"Late development of the frontal cortex in teenagers" or "Why does my teenager act brain-dead sometimes?"

Anyone who is the parent of a teenager has undoubtedly at times searched their memory to identify any incidences of dropping them on their heads as infants. What else could possibly explain their behavior? I'm convinced my own teenager, must have played bumper cars with the kitchen cabinets using his head (all on his mother's watch of course).

Turns out there's a perfectly valid reason that teenagers act the way they do. To understand it, we have to understand a little about evolutionary brain development.

Inside our skulls is a story of our evolution displayed the pigment of neurons (nerve cells) and their connections. Three distinct layers of brain structures trace a history of brain development. The "Reptilian Brain" which mainly consists of the brain stem. The "Mammalian Brain" which consists of mainly the Thalamus (a sensory relay station) and the Limbic System which is the seat of our emotions. Finally is the "Neocortex" or "new brain" which is where we humans come in. In this Neocortex the biggest portion (and the part that separates us from the "beasts of the field") is the Frontal Lobes. All of your executive reasoning, logic, and planning takes place in these frontal lobes.

From the time we are conceived till adulthood, our brain development retraces our evolutionary trail. Before and at birth, the reptilian brain is developed first, which controls our heart rate, breathing, digestion and an array of primitive reflexes for our protection and survival. With parent interaction comes the development of the mammalian brain with regulation of emotions, and non-verbal communication. The next step is walking and talking and development of the neo-cortex which continues and is refined throughout our lives.

Herein lies the rub, dear readers. Seems that the frontal lobes don't fully finish maturing until early to mid 20's. Which means a teenager is like a jet fighter plane, with a full tank of jet fuel (hormones) and the pilot is asleep at the wheel.

So the next time your teenager does something that makes you swear they were dropped on their head, respond with a little patience that only a fully developed frontal lobe can provide.

Myths, Misconceptions, and Options in ADHD

ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, has become an all too common diagnosis these days. In fact, according to the CDC, nearly 1 in 10 children (9.5%) had been diagnosed with ADHD in 2007. With the diagnosis growing at a rate of 5.5% per year on average, the number of cases is well above that today. Unfortunately, that increase in incidence has not been followed by an increase in understanding of the disorder, and there are still many myths and misconceptions concerning the causes and available treatments.

The first myth is that ASD's (Autism Spectrum Disorders) are a purely genetic disorder. Up till now, most research into ASD has been directed at finding the genes involved in the hopes of developing more effective treatments. Some progress has been made in this area and genes controlling development of dopamine regulating systems in the brain have been implicated as part of the problem, but no definite "smoking gun" gene, or set of genes, have been found as yet. Furthermore, the dramatic increase in cases we have today would tend to discourage the idea of a purely genetic cause.

Another myth is that this epidemic increase is due to better diagnostic tools. However, a study in California showed that the increase in ASD cases could not be credited to better diagnosis alone and we needed to better identify the environmental factors involved.

Misconceptions abound as to what exactly is happening in the brain of these kids. What we can see on imaging is that there are certain parts of the brain that are under-developed and some areas that are over-developed, leading the unevenness in skills commonly seen. Some consider the problem to be a dopamine shortage in the brain, and this is the basis of the main form of current treatment, Methylphenidates (Ritalin and others). While the drugs are a useful tool in controlling the disorder, it is not a cure. These kids are on the drugs for years and their symptoms return once they are discontinued. Furthermore, prolonged use of them has been associated with unwanted side effects of growth suppression.

One theory that is gaining ground in the research is the idea of ASD's as a form of "Functional Disconnect Syndrome". In this model, there is a relative underdevelopment of connections in one hemisphere of the brain (usually the right in ADHD and Autism) and a corresponding over-development of connections in the other hemisphere. This leads to poor gross motor skills, focus, and reading facial emotions/eye contact (all relative right hemisphere functions) and normal or overdeveloped fine motor skills, attention to detail, and repetitive movements, actions or thoughts (all relative left hemisphere functions). The deficient gross motor skills explains the missed developmental milestones we often see in kids with these disorders such as sitting up, crawling, and walking. The overdeveloped left hemisphere explains the Savant Syndromes we sometimes see we see in autism.

This new theory of the mechanisms involved in ASD's is leading to new options for treatment of them as well. The brain grows and develops through sensory input. New treatment options based on this model include "multi-modal" brain stimulating exercises in the hopes of creating growth in the underdeveloped circuits of the deficient hemisphere. These "Hemisphere Specific Remediation" exercises focus on the deficient hemisphere only and can include motor/balance input, light and sound inputs, in addition to cognitive behavioral therapy. The initial results of research of these treatments are positive and encouraging.

As the ADHD/Autism epidemic continues to grow, it's good to know that science is starting to provide some answers to what is causing it, and providing some possible new options in treating it. As is the case in most things, being informed is the best defense for both our own families and society as a whole.

Daddy, I want to be like you!....

This was what my youngest child said to me the other day that got me thinking. How much of our children's reality is shaped by that of their parents?

Realities, yours and mine, are created by us, through our thoughts, words, and deeds. Our predominant thoughts, both conscious and unconscious, influence the words that we speak and the actions we take. So if I'm constantly thinking that people don't like me, I will tend to reflect this in my conversations and actions which in turn will cause others to not like being around me. Most people don't want to be around the "poor, pitiful, me's" of the world. Not for extended lengths of time anyway.

But how much of our reality effects and molds that of our children? Far more than we think or are comfortable with in most cases.

Behavior modeling has been well established as a primary influence in how our children behave. Children will do what we do and act how they see us acting regardless of what we tell them to do. So if you don't want your children to belch loudly after a meal in a public restaurant, you shouldn't do so at home. Because chances are, they are going to do so when your boss or your pastor is sitting in the booth next to yours.

This also goes for our speech as well. You smash your finger and utter a word they've never heard in their lives and they choose that word repeat over and over every time you're in public for the next week. They do the same thing internally (subconsciously) when you tell them they are "getting chunky", "goofy looking", or "stupid", and this shapes their self image for the rest of their lives.

A parent's thoughts would not seem to be high on the list of potential problems for their children. However, recent research into epigenetics shows that the stress levels of the parents, profoundly effect the genetic expression of their children's ability to handle stress. So how you handle stress not only effects you and your health but effects your children's genetic expression and ability to handle stress in their lives. This has profound implications for our children's lives.

Ghandi said we have to "be the change we want to see in the world" and this applies to our own children as well. We need to change the way we create our realities through our thoughts, words and deeds to help our children change theirs. We can do this by controlling our Thoughts, Words and Deeds.

1. Thoughts: Thoughts and their attached emotional responses can be controlled through Mindfulness Training and Breathing Exercises.
   
2. Words: Be more mindful of how we talk to ourselves and our children. The purpose of Mindfulness training is to enhance our emotional control so we don't speak on our feelings before we think about them.
   
3. Deeds: Lead by example in how we respond to stress. Get yourself and your children checked for Subluxations by your Chiropractor to reduce the effects of stress on you and them. This one thing effects all the other efforts as well.

The time to do these things ideally would be before conception but anytime is a good time to start changing you and your children's reality.

The Good News and the Bad News...

In the field of Neuroscience recently, there is good news and bad news.

The good news, according to Barbara Strauch, ( author of The Secret Life of the Grown Up Brain, and the health/medical science editor for The New York Times ) is that at middle age we have the BEST brains of our entire lives. The bad news is that our lifestyle choices are robbing us of it.

Barbara Strauch recently spoke at Stanford University about how changes to the middle aged brain make it the best brain of our entire lives. This may sound counter-intuitive to those of us who can't remember where they put their keys or what they were going to do in the first place. Yes, levels of neurotransmitters are lower and short term memory starts to have problems. However, in cognitive tests, 40-60 year old people did better than their 20 something year old counterparts on the most important functions. In the areas of inductive reasoning and problem solving, social expertise and financial judgments, the middle age brain does much better. In those at middle age, experience has shaped their brains to be better at sizing up situations, people, and making better decisions. Experience counts and most especially in these areas.

Now for the bad news. For most people in America, our lifestyle choices are robbing us of the best brain of our lives.

The American diet has created a nation of overweight people. Over one quarter of the US population can be considered obese according to the CDC. Obesity has recently been linked with brain shrinkage and Dementia. Other recent news indicates that 1 in 10 people suffer from Diabetes in America and that number is predicted to be 1 in 3 by the year 2050. Hypoglycemia has been associated with losses of declarative memory (places people and things), and insulin resistance has been associated with Alzheimer's.

Our sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise has been implicated in both increased diabetes and decreased brain function. According to brain scientist John Medina, exercise increases brain function and learning in every way we know how to measure it. Exercise not only increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain, but it has been shown to work as well as SSRI's (Prozac ect.) for depression.

Finally, our stress levels and inability to deal with stress are a major factor in brain degeneration. Stress levels are at all time highs in the US and have been associated with decreased learning along with hippocampal volume (the part of brain responsible for learning). Our Sympathetic Nervous System, or our "fight or flight" system, is designed to quickly aid us in fighting, or fleeing from,a perceived threat (real or otherwise) and then shut down to allow the Parasympathetic system to digest food and heal the body. Our Sympathetic System reacts the same to a deadline at work as it does to a tiger trying to eat us. The problem is that the former situation is much more common, and in today's society these constants stresses keep our Sympathetic System ON constantly. This not only doesn't give the body time to rest and repair itself but degenerates the body as well as the brain.

So what do we do to claim the full promise of our middle aged brains?

Simple;

1. Eat a healthy diet to maintain a healthy body weight and decrease your chances of diabetes. A good general diet with foods low on the glycemic index along with portion control will accomplish both of these tasks.
   
2. Get out and exercise. As little as 30 minutes a day is enough to claim most of the benefits to brain and body. Running, walking and other various exercises (without weights) are all you need.
3. Control your stress. Breathing and mindfulness exercises work great for this. As little as 10-20 minutes a day to start is fine.
   

Taking these simple little steps can make the difference between a healthy middle aged brain and standing in your living room trying to remember what you came in there for.

"SPONTANEOUS THOUGHT IS A HIGHER COGNITIVE FUNCTION" or why my 3rd grade teacher was wrong about me....

I was like any other 3rd grade boy. I spent most of my day engaged in daydreaming about a whole range of things. From why Yoda sounded so much like Kermit the Frog, to new ways to capture and torture the local insect population for my sport and pleasure. But this third grade boy had a problem. My teacher just happened to have grown up with, and was still best friends with, my grandmother. Therefore, I was the recipient of the special attention that comes from a personal connection, a genuine affection and caring for the outcome of my academic career. In my eyes, it meant that I didn't get away with anything.

Anytime I wasn't performing to my perceived academic ability, my grandmother knew about it before I even walked in the door from school that day. My grandmother would then attempt to stimulate my brain by applying a belt to my backside. This generally worked well and served to curtail my classroom 'spontaneous thought' excursions.

Recently, there has been a lot of research into exactly what the brain is doing during these daydreaming sessions. There are generally believed to by 2 types of thought, goal directed thought and spontaneous thought. Goal directed thought is used in active problem solving, such as those math questions like,"if a train left New York traveling to California at 50mph, what is the price of eggs in China?" Goal directed thought is linked with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the rostrolateral prefrontal cortex. These are executive centers of the brain and the seat of executive function. Spontaneous thought happens when the executive centers quiet down and the "default network" along with areas in the temporal lobe fire up. Default network regions lie largely along the midline of the brain and include, most prominently, the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices, the precuneus and the posterior parietal lobule. This default network, combined with the areas of the temporal lobe, constitute a significantly larger area of brain real estate than what is active during solving the math word problem.

So when my 3rd grade teacher assumed I was mentally lazy because I daydreamed a lot in her class, she was wrong. I was actually using more of my brain than the girl sitting next to me who always knew the answer to that stupid math word problem.

These areas used in spontaneous thinking are also active in creative problem solving, and the brain will actually dampen other brain activity just prior to the moment of insight. (kinda like blocking out noise so you can think) So the best way to come up with a creative solution to your problem, is to research all your facts, and then go for a walk and daydream.

Now my third grade teacher has long since passed away, but I can still hear her voice in my head calling me back to the task at hand sometimes. I loved her dearly and I'm deeply appreciative of the loving attention she gave me and my academic career. However, in this instance, I was actually doing a good thing by daydreaming in her class. Besides who actually travels to California by train these days?

Christoff, K., Gordon, A. M., Smallwood, J., Smith, R., & Schooler, J. W. (2009). Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106 (21): 8719-8724

Christoff, K., Gordon, A. & Smith, R. (in press). The role of spontaneous thought in human cognition. In: Neuroscience of Decision Making (Eds: O. Vartanian and D.R. Mandel). Psychology Press.

Christoff, K., Ream, J.M. and Gabrieli, J.D.E. (2004). Cognitive and neural basis of spontaneous thought processes. Cortex, 40: 623-630.

The 'Singularity' of You

A singularity is what physicists call the Big Bang. A point (.) at which time and space and all things therein were one infinitely dense point. You too were once a singularity of one cell before you began to develop into the “you” of today. You may not have been “infinitely dense” until many years later ;-), but you started from a single unit just as the universe did. Right after the Big Bang the universe rapidly expanded and cooled and began to form stars, planets, and galaxies. Right after the “little bang” you grew quickly from one cell to trillions of cells differentiated into different tissues and organs. Consequently, the periodic table of elements which form the compounds that make up your tissues and organs, ultimately came from the after debris of those first stars that formed and then went supernova after the Big Bang.

During the formation of the stars, planets and galaxies, if any one factor of the physics equations that controlled the development of these bodies was off, it would have profoundly effected the development of the universe as we know it. During your development, there are numerous factors that profoundly effect your development as well. Such as the diet, stress, age and overall health of your mother.

Earth itself is a single planet comprised of millions of individual life forms that evolved from the initial star dust elements that happened to comprise it. You are a single organism comprised of over 3 trillion individual cells as well as millions of beneficial flora in your gut that help you to digest food and provide nutrients. Just as you will suffer if you are subjected to toxins and byproducts of industrial production, so to will the earth if we continue to subject it to the byproducts of our comfort. If we can't respect our own bodies enough to take care of them (as shown in our national state of health), how can we ever respect the planet we live on enough to take care of it?

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” ~ Ghandi

I am.....therefore I think....the basis of human consciousness and cognition

Everyone has heard the saying, "I think, therefore I am", also known as, "Cogito ergo sum". This saying, attributed to René Descartes, became a foundational element of Western Philosophy. The simple meaning of the phrase is that if someone is wondering whether or not he exists, that is in and of itself proof that he does exist (because, at the very least, there is an "I" who is doing the thinking).

Modern neuroscience research is turning this idea in reverse. Modern research suggests that a perception of self, in the form of proprioceptive input from the body, is the basis of higher cognitive function.

"In recent years, it has become evident that neuronal rhythmicity and its consequence, ensemble neuronal oscillation and resonance, are deeply related to the emergence of brain functions. Prominent in these studies was the linking of high-frequency oscillations (in the domain of 25-50 Hz) with sensorimotor and cognitive functions."

Brain waves are the readings of electrical activity in the brain. As neurons turn on and off they create electrical activity that can be perceived from electrodes attached to the skull. Most animals earlier on the evolutionary scale have more high frequency components, while mammilian brain waves were shifted toward the lower frequencies.

These brain waves have been implicated in the development of cognitive functions such as visual perceptions, attention, learning and memory. These oscillations support the functions of consciousness.

The basis of these oscillations comes from pacemaker cells in the intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus in the brain. The thalamus is the sensory gateway that processes most sensory information and relays it to the cortex of the brain. The pace of these intralaminar nuclei are set in part by input from the cerebellum and second order dorsal column nuclei transmitting information from slowly adapting receptors. Primarily muscles spindel receptors (from postural muscles) and joint mechanoreceptors from the spine.

In other words the proprioceptive input from the body sets the frequency of brain wave activity and the basis of human cognition.

Therefore it's actually your perception of your own body (conscious and unconscious) which sets the basis for human consciousness and cognition.

If you are not in tune with your body, your mind will suffer and so will you.