How does our brain work and learn? (Top)
Author: Reader Huang Yuanhui, focusing on humanistic history, quality standards, intellectual property rights
Recommended reading list: "Stress Reduction Brain Science", "Exam Brain Science", "Understanding Brain Waves", "Grotesque Brain Science", "A Day in the Brain", "Feynman Learning Method", "Cognitive Awakening"
First, the science of the brain decompression
"Brain Science for Stress Reduction" and "Brain Science for Examinations" are both books written by Japanese people, both books are about brain science, which can be read in combination, and Fan Deng's reading will interpret both of them. One of the characteristics of books written by Japanese people is that they are very concise, easy to read, and highly practical.
The author of "Brain Science for Decompression" is Hideho Arita, a famous Japanese brain scientist, who is known as "the first person to study serotonin in Japan". She clearly tells everyone at the beginning of the book that human pressure cannot disappear.
She divides stress into two types, one is physical stress and the other is mental stress. Stress in the body is a kind of pressure brought about by various reactions in the body, such as sore throat, stomach pain, back pain, skin ulceration, etc. Mental stress is a kind of pressure brought about by various reactions from the spirit, such as not getting a promotion and salary increase for a long time, the tension between husband and wife, the child's poor grades, anxiety, depression, etc. The author believes that physical stress and mental stress will eventually be reflected in the brain, and in the end it is brain pressure.
Let's start with an experiment mentioned in the book. In the 1930s, Canadian physiologist Hans Selje first applied the concept of stress to the biomedical field. Selje found through the study of mice that people have a fairly consistent physiological response to stressful environments, and later he proposed the famous "stress and adaptation theory", so he is known as the father of stress theory.
Selje did a famous rat stress test experiment in which rats were repeatedly electrocuted with electrodes, and finally the rats died. After dissection, these mice all developed three conditions: first, stomach ulcer; second, thymus and lymph gland atrophy leading to low immunity; third, adrenal hypertrophy.
Selje believes that the above three conditions can also occur when people are under great pressure. When subjected to physical stress, what kind of reaction will occur somewhere in the body, and what disease will eventually be caused, this is the so-called "stress path".
So, our brains protect our bodies through a number of mechanisms. When stress persists, the pituitary gland produces a hormone called ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone), which stimulates the adrenal cortex. The specific mechanisms are as follows:
First, it starts with the thalamus of the brain and then passes through the cerebral cortex or limbic system to reach the paraventricular nucleus (i.e., the stress center) of the lower part of the thalamus. The paraventricular nucleus that receives "information" produces a hormone called CRH (adrenocorticotropic hormone releasing hormone), whose main role is to promote pituitary synthesis and release OFTH.
Second, ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex, causing hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex and promoting the secretion of cortisol (i.e., the stress hormone). A large amount of cortisol secretion can cause high blood pressure, diabetes and other diseases.
Evolutionary biology tells us that a short-term rise in cortisol is a kind of protection for the body, but if it is under pressure for a long time, cortisol is secreted in large quantities for a long time, which will cause many problems for the brain.
If too much cortisol is present in the body, it forces the body to preferentially transmit large amounts of glucose or fuel to the muscle parts because of the need to fight or escape. But correspondingly, the brain receives less nourishment, and the long-term consequence is that the brain's ability to learn, remember, and control stress will decrease.
Not only that, but too much cortisol can also lead to a decrease in synaptic connections between neurons, causing atrophy of the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that controls attention, decision-making, and social interaction, and its atrophy directly leads to our difficulty concentrating, the inability to make structured decisions, and the decline in social motivation. People with long-term high cortisol levels are also at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Hideho Arita divides the stress path into two types: one is the "physical pressure path", which refers to the downward pituitary gland from the lower part of the thalamus, and the other is the "mental pressure path", which refers to the suture from the lower part of the thalamus to the middle of the brainstem.
▲ Brain structure diagram, picture from the network
▲ Brain functional area, picture from the network
The brainstem is located in the deepest part of the brain, and its main function is to sustain individual life. The middle suture nucleus is located in the middle of the brainstem, and there are serotonergic nerves inside, which can release the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is closely related to psychiatric diseases.
Stress information is transmitted from the lower part of the thalamus to the midsea nucleus, thus weakening the role of the serotonergic nerves, and then there is depression and panic disorder. It can be said that serotonergic nerves are "special drugs" for the treatment of stress, and if the effect of serotonergic nerves is weakened, then it will cause mental diseases.
Experiments have found that animals also have mental stress. The scientist electrocuted one mouse, and the other mouse next to it was not shocked, but it saw its companions being shocked very painfully every day. After some time, scientists found that mice that had not been shocked also had stomach ulcers.
So, stress spreads. The Book of Han and the Chronicle of Criminal Law: "The ancients had a saying: If a person drinks in a full hall and weeps in the corner, then everyone is unhappy." "That's the physiological explanation of why we want to spread positive energy rather than negative energy."
However, humans have two unique types of stress compared to other animals:
The first category is the pressure generated by unhappiness. The most typical is road rage.
The second category is pressure due to not being properly evaluated. For example, we do a lot of things in the company, but we don't get positive incentive feedback from our superiors, and we will be stressed.
Hideho Arita mentions in the book that serotonin is a stress-regulating hormone in humans (including other animals) and its majority. Animals with low serotonergic nerves may also experience a stress outburst. By controlling the serotonin secretion of mice, scientists found that when the serotonin secretion of mice decreased, these mice would become more brutal and would attack their companions for no reason.
So, how do we regulate serotonin levels in the body to dissipate stress? Hideho Arita mentions two methods in the book:
One is to carry out rhythmic exercises, such as deep breathing, meditation meditation (zazen is actually a breathing rhythm movement), square dancing, etc., which improve the secretion of neurotransmitters in the body and help us effectively produce serotonin.
The second is crying therapy, crying and tears can also effectively regulate the neurotransmitters in the human body, tears must be revealed, not acted, or stimulated by external forces (such as peppers, mustard, onions, etc.).
All of these changes occur mainly in the premotor area of the brain, which is an important tissue for feeling and dissolving stress. Hideho Arita divides the brain into "three brains": "empathetic brain", "working brain", "learning brain".
Learning brain corresponds to dopaminergic nerves, corresponding to the pressure generated by the inability to get pleasure;
The working brain corresponds to norepinephrinergic nerves and corresponds to physical stress;
The empathetic brain corresponds to serotonergic nerves and corresponds to stress that cannot be properly evaluated by others.
The substances that convey information between the cells of the brain are called neurotransmitters, and dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, etc. are all neurotransmitters.
"If nerve cells are relay players, then neurotransmitters are the baton. Nerve cells have two kinds of protrusions - axons and dendritic protrusions. ”
"Nerve cells first receive information from dendrites, and then transmit the information to the end of the axon that uses the current signal nerve impulse, and the nerve impulse reaches the tip of the axon to release the neurotransmitter, which passes the information to the next nerve. The binding part of the nerve cells is called synapses. The nerve impulses of serotonergic nerves are spontaneous, released according to a certain pattern, and have nothing to do with other nerve stimulation. ”
What controls serotonergic neural activity? The answer is the cycle between sleep and wakefulness. The basic working principle of serotonergic nerves is as follows:
"Serotonergic nerves continuously release nerve impulses at intervals of 2-3 times per second when the brain is awake."
"But when a person goes to sleep, the frequency slows down. Once in deep sleep, the serotonergic nerves almost no longer release nerve impulses. In the morning, after the brain is awake, the serotonergic nerves return to a release frequency of 2-3 times per second. ”
Depression is also associated with serotonin. Hideho Arita said: "There are two types of depression: congenital depression caused by serotonin deficiency caused by genetic genes themselves, and acquired depression caused by insufficient serotonin caused by lifestyle habits. ”
"Congenital depression is commonly inherited in the family and is characterized by the recurrence of a depressed state and an agitated state. Acquired depression caused by lifestyle habits is currently increasing all over the world. ”
Now a drug for the treatment of depression is called SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor), a new class of antidepressants, the scientific name is serotonin reuptake inhibitors, meaning selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This drug is actually a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which is used to inhibit the activity of the serotonin agent, and to ensure the stability of the serotonin content in the body by inhibiting the activity of the serotonin agent, so as to treat depression.
Hideho Arita believes that if the serotonergic nerve can be activated continuously, changes will begin to occur in three months, and the effect will be obvious at six months. Here's how:
First, soak up the sun for 30 minutes in the morning;
Second, insist on doing 5-30 minutes of rhythmic exercise every day;
Third, serotonin can be converted to melatonin, which treats insomnia at night.
Serotonin can treat depression, but serotonin does not boost our immune system. What should I do if I want to improve my immunity? This is the need for crying therapy.
Hideho Arita also divides tears into three types: basic secretion tears; reflex tears; and emotional tears.
Hideho Arita believes that crying is better than laughing. "High-profile laughter also has the effect of activating the immune system, and this therapy is increasingly being used in medicine. Laughing and crying seem to be the opposite, and even tears are laughed out of laughter when laughing, but the two are similar in terms of brain function. Let the subject watch interesting video content, and when he laughs, look at the blood flow in the front exercise area, and find that the blood flow has increased. However, the increase in blood flow was relatively weak compared with when crying, and the time was shorter, and the data did not change much when crying. ”
"The confusion and nervousness of crying have improved, while the vitality has increased dramatically when laughing."
"The same can be decompressed, the difference is that crying is refreshing, laughing is spirit."
"According to the experimental results, the decompression effect of laughing is much smaller than that of crying. Judging from the degree of activation of immunity, the effect of crying is still greater than laughing. Of course, although the effect of crying is good, laughing is shorter than crying, and the physical and mental burden is smaller, which is more suitable for easy daily activity. ”
Hideho Arita suggested that everyone cry once a week.
Therefore, when the pressure is very high, we may wish to take the following approach to deal with it:
First, sleep and let the cerebral cortex get rested. In addition to what the author of this book mentioned, I also have a detailed introduction to this principle in the article "Why We Sleep and How to Eat", welcome to pay attention to it and review it.
Second, activate the cerebral cortex. When we sleep, the brain emits α waves, α waves are divided into fast waves and slow waves, and when we sleep, we appear α slow waves. Meditation and meditation can help us release α fast waves. It took Shakyamuni 6 years to find a way to reduce stress, which was zazen.
Third, tears.
At the end of the book, there is also an experiment - the back-slapping experiment. When you go to soothe a crying person and rhythmically pat him or her on the back, brain science experts monitor and find that both sides have a boost in serotonin. Therefore, when you express kindness and transmit positive energy to others, you can not only make others feel happy, but also feel happy yourself.
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