Brain structure and function

The Brain and Executive Function. What is Executive Function?

"What exactly is executive function?" Oh I still ask myself that question when trying to understand the brain and executive function. We know it's important - it is what enables us to play a chess game, figure out a problem, use the intelligience we have. Today I will try and explain more about the brain and executive function. Oh yes - right there is an example of the brain and executive function. Preparing an explanation about executive function - requires the use of executive function to try and make ‘Executive Function’ understandable. Phew!!! How so? To write about the brain and executive function I needed to - [unordered_list style="green-dot"] Review and sort information I have gathered from the past. Make decisions about what information is in, and what is out. Think about who might read this and what the reader needs. Finally I need to write it up in a simple way and publish it.[/unordered_list] This relies on more than the facts…

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Changed Decision Making After Brain Injury

  Decision making after brain injury is commonly affected particularly after Frontal Lobe damage. Decision making is an executive function. That is a fancy brain term that makes these functions sound very important - and they are! Executive functions help us use our intellect . They help us to look at information coming into the brain and decide what to do about it. Decision-making along with other executive functions (such as planning, organising, and being able to start things) are often damaged after brain injury. Brain injury, particularly frontal lobe damage can affect our flexibility and ability to make decisions. Being able to make good, thoughtful, decisions also helps other executive functions to work properly. You are more likely to be able to sort out a solution to a problem if you are able to make a decision - hopefully a good one. You can plan better if you are able to make decisions about the steps and priorities that are needed.…

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Brain Injury Resources Around The Web

I discovered these brain injury resources while trying to focus my attention on a review of Changed Lives New Journeys. Like an ageing house – blog bits are starting to look a bit shabby and not work so well. You start looking into fixing it only to find more and more seems to need doing. Eventually you think maybe a full renovation is best. In 2013 I built this blog with no prior experience - a good idea then but now I have absolutely no idea what I did!  Where do I start - ‘Break things down into manageable chunks.’ I recall often suggesting this as a strategy when a person has a brain injury to help plan and organise.  That made sense here too. And so I began … Step One was – Research - who else writes about your topic or area. What is your niche? I went off like Alice in Wonderland down all sorts of rabbit-holes finding all sorts of…

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Memory 103 – Memory and the Brain

  Memory 103 Memory and the Brain - a brief look at the parts of the brain involved in memory. Last week in Memory 102 we focussed on the differences between short term and long term memory. A brief look at what memory is and how it works was covered in the first of the series Memory 101.   Why another anatomy and physiology lesson? Knowledge of memory and the brain helps expand understanding that: The part of the brain damaged will determine the physical and cognitive affects of brain injury. This includes memory. The parts of the brain thought to aid memory can help understand the kind of memory loss a person has after brain injury. Memory is not one thing. There is not one part of the brain labelled memory. Understanding a little of the anatomy can help to understand how memory functions and the complex and different types of memory. A bit of knowledge about memory and the brain along with…

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Read more about the article MEMORY 102: To Store or Not to Store – Short Term Memory to Long Term Memory
Long Term Memory 1969 Man Lands on the Moon

MEMORY 102: To Store or Not to Store – Short Term Memory to Long Term Memory

What turns a short term memory to long term memory ? What makes memory work better? How come I remember where I was when man walked on the moon but I can’t remember the name of the person I met briefly yesterday?   Today short term memory to long term memory follows on from the discussion in Memory 101 What is Memory  about three main stages of memory - 1) We take in and form (or forget) memories. 2. We store memories. For a short term or a long term. 3. We recall memories. And that is as simple as I can make a process where billions of cells are all tripping over each other to remember stuff! I am using the term ‘Stuff’ here – this is my very own technical term  to describe all the information, events, actions, tasks, senses and on and on – that our brain remembers. In the words of the song “Memories are made of this”.…

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Read more about the article Our Touchy Feely Parietal Lobes
"LobesCaptsLateral" by Sebastian023. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons

Our Touchy Feely Parietal Lobes

    Have you noticed the Parietal lobes tend to receive less attention than their flashy neighbour the Frontal lobes  and other lobes of the brain? Maybe it’s because they tend to be more on the touchy-feely side of life. That softer sensory side we don’t like to talk about. We tend to prefer those flashy intellectual functions other parts of the brain are better known for. Or maybe it is because what they do is tricky to explain. Or maybe they just sit up there on top of our heads, doing their job, forlorn and forgotten until something goes wrong.   Today we give the Parietal Lobes their day in the sun. An attempt at a simple rundown on what they do, and what happens when they are damaged.   Quick Parietal Lobe Anatomy Lesson       A couple of basics before I launch into the detail: There are two Parietal lobes – a left and a right. They have…

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Read more about the article Synaesthesia to Savant – Sensationalism or Sensible. Unusual Outcomes Brain Injury
Flickr Image by Theophilos Papadopoulos

Synaesthesia to Savant – Sensationalism or Sensible. Unusual Outcomes Brain Injury

Flickr Image by Theophilos Papadopoulos It seems the unusual outcomes of damage to the brain receive a good deal of attention in media coverage. Unusual outcomes of brain injury such as a person developing artistic talents or becoming a genius at mathematics, seem to grab headlines more than day to day life for people living with brain injury. Mostly these outcomes are rare.  Can this media coverage be helpful? Before I go on -if you have not seen articles about people living with unusual outcomes - here are a couple of examples : This article “Stroke of Genius: 10 Abilities Borne of Brain Damage”  describes 10 people who developed a significant new ability after brain injury And here “10 Fascinating People With Savant Syndrome”  You might notice some of the people in each article are the same I found this quite common. And still more. This article with illustrations “6 People Who Gained Amazing  Skills From Brain Injuries”  I began collecting such…

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What To Expect: Neuropsychological Assessment After Brain Injury.

A neuropsychological assessment after brain injury is often recommended. In my experience this can be a source of worry to people living with brain injury and their families. Concerns include how this will be done and what the benefit will be. A support worker recently asked me how they could support a person who was about to have a neuropsychological assessment after brain injury. This lead me to try and answer some common questions here. This article will briefly look at: [unordered_list style="tick"] Why Neuropsychological assessment might be done. Steps that might be taken to prepare for the assessment. What is likely to happen in the assessment. What is assessed. What a person living with brain injury, and their family might get from the assessment. [/unordered_list]   Why Undertake A Neuropsychological Assessment After Brain Injury? To provide information to people involved; For the person with the injury, their family  and supporters such as where damage might have occurred and its impact on…

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Read more about the article Genius Only Need Apply – A Once in a Lifetime Job -The Brain At Work.
Image from Pixabay

Genius Only Need Apply – A Once in a Lifetime Job -The Brain At Work.

  The Brain at work has an impressive and complex resume of skills and responsibilities. It is likely the biggest job in the world! Big shoes to fill! While the job is not on offer, I hope thinking about it in this way will help understanding The Brain at work. As you read about the role and tasks required - picture what might happen if you – as The Brain – slipped up in of these tasks!   The Biggest Job in the World! The Brain At Work: Here is a quick summary of what you would need to do if you were The Brain: [unordered_list style="green-dot"] Play a vital role in the life and organisation of every human. Be responsible for EVERY single thing a human does. Responsibility for the things that the body knows about and decides to do such as cooking dinner. And the things that are not obvious but need to happen anyway - such as breathing. Take in,…

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40 Brain Believe It or Nots! Fascinating Facts About the Brain

  40 strange and fascinating facts about the brain. Designed to excite your interest in the most fascinating organ we own. These facts about the brain just might one day come in handy for you: - at trivia nights, - to liven up boring dinner conversations - impress onlookers with your superb knowledge - or just to help understanding of the brain. Remembering that anything to do with the brain can change as we keep discovering more. So 'facts' that may or may not be exactly that … facts! These facts also provide insights into the complexity of the brain and its function.   What Do Fascinating Facts About the Brain Have to Do With Brain Injury? [unordered_list style="tick"] It reminds us how AMAZING our brain is. Which hopefully reminds us to look after it These many and random facts can help us understand the amount the brain controls; which is everything we do – physical, sensory, emotional, cognitive and more It reinforces how…

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