Final reflection

February 15 / 2018

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Reflection skills

This will be the final entry I will be writing for this blog regarding my personal project, which means that this will be my very last reflection based on my process and my performance during this past months.

The very first thing I would like to outline is the fact that I believe this blog (process journal) helped me a lot regarding my organization skills, because everything I did, I would record it here, and during the process of writing my final report (which occurred today) that came to help me a lot. 

One thing I believe did not help me during my process was the work plan I did during stage A of the personal project, I come to say this because in my work plan, I set objectives to be met at certain random dates, but when I set those dates I did not take into account that I also had other very important commitments that were unrelated to the personal project, which means that there were a lot of times in which I was not able to meet up to the dates I had set a long time ago, which would result in me stressing out, and falling behind on my plan. So, instead of following my work plan, and doing everything it told me to do, I decided to do those tasks I had the will and the time to do based on the time frame I had available to me at the time.

I have to say the method I used regarding my organization and my plan was not ideal, but it turned out to work for me, and without having to constantly worry about meeting deadlines I came to be more productive and a lot more efficient. 

Regarding my performance in stage B, I must say it was as optimum as I could have expected it to be. I am saying this because during that stage, I planned everything about my final product on detail, I set all the topics I wanted to talk about, and did some superficial research on all of them in order to be prepared when the time of writing their final definitions for my book came. 

I also applied what I had learned during my design class and came up with three different cover ideas for my book, which eventually resulted in me merging two cover ideas and creating one that I personally like very much.

The process of writing my book was quite unique, and I am not saying that because the process was perfect, but rather because it was lousy. My book was written during the short period of hardly a month. And during that month, I worked on it as hard as I had ever worked on anything else in my entire life, I would spend days dedicated to it, and sacrificed a lot of sleep hours because of it. Furthermore, I must outline the fact that the process it took for me to write one final definition was long and exhausting, that is because there were some days in which I did not know how to write what I wanted to say, and others in which I could sit down and write for hours, which basically means that I did not follow a pattern nor a plan while writing my book, I would just write whenever I felt like it about whatever topic I felt an interest on at the moment. But for as much of a challenge as creating my book was, I wouldn't change anything about it because it was unique, and I really enjoyed it.

A person I have to mention in this entry is Lizbeth (my supervisor), because even though we had few meeting and almost no contact at all during my process of writing the book, I must outline that she was a very good supervisor in the way that any doubt I had, she was always there to help me answer it, and whenever I felt stressed and overwhelmed, she helped me in the process of calming my self down. So even though she was not my first choice of supervisor (because my first choice was fired at the end of 8th grade), I now believe that she was always the best choice of supervisor, even though I was not able to see it at first.

And finally, I find myself in the obligation to state that even though some may not see it in the same way as I do, the personal project is a great exercise that helps us grow as independent and efficient human beings. It helps us develop great unthinkable things, for example in my case, I did not consider myself able to write a book about the brain, but turns out I am, and I came to realize this thanks to this project, and the help of my supervisor Lizbeth.
During this process I also learned to do things based on my own initiative, and not based on something a teacher tells me I have to do, which helped me become more independent, and capable of working on my very own.

Preparation for the final report

February 8 / 2018

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Critical thinking skills

In order to prepare for the upcoming task of writing the final report of my personal project I will be doing certain things that I should have done some time ago but was either not able to find the time to do so, or I simply forgot about them.

The first thing I will be doing is adding the approaches to learning I came to use during the making of certain old entries that do not have any approaches to learning identified because back then, I did not know they had to be included in every single entry. It is important that I do this because in the final report they will be asking for evidence of the use of various approaches to learning throughout the course of the personal project.

The second thing I will do is taking a deep look at all my entries and deeply analyze them in order to entirely understand my process and my actions throughout the development of my project.

I will also be pre-selecting those entries that I would like to use as annexes during the final report that are basically used as evidence.

My final book

February 5 / 2017

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Critical and creative thinking skills

This entry is all about the final product that came to create during the process of my personal project. The name of my book is "The Brain" and it is about the different parts of the brain and the way in which they all work. 

The process of writing this book was very long and challenging because as I have already mentioned previously, I did not expect the brain to have as many complex parts and sub parts that would emerge from everywhere. The process was also very long because there were times in which I could not gather myself to write, which would stress me out, and eventually resulted in me not being able to work because of the stress that emerged from me on not knowing what to write.

Furthermore, for as much of a challenge as it was, it was an enriching experience that resulted in me creating a book about the brain that makes me very proud of myself.

The following are some pictures of the final printed book.

Criterion D - Step 2

February 3 / 2018

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Reflection skills because I am reflecting back to what I was able to learn and comprehend during the process of developing my product.

How has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the topic of your product/outcome?

It helped me and taught me a great variety of things about the parts of the brain itself and all of their different functions because as I have already mentioned in previous entries, I literarily knew barely nothing about the human brain, my limited knowledge was based on some stuff I had read on some books I own. Meaning that this project helped me learn a lot about the brain and understand were some of our most vital functions and actions are coordinated and carried out.

How has completing the personal project extended your knowledge and understanding of the global context you have chosen?

It helped me comprehend basically what the Identity and relationships global context was based upon because I studied the global context with an emphasis on how the brain aids in the achievement of mental health, this means I got to simplify the variables of the global context and understand how it is mainly about the way in which your identity is developed through different situations or in my case organs and the way in which you get to form relationships with other people.

Criterion D - Step 1

February 2 / 2018

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Reflection skills because I was able to look back to my actions and precisely analyze my product and give it a grade based on my criterion table.

According to Lizbeth's blog, the first step to be done in the criterion D process is to give yourself and your final product a number of grades based on the criteria you set previously on your criterion table. 

Regarding esthetics, I believe my book deserved an 8 because the circuits present in the front cover make it very attractive to the eye, as well as the pictures and the fun facts present in the inside on the book, and as demanded by the criterion table, there are no manufacturing errors whatsoever. 

In cost, I would say I deserve an 8 as well because the minimum price I set for the book was 60,000 pesos, and the value turned out to be 70,000 pesos, meaning I over achieved the set investment price.

In the user or recipient criteria my product receives a 7 because I tested it on 5 subjects with diverse ages and they all understood the book, however it is impossible to be absolutely certain that every person who reads it is able to understand what it is I am talking about.

In function, the book will receive a grade of 8 because according to pages, it does not hold any grammatical error, it talks about everything I previously proposed myself and organizes the different topics in a proper way that provides an easy access to the desired definition.

Materials used in the making of the book deserve a grade of 8 because it comes with a hard cover and satin paper that provide the book with a very high quality that will aid in it's endurance.

Size and content of my book deserve an 8 as well because every specification set in the criterion table came true with the book, for example measurements were precisely the same and I overachieved the minimum page number which was 25, and I ended up with a total of 52 pages.

The impact my book has on the audience deserves a grade of 7 because as I previously mentioned before, it is well explained and easy to understand by all the subjects I tested, however, it is yet to soon to tell if all readers will be able to comprehend what it is trying to teach.

Reflection stage C (taking action)

February 1 / 2018

Stage: D) Reflecting

Approaches to learning: Reflection skills because I am looking back to my process during the action stage and considering what went well and what didn't.

Now that I have finished my final product, I believe it is time for a reflection. First of all, I must say I am very proud of myself and of the fact that I was able to complete my book with all of the topics I wanted to cover, because to be honest, in those moments in which I didn't know how nor what to write, I didn't think I would make it.

I must say, the planning of all the parts of the brain I wanted to write about in my book helped me quite a lot because they served as small reminders of the basic functions and guides in order for me to properly formulate the explanation. However I noticed that some where more complete compared to others, and I blame that on the rush and pressure I felt because I knew I had to start writing my book as soon as possible due to the fact that I was running out of time. 

Furthermore, I did have to extend the research I had previously done when writing the final explanation because I found that the information I had was just not enough, so, I expanded my research, and got to learn a lot more.

Regarding sources, there were some very good sources and some terribly awful ones, amongst the good ones that helped me a lot were medical news today and spinal cord because they were very complete and explained very well so I was able to properly understand what they were talking about. The terrible sources that I could not stand were radiopedia and science direct, I hated radiopedia because it explained terribly and offered a very small amount of information, I did not like science direct for the exact same reasons as radiopedia and because the web page itself was very hard to handle.

Over all, I believe my performance in the taking action stage was very good because I was efficient and recorded the whole process of writing the final explanations in my blog.

Criterion C - Demonstrating communication and social skills - Step 3

January 31 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Critical thinking skills because I was able to look back to my process during criterion c and consider consequences and choices I made.

Communication with experts and how their advice  informed the creation of your product/outcome

During the process of writing my book I spoke to one specialist in pediatrics, Dr. Javier Mejia, however I did not make anymore interviews because I believe they made no contribution whatsoever to my final product due to the fact the any doubts I could have regarding the human brain, I had no time to ask for an appointment and consult my doubts with an specialist, in my short timed case, Google was quicker and a far more approachable solution. 

Communication with your supervisor and how their feedback informed the completion of your personal project

During the process of my personal project I had 5 meetings with Lizbeth (my supervisor), the very first meeting took place the 30th of August in 2017, back then, I was still working on the old theme, meaning that whatever it is we discussed, it did not help me in the development of my final product about the brain. My second meeting with Lizbeth was on September 8th, that was the meeting in which I told her I no longer wanted my project to be about gout but about the human brain instead, she told me it would be a lot more fun to  create interactive games about the brain rather than writing a book, however I really wanted to write something, so here idea of the games was forgotten. My third meeting with Lizbeth was on October 4, in that meeting she just asked me to catch up as soon as possible. The fourth meeting with Lizbeth took place on November 8th, just like in the previous meeting, she took a look at may blog and congratulated me for being so organized, she asked me to hand in the criterion table as soon as possible. Finally, the 5th meeting took place before going on December vacations, in that meeting she advised me to further decorate my blog and what should be present in some entries in order for them to be complete.

How have you read a variety of sources for information on your personal project

During my project, I got to read and consult 65 sources in total, even though they should have been different types of sources I am sad to say only around 4 of them all were not Google. So in conclusion, even though most of my sources were online, they are all good and legitimate sources.

How have you made inferences and drawn conclusions

When talking about the human brain, it is impossible to know it all, so I obviously made conclusions based on some facts and pure logic provided by the different sources I got to consult. For example, in my book I wrote: "because if it weren't for its presence, some of our main human characteristics would be gone, and our "normal" behavior as we know it today, would be non existent" the past quote is an inference I made based on the information that was given to me about the temporal lobe.

Criterion C - Demostrating thinking skills - Step 2

January 30 / 2017

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Critical and creative thinking skills because I looked back to my process and got to identify problems I faced, the consequences to some of the choices I made and emitted judgements based on some of my actions.

Now that I finished writing my book (hence step 1), it is time to continue along with the criterion c steps in order to move along to the reflection stage, according to Lizbeth's blog (the personal project manager and my supervisor), step 2 of criterion c is answering and demonstrating the following questions in my blog:

Problems you encountered and how you critically and creatively solved these problems

The biggest problem I encountered during the process of developing my personal project was the theme change I had around september because the theme I used to have, no longer interested me, so I changed it to one I considered more interesting. It was a very big problem because I got behind in a lot of tasks I should have done a long time ago, I solved the big problem through working very hard during extra hours and trying my best in order to be able to catch up to the dates, my solution worked well for me because I was able to work efficiently and finish on time.

Another problem I encountered was the fact that during the process of writing the final explanations of the parts of the brain for my book, around 3 documents erased themselves or just failed to properly save for whatever reason. The way in which I solved it was the most annoying and not nice way to solve that kind of problems; I just wrote the erased explanations all over again, however I find that problems of that category help me build my perseverance and hard working skills.

Skills you have developed as you created your product/outcome

During the creation of my final book as I mentioned previously, I developed mostly perseverance skills because I continued to work hard no matter the obstacles nor the lack on inspiration when writing. Another skill I got to develop greatly was the transference skill because due to the complexity of my product, I was forced to learn and comprehend about the parts of the brain at a very high speed and then managed to explain what I had just learned in my book.

How your prior learning informed the creation of your product/outcome

The prior information I had regarding the brain was very limited, meaning it did not influence much because most of the things written in the book I learned almost right before I got to write about them, however, I did find very useful my planning process because I wrote small facts about specific parts of the brain, and those small facts, helped me as guidelines to what I should be writing in the final explanation.

How your knowledge and skills have grown throughout the creation of your product/outcome

My knowledge about the brain got to grow impressively because as I previously mentioned, I knew barely nothing, meaning I went from knowing nothing, to having a significantly high amount of knowledge regarding the parts of the brain and their functions.

My skills themselves grew in the way that I learned to face problems and stress in a different way, for example, before this whole project, whenever I felt stressed out, I would stop working and literarily lie in bed until I got over the stress, now, I face the stress to forcing myself to work because I just did not have any time at all to feel stress, so I learned to just get over it. 

How have you designed improvements

My process of designing improvements was based on a pattern, I would first finish doing whatever it was I was doing, then, after I got all the inspiration out of me I would read and check the work once or twice, and if I were to ring any errors, I would fix them immediately because then I would forget about them.

References Stage C

January 28 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning:

December 16 / 2017

https://sharpbrains.com/blog/2006/12/18/what-are-cognitive-abilities/
https://www.spinalcord.com/frontal-lobe
https://www.thoughtco.com/brocas-area-anatomy-373215
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2265211/

January 3 / 2018

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313265.php

January 5 / 2018

https://www.spinalcord.com/temporal-lobe
https://www.thoughtco.com/temporal-lobes-anatomy-373228
https://www.brainhq.com/brain-resources/memory/types-of-memory/long-term-memory

January 7 / 2018

https://www.spinalcord.com/occipital-lobe

January 9 / 2018

https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/human-biology/neuron-nervous-system/a/overview-of-neuron-structure-and-function

January 13 / 2018

https://familydoctor.org/condition/hypopituitarism/

January 16 / 2018

cranial-nerves

January 18 / 2018

http://teachmeanatomy.info/neuro/structures/meninges/

January 23 / 2018

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/312628.php
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-the-limbic-system-in-the-brain-definition-functions-parts.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/275795.php
https://www.imaios.com/en/e-Anatomy/Anatomical-Parts/Epithalamus
http://brainmadesimple.com/thalamus.html
https://www.docneuro.com/hypothalamus-subthalamus-and-epithalamus.html
https://www.news-medical.net/health/What-does-the-Thalamus-do.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=123&v=IF8_82e9RmQhttps://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/amygdala.htm
http://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s4/chapter06.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-amygdala-definition-role-function.html

January 26 / 2018

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313295.php
http://www.human-memory.net/types_declarative.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2666075/
https://www.csuchico.edu/~pmccaffrey/syllabi/CMSD%20320/362unit6.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/corpus-callosum-anatomy-373219
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-pineal-gland/
https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/what-circadian-rhythm
http://upliftconnect.com/detoxify-your-pineal-gland/

January 27 / 2018

https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/caudate-nucleus#1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ6YB4674GQ
https://www.healthline.com/human-body-maps/putamen#modal-close
https://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/basalganglia.html
http://anatomyzone.com/anatomy-feed/globus-pallidus/

Parietal lobe final explanation

January 28 / 2017

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

PARIETAL LOBE: The parietal lobe is one of the four lobes of the human brain, it is located at the top of the cerebral cortex, behind the frontal lobe and above the temporal and occipital lobes, it is present in both brain hemispheres, meaning that the lobe has two separate regions. 

It is basically in charge of the perception of sensory information and it's interpretation, The sensory stimuli it receives comes from the 5 senses of our body (taste, smell, sight, hearing and touch) which the parietal lobe manages and comprehends in order to carry out responses for them.

The parietal lobe also aids in the localization of touch, a function that consists of your brain enabling the part of your body with which you are receiving the sensory information from, in order for you to only feel it there and not elsewhere in your body.

It also pairs with the occipital lobe and finds itself involved in the further processing of visual stimuli, for example, it assesses the shape and the location of whatever it is you are looking at. And it also contributes to one's sense of navigation, and mapping of the visual world.

Regarding coordination, the parietal lobe aids in the motor coordinations such as hand, arm, leg and visual movements. It also contributes to the coordination of one's attention, meaning that it controls where your mind goes to and what you should be paying attention to.

And finally, the parietal lobe contributes to the processing of language and in the process of assessing the relationships between numbers and objects you observe.

The parietal lobe is divided into a number of structures that all together contribute to it's function in the brain as a whole. First comes the post central gyrus, a region in charge of mapping the sensory information we perceive. Then comes the posterior parietal cortex, which plays a role in your coordination and attention. The superior parietal lobule aids in hand coordination and in your own  orientation. And finally, comes the inferior parietal lobule, another subdivision in charge of the processing of language and in the comprehension of visual stimuli such as face and body expressions. 

Damage inflicted to the parietal lobe can result in trouble comprehending maths, language and your ability to write and control your motor skills. As well as the understanding of your visual field.

Basal ganglia final explanation

January 27 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

CAUDATE NUCLEUS: The caudate nucleus is an important part of our brain that aids in the maintenance of homeostasis, it is a part of the basal ganglia, located near the thalamus, and it begins  behind the frontal lobe and curving back to the occipital lobe.

Regarding it’s functions, it aids in the processing and storage of memories, and when you find yourself in a situation you have already faced before, it consults the memories and advices you on what you should do next. Along with the thalamus, the caudate nucleus is also thought of controlling your communication skills.

PUTAMEN: The putamen is a part of the basal ganglia, it is located beneath the caudate nucleus and works along the nucleus accumbens, the globus pallidus, and the caudate nucleus.

It serves the functions of coordinating automatic performances such as baking a cake while singing your favorite song and in the process of limb movement via sending nerve signals to the thalamus, the brain stem and the motor neocortex that will further control the movements and sent the messages to carry them out.

The putamen seems to be affected by conditions such as Parkinson's disease (due to the fact that it may impair the putamen and result in it creating involuntary movements and tremors) and Huntington's disease.

When the putamen undergoes any harm, it can result in the formation of something known as the "restless legs syndrome", a condition that causes an intense urge to move the legs and their  involuntary jerking. It is treated through the elimination of caffeine from one's diet and getting enough sleep.

GLOBUS PALLIDUS: The globus pallidus is another component of the basal ganglia located inside the putamen at the base of the forebrain. 

It is basically a structure consisting of neurons that contain GABA neurotransmitters and receptors.

It is a relay center between the caudate nucleus, the putamen and the substantia nigra, in other words, the basal ganglia, this means it receives messages from all of them and sends them to the place in charge of their processing.

SUBSTANTIA NIGRA: The substantia nigra is a part of the basal ganglia found in the brainstem,  more specifically, in the midbrain. It is called that way due to the fact that it's name literarily states black substance.

The substantia nigra is made up of two regions, first, the substantia nigra pars compacta (it produces and holds high levels of dopamine neurons that give it it's particular black color because they produce a pigment called neuromelanin) and the substantia nigra pars reticulata (it holds and produces as well a high level of GABA neurons).

Limbic system final explanation part #2

January 26 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

CORPUS CALLOSUM: The corpus callosum is a part of the limbic system, it is located above the thalamus and under the forebrain. Interestingly, it contains over 200 million axons, and directly proportional to that, a very high myelin content.

It is the largest collection of white matter in the whole brain (white matter is the mass that permits communication between the different parts present in the brain), which is the reason why it's main function is allowing communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, it transmits motor, sensory and cognitive information via nerve impulses.

The corpus callosum is also involved in the maintenance and balance of arousal and attention, in the coordination of eye movement and vision (through connecting the occipital lobes that are in charge of vision), and in tactile localization.

The regions that divide the corpus callosum are the rostrum, the genu, the body and the splenium.
The rostrum and the genu are in charge of connecting the left and right frontal lobes.
The body and the splenium connect the right temporal lobe to the left temporal lobe and the right occipital lobe to the left occipital lobe (hence it's aid to vision).

When a person is born with an incomplete or an absolute lack of  corpus callosum presence, the person is undergoing a condition known as Agenesis of the corpus callosum (AgCC). The condition can develop due to a variety of options, the most common being chromosomal mutations and inheritance. Those that have the condition may have cognitive and communication disabilities as well as vision impairment, hearing problems, low muscle tone, distorted head and spasms. 

Researchers found that when encountering the lack of the corpus callosum, the brain develops new nerve connections between the hemispheres through rewiring itself, in other words, our brain is amazing and when it faces a difficult situation, it will do everything in it's power to overcome it.

PINEAL GLAND: The pineal gland (curiously known as the third eye) is an important component of the limbic system, it is located near the center of the brain between the right and left hemispheres. It's shape consists of a tiny pine cone of approximately 8 millimeters in humans, and it has sort of a reddish grey color.

The pineal gland is an endocrine gland (hence it's name) in charge of producing a hormone called melatonin. Said hormone plays an important role in human wake and sleep cycle that determines our hormone levels (due to the fact that there are certain hormones that are only secreted either when we are awake or asleep) and our stress levels.

The third eye paired with the hypothalamus is also in charge of regulating our circadian rhythms, in other words, our internal clock that determines the time at which we fell tired and the most energized.

It is surrounded by a layer of pia matter (it is the innermost layer of the meninges in charge or covering the brain and the spinal cord). The pineal gland consists mostly of astrocytes and pinealocytes, reason why it resembles the structure of nervous tissue.

HIPPOCAMPUS: The hippocampus is an important part of the limbic system, it is located at the center of the brain, in the innermost fold of the temporal lobe, and interestingly, has the particular shape of a sea horse.

It's most important functions are devoted to memory, first of all, it is in charge of the storage of long term memory, meaning that it takes the short term memories and converts them into the long term memories.

Due to the fact it stores memories, it is also able to recall them, meaning it also plays a role in declarative memory (also known as explicit memory, they are the memories that can be consciously recalled).

It also stores spatial memories which are those that involve the learning and comprehension of routes and pathways to your desired destination.

Diseases that affect the hippocampus and it's functions are; Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy (it is estimated that a 50 to 70 percent of people with epilepsy have a damaged hippocampus), depression and stress.

According to research, the hippocampus is directly affected by estrogen (which increases synaptic density). It is one of the few places of the brain where neurons are generated. And finally, scientists in Hong Kong have stated that the hippocampus also aids in the functions of vision, hearing and talking.

HABENULAR NUCLEI: The habenular nuclei is a part of the limbic system and as mentioned before, another subdivision of the diencephalon, but not just any subdivision, it is the very important nucleus. 

It's function consists of connecting the limbic system and the reticular formation of the brainstem (they are a set of interconnecting nuclei located in the brainstem).

MAMMILLARY BODY: The mammillary body is another part of the diencephalon, it is actually a  paired structure, which means there are two mammillary bodies, they are located near the inferior surface of the hypothalamus.

They are thought to be involved in memory and in the maintenance of one's sense of direction (research has shown that some cells in the mammillary bodies activate when an animal is looking towards a specific direction, meaning that it aids in navigation).

It is connected to the cerebral cortex, the thalamus and the hippocampus, it serves as a relay center between them, which means it passes information to and from the previously mentioned parts of the brain.

Limbic system final explanation part #1

January 23 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

LIMBIC SYSTEM: The limbic system is located right in the center of the brain, it contributes to  specific vital human functions such as emotions, memories and instincts. It's structure is based upon parts such as the hypothalamus, the amygdala, and the hippocampus amongst others.

HYPOTHALAMUS: First of all, we have the hypothalamus, a very important part of the limbic system, it is located in the middle of the brain along with other different parts such as the hippocampus and the amygdala, it’s exact location is right under thalamus. It's main functions consist of the production of hormones and the housing of hormone producers, it is involved in endocrine functions, and most importantly, it aids in the maintenance of homeostasis.

Regarding hormones, the hypothalamus is in charge of housing the pituitary gland, and together, they both aid the endocrine system in order for it to work at its best. The hypothalamus secrets hormones such as an anti diuretic hormone (it’s job is to increase the level of water absorbed into the blood by the kidneys), corticoprotin releasing hormones (that help regulate the metabolism and immune responses through releasing certain steroids), gonadotropin releasing hormones (they tell the pituitary gland to produce hormones that make sure the sexual organs are working correctly), the hormone and neurotransmitter oxytocin (involved in child labour and in the production and release of breast milk, sleep cycles and body temperature. It is released during sex, (specially during orgasms), lactation and childbirth), prolactin controlling hormones (they tell the pituitary gland wether to stop or continue breast milk production in mothers), and finally, thyrotropin releasing hormones (they are the hormones in charge of regulating the metabolism, and the energy levels).

In contributes to homeostasis though the hormones it secretes, when something in the body is not right and results in the alteration of homeostasis, the hypothalamus responds through releasing specific hormones into the bloodstream that will make sure the body regains it's stability, in other words, it's homeostasis back again.

Disorders present in the hypothalamus that alter it's ability to work correctly are known as hypothalamic diseases. The most common causes for this disease are radiation, tumors, surgeries or impacts to the head that affect the hypothalamus, some times the disease might be inherited, however it tends to happen very rarely. Symptoms include sensitivity to cold, depression, hair loss, constipation and lower mental capacity amongst others.

In order to support the proper functionality of your hypothalamus, you should include vitamin rich fruits and vegetables, vitamin C  and vitamin B to your daily diet.

THALAMUS: The thalamus is another part of the limbic system, it is a subdivision of the diencephalon (a part of the brain), it is located below the corpus callosum right in the center of the brain. It’s main functions consist of relaying motor and sensory sygnals to the cerebral cortex, as well as regulating sleep, alertness, some types of memory and wakefulness.

Regarding inputs, the thalamus is mostly in charge of receiving the sensory inputs from all around the body and then passing them down to the cerebral cortex where the inputs shall be processed, in other words, it is like a relay center for sensory inputs. The thalamus receives 98% of all sensory inputs coming from all around the body, the only sensory information the thalamus does not relay are the inputs related to smell.

The thalamus is made up of different parts (also known as thalamic nuclei), and each one is in charge of dealing with a specific type of information, some of the most important and distinct parts are; the anterior nucleus, it is located at the anterior part of the thalamus, and it is connected to the hippocampus and is thought to be involved in memory formation. The dorsomedial nucleus is involved in emotional behavior and memory. The ventral anterior nucleus and the ventrolateral nucleus are both thought to be involved in motor functions. The ventral posterolateral nucleus (also known as VPL) and the ventral posteromedial nucleus (also known as VPM) are both in charge of acting as relay nuclei for the somatosensory cortex. The lateral posterior nucleus is in charge of integrating the sensory input being received and associating it with cognitive functions. The pulvinar nucleus is involved in the processing of visual stimuli. The medial geniculate nucleus and the lateral geniculate nucleus are relay centers for auditory and visual information. And finally, the reticular nucleus is like a sheet that covers most part of the thalamus, it influences the activity of other nuclei present in the thalamus.

The thalamus is a very important part of the brain because if it weren't for it, the incoming sensory stimuli from the whole body would not be properly organized and then sorted out to the areas of the brain in charge of different specific functions, it would not be set up properly for further processing, meaning everything would literarily turn into a gigantic mess.

EPITHALAMUS: The epithalamus is a subdivision of a part of the brain known as the diencephalon, it also makes a part of the limbic system.

The function of the epithalamus is to connect the limbic system to other parts of the brain, it also aids in the secretion of melatonin (a hormone  produced by the pineal gland that inhibits melanin formation) and finally, in the regulation of emotions.

AMYGDALA: The amygdala is also a part of the limbic system, it is located at the end of the hippocampus in the medial temporal lobe, in a very wide description, it can be said to be an almond shaped set of neurons.

It is in charge of the way the body processes and responds to emotions, such as anger, sadness, and most importantly, fear. What the amygdala does is that it processes the memory of an experience (either happy or sad), and it stores the memory for future reference, and in the future when you experience the situation again, you will consult the memory and the amygdala will tell you the way in which you should act upon it.

Regarding fear, the amygdala is responsible for your memory of fear, meaning that if you take it away, you will no longer have the ability to be afraid of the things that are out of your control such as that one test or of the snake you just saw.

Many people might say they would rather live their life in a fearless way, without ever being worried about those tiny little things that tend to terrify and keep them from doing the things they would love to do but don't dare to, believe me, I have been there too. However those that say that, may not be entirely right, because even though a life in which you don't fear the tiny little things such as being embarrassed or encountering a spider, may not be the optimal form of life, why? because fear is one of the most important variables for self preservation, when we feel fear, we heighten our awareness in order to be able to protect ourselves or flee from imminent danger, meaning that fear is the reason why we are able to live as long as we do, because if it weren't present in our lives, we would jump of a cliff just to see what could happen without even thinking it twice, and possibly end up dead or badly injured. 

CINGULATE GYRUS: The cingulate gyrus a part of the limbic system, it is a fold that covers the corpus callosum, located between the cingulate sulcus and the corpus callosum sulcus. It is present in both brain hemispheres (right and left).

The cingulate gyrus is involved in processing emotions and in regulating behavior and autonomic motor functions, as well as emotional responses to pain, maternal bonding, decision making and communication.

It can be divided into the anterior and posterior segments, the anterior cingulate gyrus has connections with speech and vocalization areas in the frontal lobe (more specifically in Broca's area), and has connections with the amygdala as well.
The posterior cingulate gyrus plays a role in spatial memory, and just like the thalamus, relays some signals between the spinal cord and the brain.

Damage can result in emotional, cognitive and behavioral disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Meninges final explanation

January 18 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

During the process of writing this entry I was able to learn a lot of new things, such as exactly comprehending what meningitis is, because honestly, I knew something about it, but I did not know exactly why and how it happens.

MENINGES: The meninges are the three layers that cover the brain and the spinal cord, their names are the dura mater, the arachnoid mater and the pia mater, each one has a different function, however they all share the involvement in working with the cerebrospinal fluid to protect the central nervous system (CNS) from mechanical damage and providing a framework that supports the cerebral and cranial vasculature.

The dura mater is the outermost layer of the meninges, meaning that it is located right after the skull, it is a thick and inextensible material made up of two connective tissue sheets; the endosteal layer, involved in the lining of the inner surface of the cranium and the meningeal layer that lines the endosteal layer inside the cranial cavity.

Between the previously mentioned layers, there are somethings called the dural venous sinuses, and they are all responsible for the venous vasculature of the cranium, in other words, the blood flow around the cranium.

The arachnoid mater is the middle layer of the meninges, it is just a tissue that connects the dura mater to the pia mater, and it does not receive any blood flow.

Underneath the arachnoid matter there is a space known as the sub-arachnoid space, inside this space there is cerebrospinal fluid, and it’s job is to cushion the brain.

And finally, the pia mater is located under the arachnoid mater, meaning it is adhered to the surfaces of the spinal cord and the brain, it is very thin and it receives a lot of blood flow.

The meninges are a very common site of infection, and when you think about infections in the meninges you will probably think about meningitis, but what is meningitis? It's term refers to the inflammation of the meninges, often caused by pathogens. 

The response to the infection performed by the immune system causes something known as a cerebral oedema, it raises intra cranial pressure and causes repercussions such as cranial herniation (when a part of the brain is forced out of the cranial cavity), if something like this occurs to a person, then he or she will most likely end up dead. 

Cranial nerves final explanation

January 16 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

I found the process of writing this entry quite complex compared to other entries due to the fact that there was a lot of difficult terminology I had to deal with, however, I was able to finally comprehend and write this final explanation.

CRANIAL NERVES:  The cranial nerves are in charge of controlling a big portion of the motor and sensory functions of the head and neck, such as the perception of sight, smell, eye movement and felling in the face. There are 12 cranial nerves located in the human brain, and they all make a part of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Each cranial nerve is present in each hemisphere of the brain because they all come in pairs. Two cranial nerves originate from the cerebrum, and the other ten come from the brainstem.

The two cranial nerves that come from the cerebrum are the olfatory nerve (I) and the optic nerve (II). The olfactory nerve is in charge of sensing smell, an interesting fact is that it is one of the few nerves that are able to regenerate. And the optic nerve, as suggested by it's name, is in charge of caring visual information (or stimuli) from the retina present in the eye to the brain, meaning it aids in visual functions.

The nerves coming from the brainstem originate from different sections, for example, from the midbrain comes the trochlear nerve (IV), a motor nerve in charge of controlling rotational movement in the eyes.

From the midbrain-pontine junction comes the oculomotor nerve (III), it is in charge of controlling most of the movements the eye performs, the constriction present in the pupil and maintaining an open eyelid. 

From the pons originates the trigeminal nerve (V) it is responsible for the sensation and the motor functions performed by the face and the mouth. 

From the pontine-medulla junction come the abducens nerve (VI) a motor nerve in charge of the lateral movements of the eyes. The facial nerve (VII) controls the muscles involved in facial expressions and taste sensations perceived through the anterior two thirds of the tongue. And the vestibulocochlear nerve (VIII) is responsible for transmitting sound and balancing the information transmitted from the inner ear to the brain. 

Emerging from the pons, the vagus nerve (X) is involved in various tasks such as managing heart rate, gastrointestinal peristalsis, sweating and muscle movements in the mouth. The spinal accessory nerve (XI) is in charge of controlling specific muscles of the neck and the shoulder. The hypoglossal nerve (XII) basically controls tongue movements related to speech, food manipulation and swallowing.  And finally, the glossopharyngeal nerve (IX) receives sensory information from the tongue, the ear, the pharynx and the tonsils.

You may be wondering what the numbers present after the name of each nerve mean, they are all the nerve numbers, and what are they? basically the number of a nerve is the order in which they emerge from the brain, organized from the front of the brain to the back.

Pituitary gland final explanation

January 13 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

I found the pituitary gland to be very interesting

PITUITARY GLAND: The pituitary gland, also known as the master gland lies in the sella turcica (a small pocket of bone in the skull) located just behind the bridge of your nose, and connnected to your hypothalamus via the pituitary stalk. It is controlled by the hypothalamus via nerve stimulation.

It’s job consists of controlling the endocrine glands in the body, and secreting hormones that control sexual development, promote growth in the muscles and bones, respond to stress, and fight disease.

The pituitary gland releases seven specific hormones; first, the adrenocoricotropic hormone (ACTH), it is in charge of stimulating the adrenal glands that produce cortisol and other hormones that help your body cope with stress, the second one is the anti diuretic hormone that controls urine production, the third is the follicle stimulating hormone, in charge of stimulating sperm production in men and egg development and ovulation in women, the fourth is the growth hormone, which as suggested by it’s name is in charge of controlling bone and tissue growth, the fifth is the luteinizing hormone, that controls testosterone production in men and estrogen production in women, the sixth is prolactin, a hormone in charge of controlling breast development and the production of breast milk in women, and finally, the thyroid stimulating hormone stimulates your thyroid gland into making other hormones and regulating the body’s metabolism.

The pituitary gland is divided into three parts; the anterior, intermediate and posterior lobes. The anterior lobe is in charge of the proper development of the body, the intermediate lobe releases a special hormone that stimulates the cells that control skin pigmentation, and finally, the posterior lobe  produces a hormone that prevents dehydration in the body.

When the pituitary gland is going through something known as hypopituitarism it stops producing enough hormones, which could result in affected body functions. Something interesting about the pituitary gland is the fact that most problems with it tend to be related to benign tumors.

Brainstem final explanation

January 11 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

I enjoyed very much writing about this particular part of the brain.

BRAIN STEM: The brain stem is located at the base of the brain, above the spinal cord and below the cerebrum. It connects the cerebrum and the cerebellum with the spinal cord, which is the reason why it's white matter conducts nerve signals and controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body. It also holds three main structures; the midbrain, the pons and the medulla.

The midbrain, also known as the mesencephalon, is located above the other two regions of the brainstem, it also happens to be the smallest one of the three, and, it travels through an opening in the meninges. It serves as a relay center for visual, auditory and motor system information, one of the reasons why it plays such an important role in communication between the brain and the body, it also regulates autonomic functions such as digestion and heart rate.

The pons, is located right in the middle of the brainstem, between the midbrain and the medulla. It is involved in the transmission of signals to the brain and in the perception of the senses such as taste, and touch. It is also in charge of regulating breathing through a structure called the pneumotaxic center that controls the amount of air breathed and the rate at which the air is being breathed. Finally, it is in charge of deep sleep and of inhibiting urination through sending signals to the urethra and bladder in order for them not to expel urine.

The medulla, also known as the medulla oblongata is located at the bottom of the brainstem, it is responsible for controlling involuntary actions such as sneezing, coughing and vomiting, it also aids in the regulation of sustaining life functions such as breathing, swallowing and the rate at which the heart beats. Damage inflicted to the medulla is the hardest to fix due to it's involvement in all of the important functions the brain carries out.

Something very interesting about the brainstem is the fact that it is the most primitive area of the human brain, meaning that it has been around for quite some time. Also, 10 of the brain's 12 cranial nerves originate from the brain stem. Making it a very important and interesting portion of the brain.

Cells of the brain final explanation

January 9 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

NERVE CELLS: The nerve cells (also known as neurons) are in charge of receiving and transmitting electrical impulses and chemical signals to other neurons, muscles or glands, there are around 100 billion neurons present in the brain and 13.5 million in the spinal cord.

The neuron structure consists of a cell body (also known as the soma), where most of the neuronal proteins are synthesized, the soma  holds the nucleus and the dendrites which are the ones that are in charge of receiving and processing messages coming from other neurons. Emerging from the soma comes something known as the axon, a canal where  the message (also known as input) passes through, the axon also determines wether the message is worth passing down to the axon terminals or not. The axon is covered by a substance called the myelin sheath which makes sure the axon is well insulated and passes the nerve impulse rapidly. At the end of the neuron, there are the axon terminals (also known as synapses) , whose job is to make connections with the dendrites of another neuron in order to carry the information transmitted in the form of chemical messengers (called neurotransmitters) down to another neuron. 

There are four different types of neurons; interneurons, receptor, sensory, and motor neurons. They work with the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), together they all aid in the performance of movement are reflexes in the body.

First of all, come the receptor neurons that receive stimuli from the senses (sight, smell, touch, taste, and listening), they take up the signal and then transmits it to an interneuron through their synapse in order for the message to be delivered to a sensory neuron.

The sensory neuron's job is to carry the message all the way to the central nervous system (CNS) in order for it to be processed, once the stimuli has been processed it is sent to a motor neuron through an interneuron.
The motor neurons are those that will be telling your muscles which actions to perform based on the stimuli that has been delivered to them, for example petting a dog or picking up a banana.

The interneurons are those that connect one neuron to another, meaning they receive information from one neuron and transmit is to another, for example, they get information from a sensory neuron and transmit the message to a motor neuron. Interneurons are only present in the central nervous system (CNS)


GLIA CELLS: The glia cells are those that support in the functioning of the nervous system, they aid in the nourishment, protection and structural support of neurons, there are about 10 to 50 more glia cells than neurons in the brain.

There different types of glia cells in the nervous system, they are; astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, Schwann, ependymal and satellite glial cells.

Astrocyte cells help regulate blood flow in the brain, they aid maintaining the composition of the fluid that surrounds neurons, and the regulation of communication between neurons in the synapse, they also help nourish neurons. Microglia cells are in charge of removing dead cells, pathogens and other debris. Oligodendrocyte  and Schwann cells produce myelin (the insulating substance present in the axons of neurons). Ependymal cells are those that line the ventricles and secrete cerebrospinal fluid. And finally, the satellite glial cells, which cover the cell body of neurons, so in other words, they are like the barrier that protects the soma.

Final explanation of occipital lobe

January 7 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills

During the process of writing this entry I found the occipital lobe to be not as interesting as other parts of the brain such as the frontal lobe, it is just not as mysterious as I hoped it would be because it contributes mainly to vision and even though that function is vital and very important I guess I expected more from this lobe.

OCCIPITAL LOBE: The occipital lobe is located in the forebrain, precisely at the back of the head, under the parietal lobe and above the temporal lobe, it's main contribution to vital functions is the relationship it has with vision, regarding this function it performs a lot of different tasks that contribute to it.

First of all, it pairs with the dorsomedial stream from where it receives inputs related to vision, this inputs are raw visual data provided by the retina via nerve impulses, in other words, the relationship between the occipital lobe, the dorsomedial stream and the retina is the start of it all, after the occipital lobe has received the information it starts to process it and identifies the visual stimuli (meaning it classifies the image and determines wether it is a cat or an ice cream), 

Once the lobe has decided what the stimuli is, it begins to asses the stimuli's characteristics, such as how far away it is, it's size and depth, the color properties it possesses, and wether it is moving or not.

The occipital lobe also aids in reading comprehension and the mapping of the visual world.

Once the occipital lobe completely understands the stimuli, it transmits the information to the temporal and parietal lobes for further processing, it sends the message in the same way in which the retina sends the visual stimuli to the occipital lobe, via nerve impulses trough neurons (also known as nerve cells), that will deliver the message to the desired destination.

In case any harm is inflicted to the occipital lobe, there could be repercussions such as difficulties in recognizing familiar objects or faces and an increased vulnerability to seizures.

Final explanation of temporal lobe

January 5 / 2018

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference skills because I was able to gather all my current knowledge regarding the temporal lobe in order to be able to write this final definition.

I found the process of writing this entry a lot easier and simpler compared to the past two, it was a little bit hard to gather myself to write, but once I had started the words just started flowing out, I found the temporal lobe to be a little bit confusing because it has so much functions and a lot of different tasks, however once I consulted multiple sources and read them over and over again I was finally able to comprehend this important portion of the brain.

TEMPORAL LOBE: The temporal lobe is located in the cerebral cortex, in a simple description, it is located next to your ears, which is the reason why it plays a vital role in auditory processing, how? well, first, it perceives sounds such as speech or music, then it assesses their meaning through decoding them, and finally it stores them for long term memory in order for you to be able to remember that one special song or conversation.

The temporal lobe also aids in other vital functions such as the production of speech and the recognition of language, when thinking about it, these functions have a huge relationship with the job the temporal lobe does in auditory processing, because if you are unable to properly perceive spoken language, then it may not be possible for you to recognize the language you are being spoken in, and if you are not capable of recognizing the language, then, you won't be able to produce the speech required to answer.

Regarding visual stimuli, the temporal lobe also has a very important contribution to tasks such as interpreting the stimuli's meaning and setting the images up for long term memory. The process of interpreting visual stimuli mainly includes the recognition an object, however in order to be able to recognize an object you must first understand the image being received, and in order to be able to understand it you must obtain aid from the ventral part of the temporal lobe, this specific area of the temporal lobe is in charge of assigning meaning to things you tend to see on a daily basis, such as face recognition and body language amongst others. 

Another important function of the temporal lobe is the aid it provides in memory association and formation, with the help of the hippocampus and the amygdala, it takes the images and the sounds it previously received, processes them (meaning it comprehends and recognizes them) and then it stores such experiences for long term memory where you will be able to recall them whenever you fell like it (however the strength of a memory depends on how big of a role your senses had when recording that memory, meaning that the stronger the participation of the senses, the stronger the memory).

Within the temporal lobes, there is a very important structure called the limbic system, which basically holds the thalamus, hypothalamus and amygdala amongst others, meaning that it's contribution to the previously mentioned memory formation process is outstandingly great.

Even though the temporal lobe is only developed in vertebrates,  damage inflicted to it can result in difficulties comprehending language, recalling memories and maintaining emotional control. Consequences such as the previously mentioned ones are reasons why the temporal lobe is such an important part of the brain, because if it weren't for it's presence, some of our main human characteristics would be gone, and our "normal" behavior as we know it today, would be non existent.

Cerebellum final explanation

January 3 / 2017

Stage: c) taking action

Approaches to learning: Transference and affective skills because I was able to use the information I had on my head regarding the cerebellum twice, and I did not allow a step back such as blogger deleting everything stop me or my process.

During the writing of this entry I encountered a problem, blogger literarily deleted everything I wrote on this entry, meaning I had to to do it all over again, I am not going to lie, I am very annoyed at the fact that I saved the entry before exiting blogger, but apparently blogger could not manage to do a simple task; saving a file. After this obstacle I now know I have to make absolutely sure blogger manages to save my file, and in case it doesn't, I should add the information to my book even if the text is not ready yet. For the second time, I wrote the following:

CEREBELLUM: The cerebellum is a portion of the brain located at the back of the head, on top of the brain stem and below the occipital lobe. It is basically in charge of receiving information from sensory systems and then regulating motor movements.

It is very important because it makes up about 10% of the whole weight of the brain and it holds about half of the brain's neurons. If it weren't for the cerebellum, we would not be able to hold our balance or coordinate correctly. Other functions of the cerebellum include coordinating muscle functions, speech  and helping the body learn movements that require practice.

If a person presents a cerebellum disorder it will have symptoms such as headaches, difficulties walking and coordinating muscles.