Module 4: Additional Articles on Brain Development

The dappled yellow and the red areas of the prefrontal cortex indicate this part of the brain, which affects abstract thinking, reasoning skills and emotional maturity, has yet to develop.

As yet, this capacity is unrestrained by the prefrontal cortex, which lags behind.

The prefrontal cortex is actually only 17 percent of your brain; the rest makes up the reactive brain.

Once sensory information enters the brain, it’s routed to one of two areas: (1) The prefrontal cortex, what we might call the thinking brain, which can consciously process and reflect on information; or (2) the lower, automatic brain, what we might call the reactive brain, which reacts to information instinctively rather than through thinking.

Once sensory information enters the brain, it’s routed to one of two areas: (1) The prefrontal cortex, what we might call the thinking brain, which can consciously process and reflect on information; or (2) the lower, automatic brain, what we might call the reactive brain, which reacts to information instinctively rather than through thinking.

When you are anxious, sad, frustrated, or bored, brain filters conduct sensory information from the world around you into your reactive brain.

Located at the lower back of your brain (your brain stem), the RAS receives input from sensory nerves that come from nerve endings in your eyes, ears, mouth, face, skin, muscles, and internal organs and meet at the top of your spinal cord.

A key to making your brain work optimally, then, is to keep yourself physically healthy and well rested and to develop awareness of—and some control over—your emotions.

Nerve cells (neurons) forge information into memories by sending messages to other neurons through branches—called axons and dendrites—that almost touch the branches of each neighboring neuron.

Repeated stimulation—for example, studying the times tables many times—makes the network stronger, just like muscles become stronger when you exercise them.

This transmission is crucial to your brain’s capacity to process new information.

Experiencing pride at accomplishing something is also correlated with higher dopamine.

Think about your personal strengths, such as artistic ability, leadership, helping classmates resolve conflicts, athletic skill, or even qualities like optimism, kindness, and empathy.

But it was the teenage group that showed this exaggerated sensitivity.