LESSON 5:

POWERS OF THE
MIND
The world we have created is a product of our thinking, it cannot be changed without
changing our thinking.
-Albert Einstein-
 TOPICS:

1. 2.
Brain parts, its processes Improving and enhancing
and functions. brain functions.

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What is Brain?
The brain is a complex organ that controls thoughts,
memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision,
breathing, temperature and every process that
regulates our body.
The brain is responsible for mental functioning.
–Thomas Willis –
The human brain weighs about 3 lbs.
3 Major Parts of the Brain
AND THEIR
FUNCTIONS
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 MIDBRAIN

• It is associated with
vision, hearing, motor
HINDBRAIN
control, sleep/wake,
arousal (alertness), and FOREBRAIN
temperature regulation,
• Responsible for some of acting as a sort of relay • Responsible for a variety of functions
the most basic autonomic station for auditory and including receiving and processing sensory
functions of life, like visual information.
breathing and movement. information, thinking, perceiving, producing
• There are 3 major part of and understanding language, and controlling
midbrain – the colliculi, motor function
• It is the oldest parts of the tegmentum, and the • Contains two major divisions: the
the brain and it contains cerebral peduncles. diencephalon and the telencephalon.
the pons, cerebellum, and
medulla oblongata.

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 HINDBRAIN

• The brain stem - the oldest and innermost region of

the brain. It controls the most basic functions of life
that includes breathing, attention and motor
responses. It begins where the spinal cord enters the
skull and forms the medulla.

• Medulla - the area or the control center for our

autonomic vital functions, like the: heart rate, blood
pressure, breathing - and many involuntary reflexes
such as swallowing and sneezing.

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 HINDBRAIN

• Pons, It functions as a structure in the brain stem

that helps control the movements of the body that
plays a particularly important role in balance and
walking.

• Reticular formation - the long and narrow network of

neurons. Its purpose is to filter out some of the
stimuli that are coming into the brain from the spinal
cord and to relay the reminder of the signals to other
areas of the brain. It also plays an important role in
walking, eating, sexual activity and sleeping.

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 HINDBRAIN
• Cerebellum “little brain” - consists of two wrinkled
ovals behind the brain stem. It coordinates our
sensations with responses from our muscles, enabling
most of our voluntary movements.

If the cerebellum of an individual is damaged, it will

result to difficulty in walking, keeping their balance, and
keeping their hands steady. Too much intake of alcohol
will also affect the cerebellum, that is why drunk people
experiences difficulty walking in a straight line. Lastly,
the cerebellum also contributes to emotional responses.

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 MIDBRAIN
• The colliculi has two pairs of bulging layered bundles
of neurons, the superior and inferior colliculi. The
superior colliculi is responsible for the preliminary
processing of visual signals before they are passed on
the occipital lobe. The inferior colliculi works on the
auditory signals.

• The tegmentum stretches down the brainstem but a

portion of it forms a part of the midbrain. It also
contains a connection that plays a role in keeping us
alert.

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 MIDBRAIN

• The cerebral peduncles, it is the pair of large nerve

fibre bundles that connects the rest of the
brainstem to the forebrain. These are the main
highway for signals that needs to be transported
from the cortex to other parts of the central
nervous system, and they are very important for
body coordination.

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 FOREBRAIN
• The cerebrum the largest portion of the brain.
Responsible for most of the brain’s function such
as thought and movement. It is where the most
important brain functions happen.

• The thalamus is the egg-shaped structure above

the brain stem that applies filtering to the
sensory information that is coming up from the
spinal cord and through the reticular formation,
and it relays some of these remaining signals to
the higher brain levels. It also controls sleep as
it shuts off incoming signals, allowing us to rest.

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 FOREBRAIN

• The hypothalamus is a brain structure that

contains a number of small areas that
perform a variety of functions, including the
body temperature, thirst, hunger, and sex,
and responds to the satisfaction of these
needs by creating feelings of pleasure.

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 FOREBRAIN
• Hippocampus. It consists of two “horns”
that curve back from the amygdala. It is
essential in storing information in long-term
memory.

• Amygdala. It consists of two “almond-

shaped” clusters and is primarily responsible
for regulating our perceptions of, and
reactions to aggression and fear. It also has
other connections to bodily systems related
to fear, facial responses, processing of
smells, and the release of
neurotransmitters related to stress and
aggression.

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 FOREBRAIN

• Cerebral cortex. It is the outer layer of

the cerebrum that allows us to so
successfully use language, acquire complex
skills, create tools, and live in social
groups. It also controls higher brain
functions such as information processing.
It is divided into two hemispheres and
four lobes.

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 Left hemisphere Right hemisphere

• It controls the right side of • It controls the left side of the

the body. Accomplishes body, accomplishing tasks
tasks that involve academic that involve creativity and
and logical thinking. arts.

• It is best at language, logic, • It is best at recognizing

critical thinking, numbers, faces, music, color,
and reasoning intuitions, motions, reading
emotions, images, and
creativity.

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 Frontal Lobe

• Located behind the forehead and

is the largest lobe of the brain.

• It is important for cognitive

functions and control of voluntary
movement.

• Injury to the frontal lobes may

affect emotions, impulse control,
language, memory, social and
sexual behaviour.

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 Parietal Lobe

• Located behind the frontal lobes. The

parietal lobe processes information
about temperature, taste, touch and
movement

• It integrates sensory information

from various parts of the body and
contains the primary sensory cortex.

• Injury to the parietal lobe may

affect: The ability to locate parts of
the body. The ability to recognize
parts of your body.

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 Occipital Lobe

• Located at the lower back of the

head. It is responsible for vision and
it also contains areas that help in
receiving shapes and colors.

• Injury to the occipital lobes may

affect: Distortion of the visual
field. Perception of size, color, and
shape

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 Temporal lobes

• Located on the sides of the brain

under the parietal lobes and behind
the frontal lobes. They are
responsible for: Recognizing and
processing sound, understanding
and producing speech and various
aspects of memory.

• Injury to the temporal lobe may

affect: Hearing, Language, the
ability to recognize a familiar
person’s face and processing
sensory information.

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IMPROVING AND ENHANCING
BRAIN FUNCTIONS
 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
1. Have fun with a jigsaw
puzzle
✘ Puzzles with large or small
pieces are both useful and
excellent way to strengthen
your brain.
✘ When putting together a
jigsaw puzzle, you have to
look at different pieces and
figure out where they fit
within the larger picture.
✘ This can be a great way to
challenge and exercise your
brain.
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 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.

2. Try your hand at cards

✘ Playing cards could improve
memory and thinking skills.
✘ This is especially true for
older adults. Games also
stimulate the immune system
and can trigger the use of
visualization, memory and
sequencing skills.
✘ Try learning one of these
tried-and-true card games:
solitaire, Bridge, gin rummy,
poker, hearts, and crazy eight
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 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
3. Build your vocabulary
✘ A rich vocabulary has a way of
making you sound smart. A
research shows that many more
region of the brain are involved in
vocabulary task, particularly in
areas that are important for visual
and auditory processing.
.
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4. Dance your heart out
✘ The centers for Disease Prevention and
Control Trusted Source notes that learning
new dance moves can increase you brain’s
processing speed and memory. For
example: Try Zumba or Jazz exercise class,
Watch an online video with fun dance
moves you’ve always wanted to learn.
 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
5. Use all your senses 6. Learn a new skills
✘ Using all your senses may help ✘ Learning new skills is not only fun
strengthen your brain. To give and interesting, but it may also help
your senses and your brain a strengthen the connection in your
workout, you should try doing all brain.
five of your senses. ✘ Learning new skills can help improve
. memory function in older adults.

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 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
7. Teach a new skills to someone else
✘ One of the best ways to expand your
learning is to teach a skill to another
person.
✘ Teaching it to someone else requires you
to explain the concept and correct any
mistake you make.
.
8. Listen to or play music
✘ Listening to happy tunes helps generate
more innovative solutions compared to
being in silence. This means, cranking up
some feel-good music can help boost your
creative thinking and brain power.

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 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
9. Take a new route
✘ Don’t get stuck in a rut when it
comes to your daily tasks. Instead,
be willing to try new ways to do
the same things. Choose a
different route to get to work each
week or try a different mode of
transport, like biking or using
public transport instead of
driving. Your brain can benefit
from this simple change, and you
might be surprised by how easy it
is to change your thinking. .

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 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
10. Meditate
✘ Find quite spot, close your eyes,
and spend five minutes meditating
each day can calm your body,
slow your breathing, and reduce
stress and anxiety.
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11. Learn a new language
✘ According to numerous studies, bilingualism
can contribute to better memory, improved
visual-spatial skills, and higher levels of
creativity.
✘ Being fluent in more than one language may
also help you switch more easily between
different tasks, and delay the onset of age-
related mental disincline?
 13 evidence-based exercises that offer the best
brain-boosting benefits.
12. Take up tai chi 13. Focus on another person
✘ Taking up a regular practice of tai chi can ✘ The next time you interact with
help reduce stress, enhance sleep quality, and someone, take note of four things
improve memory. about them.
✘ A 2013 study Trusted Source found that long-
term tai chi practice could induce structural
changes in the brain, resulting in an increase
in brain volume.

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
1. Get mental stimulation

✘ Through research with mice and humans, scientists have

found that brainy activities stimulate new connections
between nerve cells and may even help the brain generate
new cells, developing neurological “plasticity” and
building up a functional reserve that provides a hedge
against future cell loss.
✘ Any mentally stimulating activity should help to build up
your brain. Read, take courses, try “mental gymnastics,”
such as word puzzles or math problems Experiment with
things that require manual dexterity as well as mental
effort, such as drawing, painting, and other crafts.

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
2. Get physical exercise

✘ Research shows that using your muscles also helps your mind.
✘ Animals who exercise regularly increase the number of tiny blood vessels that
bring oxygen-rich blood to the region of the brain that is responsible for thought.
Exercise also spurs the development of new nerve cells and increases the
connections between brain cells (synapses)

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
3. Improve your diet 4. Improve your blood pressure

✘ Good nutrition can help your ✘ High blood pressure in midlife increases
mind as well as your body. the risk of cognitive decline in old age.
You must take a care to your body.

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
5. Improve your blood sugar
✘ Diabetes is an important risk factor for
dementia. You can help prevent
diabetes by eating right, exercising
regularly, and staying lean. But if your
blood sugar stays high, you’ll need
medication to achieve good control.
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6. Improve your cholesterol
✘ High levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol are
associated with an increased the risk of
dementia. Diet, exercise, weight control,
and avoiding tobacco will go a long way
toward improving your cholesterol levels.
 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
7. Consider low-dose aspirin 8. Avoid tobacco

✘ Low-dose aspirin may reduce the ✘ Avoid tobacco in all its forms.
risk of dementia, especially
vascular dementia.

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
9. Don’t abuse alcohol 10. Care for your emotions
✘ Excessive drinking is a major ✘ People who are anxious, depressed, sleep-deprived,
risk factor for dementia. If you or exhausted tend to score poorly on cognitive
choose to drink, limit yourself to function tests. Poor scores don’t necessarily predict
two drinks a day. an increased risk of cognitive decline in old age, but
good mental health and restful sleep are certainly
important goals.

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 12 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR BRAIN YOUNG
11. Protect your head
✘ Moderate to severe head injuries, even
without diagnosed concussions, increase
the risk of cognitive impairment.
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12. Build social networks
✘ Strong social ties have been associated with
a lower risk of dementia, as well as lower
blood pressure and longer life expectancy.
 11 Best Foods to Boost Your Brain and Memory

✘ Fish
✘ Coffee
✘ Blueberries
✘ Turmeric
✘ Broccoli
✘ Pumpkin Seeds
✘ Dark Chocolate
✘ Nuts
✘ Oranges
✘ Eggs
✘ Green Tea
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 11 Best Foods to Boost Your Brain and Memory

FATTY FISH COFFEE

- It is often on top of the - It can help boost your
list. It is a rich source of alertness and mood.
omega-3s.

BLUEBERRIES TURMERIC
- It is packed with - It has an active
antioxidants that may compound curcumin that
delay brain aging and has a strong anti-
improve memory. inflammatory and
antioxidant benefits.

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 11 Best Foods to Boost Your Brain and Memory

BROCCOLI DARK CHOCOLATE

- It contains numbers of - It contains few brain-
compounds that have boosting compounds.
powerful antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory effects.

PUMPKIN SEEDS NUTS

- It contains powerful - It can improve your
antioxidants that protect heart, and having a healthy
the body and brain from heart is linked to having a
free radical damage. healthy brain.

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 11 Best Foods to Boost Your Brain and Memory

ORANGES
- It contains vitamin C that
can defend your brain
against damage from free
radicals..

GREEN TEA
- It can boosts brain
EGGS function.
- It contains nutrients that
are important for proper
brain functioning and
development, as well as
regulating mood.

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