MODULE 6: THE POWERS OF THE MIND

I. BRAINPOWER: COMPLEX ORGAN CONTROLS YOUR EVERY THOUGHT AND MOVE

A. The power to act
The brain has three major parts -- the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the brain stem. The
brain stem connects the spinal cord and the brain. It controls functions that keep people alive such
as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and food digestion. Those activities occur without any
thought. You aren't telling yourself, "Inhale. Exhale. Inhale." You're just breathing.
Things are different in the cerebellum. That region controls voluntary movement. When you
want to lift your fork, wave your hand, brush your hair or wink at a cutie, you form the thought
and then an area in the cerebellum translates your will into action. It happens so quickly. Think
about how little time passes between your desire to continue reading this sentence and the time it
takes your eyes to move to this word or this one. It seems automatic, but it isn't.
Neurons, the basic functional units of the nervous system, are three-part units and are key
to brain function. They are comprised of a nerve cell body, axon and dendrite, and they power the
rapid-fire process that turns thought into movement.
The thought moves as an electrical signal from the nerve cell down the axon to a dendrite,
which looks like branches at the end of nerve cells. The signal jumps from the end of the dendrite
on one cell across the space, called a synapse, to the dendrite of another cell with the help of
chemicals called neurotransmitters. That signal continues jumping from cell to cell until it reaches
the muscle you need to wave, wink or walk.
The cerebrum is the largest of the three brain sections, accounts for about 85 percent of the
brain's weight, and has four lobes. The lobes-frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital -- each have
different functions. They get their names from the sections of the skull that are next to them.
The parietal lobe helps people understand what they see and feel, while the frontal lobe
determines personality and emotions. Vision functions are located in the occipital lobe, and hearing
and word recognition abilities are in the temporal lobe.
B. A critical age
During the first three years of life, the brain experiences most of its growth and develops
most of its potential for learning. That's the time frame in which synaptogenesis, or the creation of
pathways for brain cells to communicate, occurs.
Doctors generally accept that cut-off point for two reasons, Postels said. First, in situations
where doctors removed parts of the brains of patients younger than 3 to correct disorders, the remaining
brain sections developed to assume the role of the portions those doctors removed. But when physicians
performed the same surgery on older patients, that adaptability function did not occur.
Second, "We know from experiments that if you deprive people of intellectual stimulation
and put them in a dark room, that it produces permanent changes in the brain," Postels said. "That occurs
most dramatically before age 3. After that age, it's impossible to ethically do a study."
Previous research produced information about the effects of stimulation deprivation, but
modern ethical guidelines prohibit such research on people because of the potentially harmful outcome.
C. Drug damage
Because so little recovery occurs to brains damaged after age 3, the effects of drugs and
alcohol on the brain might be lasting.
Doctors know what inhalants, steroids, marijuana, cocaine and alcohol do to the brain when
people use them. "The question scientists can't answer now is if the damage is permanent," said Sue
Rusche, co-author of "False Messengers," a book on how addictive drugs change the brain.
Inhalants, such as glue, paint, gasoline and aerosols, destroy the outer lining of nerve cells
and make them unable to communicate with one another. In 1993, more than 60 young people died from
sniffing inhalants, according to National Families in Action, a drug education center based in Atlanta.
Studies have found that marijuana use hinders memory, learning, judgment and reaction
times, while steroids cause aggression and violent mood swings.
 Ecstasy use is rising among young people, Rusche said, and scientists have found that drug
destroys neurons that make serotonin, a chemical crucial in controlling sleep, violence, mood swings and
sexual urges.
While doctors and scientists know about some effects drugs have on the brain, they don't
have a full picture, Rusche said.
"When people start using a drug, the scientists know nothing about it. These people are
volunteering to be guinea pigs," said Rusche, who is co-founder and executive director of National Families
in Action. "Once enough people take it, scientists apply for grants and start studying it. People are
inventive. They find new drugs or new ways to take old drugs-like crack from cocaine.
"There's a lot we won't know about until later," she said. "The classic example is cigarettes.
We allowed people to smoke for 100 years before we knew about all the horrible things that nicotine will
do.
II. THE DOMINANT SIDE OF THE BRAIN
Researchers believed that brain dominance determines a person’s preferences, problem-solving
style, personality characteristics, and even career choices. For example, a right-brain individual will
quickly get a feeling for a situation, while a left-brain person will usually ask a lot of questions first.
III. MIND MAPPING
- a powerful thinking tool
- a graphical technique that mirrors the way the brain works, and was invented by Tony Buzan.
- helps to make thinking visible. Most people make notes using lined paper and blue or black ink.
- Making notes more attractive to the brain by adding color and rhythm can aid the learning process,
and can help to make learning fun.
- The subject being studied is crystallized in a central image and the main theme radiates out from the
central image on branches. Each branch holds a key image or a key word. Details are then added to
the main branches and radiate further out.
- Mind maps have a wide variety of uses, for example, note taking, revision planning, planning for
writing and problem solving can all be successfully carried out using the technique. The colors and
the graphics used will help children to organize their ideas and thoughts.
- They can be very simple or, quite detailed depending upon the age of the children and the complexity
of the subject. Because creating the mind map involves the use of the left and right brain, remembering
the information becomes easier!
How to draw a mind map:
1. Turn the page on its side (landscape). Use plain paper.
2. Draw the central image using different colors. The central image should encapsulate the subject of
the map.
3. Add the branches representing the subject’s main topics or themes using key words or images.
4. Add detail with more key words and images. Use color.
5. Print the words clearly.
6. Use arrows to connect linked ideas.
IV. YOU CAN GROW YOUR INTELLIGENCE
1. Mind mapping
2. Practice the brain
What Can You Do to Get Smarter?
Just like a weightlifter or a basketball player, to be a brain athlete, you have to exercise and
practice. By practicing, you make your brain stronger. You also learn skills that let you use your brain in a smarter
way—just like a basketball player learns new moves. But many people miss out on the chance to grow a stronger
brain because they think they can’t do it, or that it’s too hard. It does take work, just like becoming stronger
physically or becoming a better ball player does. Sometimes it even hurts! But when you feel yourself get better
and stronger, all the work is worth it!