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SPECIALIZATION BEGINS / GENDER DIFFERENCES / PREPROGRAMMING [ BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

SPECIALIZATION BEGINS As modern humans evolved from their hominid ancestors, their brain development continued with increasing specialization of regions and functions. One hypothesis suggests that the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the human brain can be traced to humans’ simian ancestors swinging through trees. Grasping one limb after another requires the arms…

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THE THREE BRAINS – EVOLUTION ( MACLEAN )

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

THE THREE BRAINS – EVOLUTION [ MACLEAN ] THE THREE BRAINS Neuroscientist Paul MacLean suggested in 1967 that the human brain functions as three separate “brains,” each of which represents a stage in evolutionary development. He referred to the three-way unity as humanity’s triune brain. Through evolution’s penchant for preserving genetic code that proves useful…

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EVOLUTIONARY CULES OR PAVLOV’S DOGS

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

EVOLUTIONARY CLUES OR PAVLOV’S DOGS EVOLUTIONARY CLUES Some of humanity’s evolutionary history can be observed in the development of a human fetus. As chicken and human embryos develop, for example, they experience a stage where they both have a tail, as well as arches and slits in their neck remarkably like the gill slits and…

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EVOLUTION – GROWING COMPLEXITY [ BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

EVOLUTION – GROWING COMPLEXITY [ BRAIN DEVELOPMENT ] GROWING COMPLEXITY If 2,000 neurons are sufficient for simple learning, imagine the explosion of complex behavior that accompanied the growth of neural complexity about 530 million years ago. Larger clumps of neurons in the diverse animal population that seemingly emerged overnight encouraged the flourishing of new animal…

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THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM [ THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM  The nervous system isn’t the only method by which the brain controls the body and maintains homeostasis. The direct, electrochemical means by which the nervous system collects information from stimuli and then formulates responses is augmented by the endocrine system, which works with the nervous system to regulate the body’s cells. The…

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MAPPING SEIZURES [ THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

MAPPING SEIZURES [ DELICATE BALANCE – THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ] Seizures may occur in any part of the brain; their point of origin often can be mapped. Some occur as a result of lesions in specific domains. Nineteenth-century doctor John Hughlings Jackson, an aloof but meticulous researcher, posited that lesions would produce two effects. He based…

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SEIZURES [ DELICATE BALANCE ( THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ) ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

SEIZURES [ DELICATE BALANCE – THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM ( THE NERVOUS SYSTEM ) ] Abnormal electrical activity in the brain produces seizures, which have a broad range of manifestations. Some are so minor that they may occur unnoticed, while others can cause violent spasms and convulsions. Victims may even lose consciousness. They can be a…

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MIGRAINES [ THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM ]

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

MIGRAINES [ THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM ] THE DAMAGE caused by headaches is eye-popping. About 45 million Americans suffer them regularly, and about half of the sufferers find the pain severe and sometimes disabling. The result: lost time from work, play, the day to day stuff of life. Counting only the 30 million who suffer migraine…

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HEADACHES ( THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM )

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

HEADACHES ( THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM ) HEADACHES In the waning days of the Civil War, Union general Ulysses S. Grant was suffering from a terrible headache. He stopped at a farmhouse in the rear of his army, which had been pressing the forces of Confederate general Robert E. Lee. “I spent the night in bathing my…

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BALANCING ACT ( THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM )

ByTeam HUMANITYUAPD

BALANCING ACT ( THE BRAIN’S EQUILIBRIUM ) Some feedback mechanisms suppress actions in the brain and body. Others excite them. Their delicate balance keeps the body between extremes. To have too much or too little of one can throw the system out of whack. To take one example, the lack or overabundance of neurotransmitters such…