Wednesday, 25 July 2018

Our smart brain and its mysteries

"Everyone walks by him, moving randomly and watching nowhere...images like thieves moving in his mind come and go...perhaps illusions that will fade away any minute..."

In times of loneliness, our imagination is a faithful company. We create our own friends who will be what we want them to be: someone to talk to, to love, to care, to hate, to dismiss, to feel pity on, to play with...

Our smart brain provides the input to satisfy our needs. This situation lasts for some time until someone from the actual world talks to you and you realize your own existence and importance. A smiling face in front of you can take you away from your abstract world and be a good company for a while. But, if you are not in the mood,  you shortly afterwards look through that face and immerse again in your own imaginary world. The smiling face says goodbye and fades away, while you only want to dream away...

Today is an awesome day. Early this morning I realized that the sun shines over me, the sky is bluer, the grass is greener, birds fly and sing, the weather is warmer, people walk and greet me. I smile back and say nice words to everyone along the street. I am in the mood for smiling, talking, touching, watching, feeling. I call a friend to have lunch with... It seems that my brain has shifted from the inner, private space to the outer, common place; perhaps it needs input to enrich its library with information from the outside world.

At noon, I enjoy my lunch, sometimes a brunch, in a cozy cafeteria; a good-looking girl waits on me and brings a dish that seems to be better than earlier ones. By the time I get home, I recall the activities done with a feeling of being in command, in closer contact with the real world.

But I wonder if I was in command of my decisions. Scientists have observed that mental processes occurring in our brain are faster than our (sometimes crucial) thoughts or decisions, e.g., when crossing a street, you jump away from a high-speed car before you realize that you are in danger of being hit by the car, even before thinking of the danger, otherwise you might be dead.

What about lunch, sex, sleep, .... ? Hormones and neurotransmitter cells are in charge of stimulating us to take some actions and others to delay or stop them. Thus, when we have lunch, dopamine is produced in the brain, giving you a sense of pleasure and stimulating you to go on eating. If you have eaten too much, another kind of neurotransmitter counteracts dopamine and you stop eating.

A few neurotransmitter cells
Significant changes occur during childhood, but as teenagers, and later as adults, you feel the urge of touching, kissing, loving the opposite sex. Why? Hormones and neurotransmitters are sending messages to brain cells to trigger the sex drive that will eventually lead to reproduction, and thus preservation of the human species... and here serotonin, another neurotransmitter, keeps you pleased as oxytocin and vassopresin help in creating a stronger bond with your partner.

Adrenaline is another neurotransmitter that plays an important role in our lives. Just an example: if you have been severely injured, this neurotransmitter gives you enough strength to withstand acute pain until help comes and/or pain subsides...

So, if my brain et al. are in charge of most of the living  processes, what decisions can I make?

I want to believe that I make the most important decisions in life, such as the kind of person I want to be, the girl I marry, the healthy dish I should have for lunch, the kind of book I want to read, the places I want to visit, the exercises I want to do to keep fit,  the number of hours I want to sleep,the career I want to study, ... are part of my free will.

And I always will be grateful to the mental processes ocurring in the 1.4 kg brain encased in the skull of my head, which is the major organ of the central nervous system and controls most processes and permits that I enjoy living.

Help our faithful brain et al., by having a healthy diet and doing exercises, preventing stroke and other undesirable illnesses.


Now it's your turn:

What organ(s)/system(s)/substance(s) /sense(s) of the human body is (are) amazing to you. Why.
What role it plays
Where it is located.
What size it has.
What illnesses can alter its normal functioning.
How you can help to keep it healthy.

or

Mental disorders or diseases

Name main characteristics of the mental disorder you are writing about.
Population that is prone to have it. (male, female, kids, old people)
Treatment used to control it.
Impact on work force of the mental disorder you describe.
Impact on family
Impact on society
Add any additional information to find relevant

Total Wordcount: 230 words minimum.
Remember to write a comment on the teacher's post and also to 3 classmates' post.
Remember to write comments on 3 classmates' posts and the teacher´s

25 comments:

  1. so interesting post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Francisco,
      Nice to know you liked it. The human body is still an enigma.
      See you,

      Delete
  2. our minds are so complex and interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karina,
      Scientists are still uncovering some of the mysteries of the human body.
      See you,

      Delete
  3. it is true that when you are going to be in a danger situation , adrenaline is faster than the thoughs of danger you had

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Luis,
      Our body is always surprising...!
      See you,

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Hi Tomás,
      It's amazing to think in the powerful activiy of the gray mass...!
      See you,

      Delete
  5. I'm sure that the brain is keeping us some secrets

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sebastián,
      It certainly hides many secrets...!
      See you,

      Delete
  6. My god our brain is incredible o:!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Thomas,
      Science and technology have been unable to reproduce something similar...
      See you,

      Delete
  7. Replies
    1. High Joaquín,
      It runs a high number of sophisticated functions...
      See you,

      Delete
  8. Is so interesting the work of the hormones and neurotransmitters.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carla,
      There is plenty of material to read in order to have understand a little of them...
      See you,

      Delete
  9. I'm so amazed about our brain:0

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Daniela,
      It certainly is one of the most sophisticated organs of our body...
      See you,

      Delete
  10. We have a lot to understand!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Camila,
      There is a high number of papers on the subject, if you want to have a better understanding of the brain...
      See you,

      Delete
  11. Replies
    1. Hi Vicente,
      Would you like to learn a bit more about it...?
      See you,

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Hi Macarena,
      We all are ...! It's such a wonderful organ....!
      See you,

      Delete