The Teenage Brain

We usually tend to believe our brains go through  change and development only during the early years of our lives. At least I did, but in our Psychology class we watched a video on the teenage brain this week and learned other wise. Apparently when we reach adolescence our brain isn’t fully developed yet, and the frontal lobe overcomes many changes during these years especially. Because of the changes occurring teenagers tend to feel and behave in ways their parents don’t get. The typical behaviors reported on teenagers are, thinking nobody seems to understand them (because they don’t), forgetting certain tasks they were asked to perform, and most teenagers suffer from sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is a huge damage to the brain, especially in a teenager’s brain since it needs the rest because of its changing. According to studies an adolescent needs 9hrs of sleep per night; when they don’t you can tell with their moods and performance.  Another characteristic of teenagers is there pursuit for thrill; this leads them to poor decision making, teenagers are reckless and irresponsible (that seems to be the stereo type). Do to this quest for thrill adolescent years is a time of high risk, since decision making is very impulsive. These decisions may lead to lifelong consequences; therefore parents should be cautious when dealing with a teenager.

Picture:
http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://kevinbeirne.webs.com/Drug%2520graphic.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dictionaryfordads.com/drugaddictionprevention.htm&usg=__XwOKXSyTNNRqhs72vL4ClZLHJCQ=&h=374&w=374&sz=46&hl=es&start=0&sig2=1HnZ1Mth7lF_H080R02hpQ&zoom=1&tbnid=50XMQAsKiwaqCM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=127&ei=xAWkTK-QFMH78Abj7KjLCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dteenagrs%2Bdrugs%2Band%2Balcohol%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D999%26bih%3D307%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=300&oei=xAWkTK-QFMH78Abj7KjLCQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=82&ty=60

How our Brains Work

1.      The brain is divided into two hemispheres; they both work together but have different functions.

2.      The main difference from one side of the brain to the other is creativity and logic. The left side of the brain deals with logic, sequential rationality, and analytical objectivity. The right side of our brains is more random, intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, and subjective. It is also important to note that the left side of our brain looks at parts as for our right brain which looks at things as a whole.

3.      The corpus callosum is nervous tissue which connects the left and right sides of your brain; by this arched bridge both hemispheres to communicate.

4.      Paul Broca had a patient who could only say tan, therefore he called his patient ‘’Tan’’.  When Tan died he studied his brain and discovered his left frontal cortex was damaged. This part of the brain is now known as the "Broca's Area."

5.      Roger Sperry made a breaking change in medicine, the life for epileptic patients changed because of him. In the 1960s he changed epilepsy by cutting the corpus collosum, this way he was enabling any energy transfers, this way the patient would not suffer from any epileptic attacks.

6.      Karl Wernicke, following Paul Broca’s studies, became involved and discovered speech was also related to the temporal lobe.

7.      The occipital lobe of your brain is responsible for vision.

8.      Hearing and language is controlled by the temporal lobe.

9.      The frontal lobe is responsible for math calculations.

10.   As well as for math we use our frontal lobe for judgment, reasoning and impulse control.

Sources:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/split.html

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_corpus_callosum

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/lang.html

http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://www.brainhealthandpuzzles.com/images/labeled_diagram_human_brain.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.brainhealthandpuzzles.com/diagram_of_brain.html&usg=__ODAhzybZTYAVn9-OXv0F6Zni-Ec=&h=330&w=440&sz=25&hl=es&start=0&sig2=i67CtLlk2mMh4-P4pn0bkQ&zoom=1&tbnid=oulaeW5N8SRm-M:&tbnh=126&tbnw=167&ei=046eTN6IAoT58Abu5MCBDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bparts%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bbrain%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D666%26bih%3D205%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=500&oei=046eTN6IAoT58Abu5MCBDQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=8&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=27&ty=44

notes from class

Phineas Gage

In the mid 1800s a man by the name of Phineas Gage worked on a railroad. One day, while sealing a hole with sand and pressure with a tamping iron the dynamite which he was tamping caught fire. This caused the rod to penetrate his left cheekbone, into his eye, and out his skull going threw his frontal lobe. Luckily Gage survived this dreadfully accident. According to the people who knew him before and after the accident Phineas Gage’s personality changed drastically. But most people ask themselves, how did he survive something so drastic? Scientists today tell us it’s because we can live without function from parts of our brain; as Phineas Gage who lived the rest of his life with his frontal lobe damaged and without function from his left eye.

sources:

http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=http://ettf.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/phineasgage.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ettf.net/archives/6593&usg=__hN0krSVgISp8z351Dw_2jarO5UE=&h=499&w=450&sz=73&hl=es&start=32&sig2=VjgnhtdudkCeecIxKqVsog&zoom=1&tbnid=po8GkpP64QLT5M:&tbnh=117&tbnw=104&ei=cKCaTIntH8uNjAfz9NiACg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphineas%2Bgage%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D666%26bih%3D227%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1029&itbs=1&biw=666&bih=227&iact=rc&dur=109&oei=pJ6aTIfPB8OI4Qbug-H1Dw&esq=4&page=4&ndsp=10&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:32&tx=94&ty=36

http://www.google.hn/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_klye462-RSG0hdtAjWfBdxWAniP8ukqz0O1H4nexYD8ekIYd34QHh6VcGKi0vPj6gBWtRftIwAqzs-bu1fPsSTDzaF1i5YDVkSYtHGfDMbKeDm3AImIeawpVGfI34MwNSqhKT1wQ_in/s400/Phineas+Gage.jpg&imgrefurl=http://desdeelmanicomio.blogspot.com/2009/07/phineas-gage-el-hombre-que-cambio-de.html&usg=__DcPsJJBTb5h-0QB0OhqnvCKDggI=&h=400&w=294&sz=22&hl=es&start=0&sig2=__QgTmxb4PTYv2hjnPFlFA&zoom=1&tbnid=do4RDccQBEyl3M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=84&ei=TaGaTLu6EpT_4AbYqLEG&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dphineas%2Bgage%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D666%26bih%3D227%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=1501&oei=TaGaTLu6EpT_4AbYqLEG&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=51&ty=42

http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~bbrown/psyc1501/brain/loclat.htm

Hotly Debated Topics in the Nature/Nurture Debate

Why are you gay?



       What is nature vs. nurture? This topic is a scientific debate; it relies on what is the root of the way humans are, is it or genes or the environment in which they live in. An issue discussed whether it is nature or nurture is homosexuality. Are gay people gay because they were born this way or are they gay because of the surroundings? Many scientist and theologians have been trying to determine whether homosexuality is nature or nurture? I consider homosexuality to be caused because of biological causes as well as environmental.


       Zach O’Connor, a homosexual, always felt different from the age of 5 or 6. His case leans towards having an environmental cause. Apparently, the majority of his friends were girls, and asked his parents for a Barbie Dream House. On the other hand, the parents of David, another homosexually oriented man, believe their son is gay since birth. They’ve known David’s sexual preference since the age of 3. There is a theory which says ‘’a first-born son has 3 percent chance of being homosexual…the fourth sons chance of being homosexual doubles to about 6 percent’’ (Silverman). These percentages are due to males developing before birth in females, they have different chemicals and are different to women; therefore it alters their sexual preference. This was proven after the first theory scientists had about sexuality and older siblings, at first they believed it was related to the interaction boys had with their older brothers after birth. Except, as Anthony Bogaert a researcher and study author stated, ‘’In fact [the gay men] had more biological older brothers who they were never reared with, which mean there’s probably some biological parental factor to account for this older brother effect’’ (Silverman). But what about those homosexually oriented men who don’t have any older brothers? These could have been raised to become homosexuals.


       Wrapping up, we can’t say for sure judging by the past observations, homosexuality can be biological or environmental. I believe it depends on the person, some homosexuals are confused and still aren’t sure what they are attracted to. Nobody can say for sure why a person is gay, but nobody can tell you why your beliefs are what they are or why someone kills mercilessly. Surely soon enough we’ll be able to know the roots of homosexuality. This is a very interesting topic and hopefully these people obtain the freedom to be who they are in the near future. Parents shouldn´t freak out if one of their children tell them who they are; like Cindy O’Connor told her son Zach, when he told her he was gay, ‘’Zach you know what? Who you choose to love is your business’’ (Sherr, Diamond). Being gay shouldn’t be thought as a disease but more as a way of life similar to being a vegan.

Sources:

SHERR, LYNN, and Jeff LastDIAMOND. "Is There a 'Gay Gene'?." ABC News 20/20 . N.p., March 26, 2008. Web. 10 Sep 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=4529843&page=1.

SILVERMAN,t, MICHAEL I. . "Men with Older Brothers More Likely to be Gay." ABC News/Health. N.p., June 26, 2006. Web. 10 Sep 2010. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2120218&page=1.

Anderson, Inge. "How Do People Become Gay?." God's Love-Our Witness . N.p., 10 May 2010 . Web. 10 Sep 2010. http://www.glow.cc/isa/become_gay.htm.

Pictures:

http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/2207156.gif

http://www.vieiros.com/enlaces/novas/imx/grande/0194545001234348430-duas-imaxe-empregadas-polo-bloco-de-esquerda-na-sua-campana-pola-legalizacion-do-casamento-homosexual.jpg