before they are
born. This process is
sometimes referred to as
pruning and may eliminate
neurons that do not receive
sufficient input from other
neurons.
Soma: body of the cell
Neurons Dendrites: receive messages
The cellular unit of the Axon: sends messages
central and peripheral A Neurons has three main parts.
nervous systems. The cell body, or soma, is a
neuron's main cellular space. The
soma houses the nucleus, in which
the neuron's main genetic
information can be found. The axon
sends messages to other neurons.
The dendrites receive messages
from other neurons.
Receptive field: The set of
stimulus characteristics that a
neuron responds to optimally. For
visual neurons, this might be a
particular shape or a particular
region of space. For auditory
neurons, it might be a particular
range of sound frequencies.
Background
Introduction: The brain is made up of about 100
billion nerve cells (also called "neurons"). A neuron
has 4 basic parts: the dendrites, the cell body (also
called the "soma"), the axon and the axon terminal.
Dendrites - Extensions from the neuron cell body
that take information to the cell body. Dendrites
usually branch close to the cell body.
Cell body (soma) - the part of the cell that contains
the nucleus.
Axon - the extension from the neuron cell body that
takes information away from the cell body. A single
axon projects out of the cell body.
Axon terminal - end part of an axon that makes a
synaptic contact with another cell.
Did you know…
The "Little Brain"
The human cerebellum, or "little brain",
weighs about 150 grams. Located at the
lower back of the brain, the cerebellum
is key to maintaining posture, walking,
and performing coordinated
movements. It is also thought to play a
role in olfaction or smell.
The Biological Neuron
The brain is a collection of about 10 billion interconnected neurons. Each neuron is a cell
that uses biochemical reactions to receive, process and transmit information.
A neuron's dendritic tree is connected to a thousand neighbouring
neurons. When one of those neurons fire, a positive or negative
charge is received by one of the dendrites. The strengths of all the
received charges are added together through the processes of
spatial and temporal summation. Spatial summation occurs when
several weak signals are converted into a single large one, while
temporal summation converts a rapid series of weak pulses from
one source into one large signal.
Did you know…
Miles and Miles of Neurons
There are one hundred billion
neurons in the brain. A stack of one
hundred billion pieces of paper
would be about 5000 miles high, the
distance from San Francisco to
London.
Did you know…
Nasal Neurons Regenerate
Olfactory receptor cells, the neurons in
our nose that allow us to smell, are
neurons that can regenerate throughout
life. Although these cells are continually
being born and dying, they maintain the
same connections as their ancestors.
The result is that once we learn a smell,
it always smells the same to us --
despite the fact that there are always
new neurons smelling it!
Beady Neuron
Get out those beads and make
a neuron! This neuron with seven
dendrites requires 65 beads: 42
beads for the dendrites, 10 beads for
the cell body, 12 beads for the axon
and 1 bead for the synaptic terminal.
String the beads using the pattern in
the diagrams below. The string can
be yarn, rope, or for the best result
use flexible wire. You can also
create your own pattern or use a
different colored bead for a nucleus
in the cell body.
Did you know…
Early Brain Growth
During the first month of life,
the number of connections or
synapses, dramatically
increases from 50 trillion to 1
quadrillion. If an infant's body
grew at a comparable rate, his
weight would increase from 8.5
pounds at birth to 170 pounds
at one month old.
Did you know…
Studies have shown that rocking a baby
stimulates its cerebellum and causes the
baby’s anatomy to mature faster.
Did you know…
The nervous system transmits messages to
the brain at the speed of 180 miles per hour?
Left Brain – Right Brain
Left Brain Right Brain
Logical Random
Sequential Intuitive
Rational Holistic
Analytical Synthesizing
Objective Subjective
Looks at parts Looks at wholes
Parts of the cerebral cortex and the
relative areas that are devoted to
controlling various body regions.
Most people who have been studied have
their language and speech areas on the left
hemisphere of their brain. Language
comprehension is found in Wernicke's area.
Speaking ability is in Broca's area. Damage
to Broca's area causes speech impairment
but not impairment of language
comprehension. Lesions in Wernicke's area
impairs ability to comprehend written and
spoken words but not speech. The
The core principles of brain-
based learning state that:
1. The brain is a parallel processor, meaning it can
perform several activities at once, like tasting and
smelling (walking and chewing gum).
2. Learning engages the whole physiology.
3. The search for meaning is innate.
4. The search for meaning comes through patterning.
5. Emotions are critical to patterning.
6. The brain processes wholes and parts
simultaneously.
7. Learning involves both focused attention and
peripheral perception.
8. Learning involves both conscious and
unconscious processes.
9. We have two types of memory: spatial and rote.
10. We understand best when facts are embedded in
natural, spatial memory.
11. Learning is enhanced by challenge and inhibited
by threat.
12. Each brain is unique.
The three instructional techniques
associated with brain-based
learning are:
1. Orchestrated immersion--Creating learning
environments that fully immerse students in an
educational experience
2. Relaxed alertness--Trying to eliminate fear in
learners, while maintaining a highly challenging
environment
3. Active processing--Allowing the learner to
consolidate and internalize information by actively
processing it
The following are brain functions
expressable by the circuitry of the
brain of any mammal. The jobs of
neuroscientists involve identifying
which brain components, circuits
and networks are responsible for
every function that can be defined.
Brain Disorders
More than 55 million Americans are
afflicted with a brain disorder – conditions
that range from learning disabilities to
depression to traumatic brain injury. That is
nearly one in five us which means each one
of us knows someone who is affected by a
brain disease or disorder.
Some Diseases and Disorders of
the Brain
Alcohol Abuse Huntington’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease Learning Disabilities
ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease Manic-Depressive Illness
Anxiety Disorder Multiple Sclerosis
Ataxia Muscular Dystrophy
ADHD Pain
Autism Panic Disorder
Blindness Paralysis
Cerebral Palsy Parkinson’s Disease
Deafness Schizophrenia
Depression Shingles
Eating Disorders Sleep Disorders
Epilepsy Spina Bifida
Headache Stroke
How the Brain Works
http://www.brainmuseum.org/functions/ind
ex.html
Perception, behavioral
sequences, reflexes, instincts,
emotions, thinking and other
integrative activities.
How the Brain is Wired
http://www.brainmuseum.org/circuitry/inde
x.html
The folding of the cerebral cortex produced by
these bumps and grooves increases the amount
of cerebral cortex that can fit in the skull. (In
fact, the total surface area of the cerebral
cortex is about 324 square inches - about the
size of a full page of newspaper!). Although
most people have the same patterns of gyri and
sulci on the cerebral cortex, no two brains are
exactly alike.
CORONAL AND
HORIZONTAL SECTIONS
A. Coronal sections:
Before you can appreciate sections through the
brain, you need to know the planes of orientation.
There are three types of sections: coronal,
horizontal, and sagittal. They are diagrammed
below. Coronal sections are the easiest to
visualize, because their orientation is just like
looking face-on at another person. Up is up and
down is down. We will start with the most rostral
sections, or those closest to the nose.
Note: these sections have not been cut on a
perfectly coronal plane, and are in fact tilted
backwards a little. They will differ slightly from
the pictures found in the DeArmond atlas.
Did you know…
Brain Uses 20% of Oxygen
Breathed
Although the brain accounts for
only 2% of the whole body's mass,
it uses 20% of all the oxygen we
breathe. A continuous supply of
oxygen is necessary for survival. A
loss of oxygen for 10 minutes can
result in significant neural damage.
Did you know…
No Pain in Brain
There is no sense of pain within the
brain itself. This fact allows
neurosurgeons to probe areas of the
brain while the patient is awake.
Feedback from the patient during these
probes is useful for identifying
important regions, such as those for
speech, that are spared if possible.
Did you know…
When Eating is Tearful
The expression "crying crocodile tears"
means expressing insincere grief and it
arose because crocodiles appear to
weep while they are happily munching
on prey. A neurological disorder called
crocodile tears results from damage to
the fifth cranial nerve, which controls
the mucous membranes of the face.
When the patient is eating, signals that
should stimulate salivation instead
stimulate lacrimation -- crying crocodile
tears.
Did you know…
Why We Scratch an Itch
Scratching an itch is a puzzling
biological response, because it seems to
hinder rather than help a wound's
healing. One theory of why we itch
suggests that scratching stimulates the
release of endorphins, naturally
occurring opiates which block pain
sensation. Because scratching injures
our skin a little more, we release a flood
of endorphins to block the pain of the
initial injury more effectively.
Did you know…
Working Memory Stores Seven
Digits
It's no accident that telephone numbers
in the United States are seven digits
long. Our working memory, a very
short-term form of memory which
stores ideas just long enough for us to
understand them, can hold on average
a maximum of seven digits. This allows
you to look up a phone number and
remember it just long enough to dial.
Did you know…
Even Reptiles Yawn
Yawning is an age-old activity that
occurs in reptiles, birds and, of course,
mammals. This behavior is controlled
by chemicals in the brain called
neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters,
such as nitric oxide and dopamine, act
in the hypothalamus to induce and
control yawning.
Social Phobias
Do you get butterflies in your stomach
before speaking to a group? Would you feel
intimidated walking into a room filled with
strangers? If so, you're not alone. Social
anxieties – fears of situations in which
others are likely to judge you – are
extremely common. The fear of public
speaking alone affects 30-50 percent of
Americans.
Scientists believe our social fears might
actually be related to a concern for survival.
People with significant social anxieties often
describe themselves in one or more of the
following ways:
Overwhelmingly concerned with the way others
will judge them.
Nervous when speaking to authority figures.
Scared to speak in front of others or to interact in
groups.
Afraid of strangers.
Concerned they'll noticeably blush, sweat or shake
in front of others.
Uncomfortable asserting themselves.
Extremely self-conscious when others look at
them.
Tips for Coping
Relax
When your anxiety starts to build, take a
few minutes to calm down with some
relaxation exercises. Close your eyes and
imagine a peaceful scene. Try flexing and
then relaxing the muscles in your arms and
legs as you take deep breaths from your
abdomen.
Prepare
If there's something you need to do to
prepare for an upcoming social situation,
make sure you're ready. If you're worried
about delivering a speech, spend plenty of
time practicing. If you're anxious about
meeting new people, think of a few
conversation starters ahead of time.
Seek exposure
Always avoiding social situations will only
deepen your fear, but jumping into a feared
situation can be overwhelming. Try easing
into social settings by taking a series of
small steps. For example, if you're scared by
large groups of strangers, you might attend
a few parties where you know several
people before tackling a party full of
strangers.
Fight distorted perceptions
Many people with social anxieties have
unrealistic views of themselves and the
importance of their interactions. You might
ask a trusted friend how you actually
performed. Also try asking yourself,
realistically, how likley it is that those
around you will pay attention to any little
mistakes you make.
The Science of Fear
We have to react quickly to potential danger
in order to stay safe. Once the brain jump
starts the fear response, it doesn’t take long
for physiological changes to affect the
entire body.
First, the sensory organs – our eyes, ears,
tongue, nose and skin – pick up cues from
our surroundings and feed them to the brain.
Fear’s Location
The brain’s threat center, a structure called
the amygdala, is constantly on the lookout
for danger. If it identifies a possible threat,
it sounds the alarm, immediately kicking the
fight or flight response into gear. Before we
know it, our heart’s beating like crazy,
we’re taking quick, shallow breaths and
sweating in case we have to defend
ourselves or make a quick getaway.
These changes are controlled by a part of
the peripheral nervous system called the
autonomic nervous system, which regulates
automatic changes to the body's vital
functions.