Brain Science: It's Personal
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
When making a special meal for guests you picked up a hot pan from the stove and instantly wanted to drop it, but instead you rushed to the counter and set it down?
In the fight-or-flight reaction, two processes in the brain are kicked off one right after another. First, one that ramps up the body chemicals and second, one that sends a message to the prefrontal cortex(PFC), giving it a chance to say 'false alarm' or issue an all clear and shutdown the first reaction. The first processs makes certain we get away from danger immediately, the second process allows us to choose and act to achieve our goals regardless of cumstances.
Look, the PFC is wired to most every subsystem in the brain:
Our brain is made up of many sub-systems each with redundant pathways. While some subsystems manage basic functions such as heart rate and respiration, others handle sensory input, and still others manage movement, learning, memory, socializing, emotions, thinking and other tasks.from (image above from Earl Miller's work: 2000 in "The prefrontal cortex and cognitive control"www.nature.com/reviews/neuroscience) Our PFC is not only in charge of and wired directly to all of our senses, but it is wired to a network of connections between our senses and most other brain functions.
The role of the PFC is to 'extract regularities across experiences' so that we can develop rules that can be used to guide thought and action. ( goals) This gives us the flexibility we need to survive in a complex and constantly changing world. ... and it means a couple things to us personally:
1) Our personal rules and goals end up being very important if we wish to improve brain structure and functioning.
2) Another dazzling bit of news for us as it means that the cognitive control brain area is the equivalent of our own personal remote control device for almost all brain functioning. The Prefrontal Cortex(PFC) can change both the sturcture and the functioning of most of our brain and immune system. It's called plasticity by some and others feel that the changing nature of the brain is so normal it no longer warrants a special word like plasticity.
If we were designed to choose, why not choose better struicture and functioning? why not choose what we want?
Our PFC can even override autonomic behaviors such as blood pressure, hand temperature and brain wave frequency. For example, if we are having trouble remembering information, greater activation of the PFC can help in keeping information in mind (or out of mind); if we are having trouble being anxious or depressed, the PFC helps in regulating and activating or deactivating emotions,
if we are experiencing behavior, thoughts or emotions we don't like, the PFC is designed to override, learn, and dissolve those behaviors, thoughts and emotions.
We just need to learn how to operate the remote.
Brain Science: It's Personal
Has anything like this ever happened to you?
When making a special meal for guests you picked up a hot pan from the stove and instantly wanted to drop it, but instead you rushed to the counter and set it down?
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