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.
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