Teacher Cheat Sheet: Neuroscience, Study notes of Neurobiology

Download Teacher Cheat Sheet: Neuroscience and more Study notes Neurobiology in PDF only on Docsity! TEACHER CHEAT SHEET: NEUROSCIENCE  MAKING APPL IED EDUCAT IONAL NEUROSC IENCE EASY TO TEACH   • DESIGNED FOR THE " INS IDE OUT " CURRICULUM • PARTS OF THE BRAIN : PRE -FRONTAL CORTEX The pre-frontal cortex is the front-most portion of our brain and controls our logic , reasoning , decision making , and social behavior .  This is the last portion of our brain to be developed , and many neuroscientists now claim that it continues to develop into our late twenties . PARTS OF THE BRAIN : L IMBIC SYSTEM The limbic system is a complex system made up of multiple parts of the brain .  This is the system that is in charge of our basic emotions of fear , anger , and pleasure .  This is where our amygdala and hypothalamus are located (which we will talk about later on).   PARTS OF THE BRAIN :   BRAIN STEM /MIDBRAIN This portion of the brain mainly functions to control our automatic and "primal functions", such as temperature regulation , our senses , heart rate , and breathing .  DISCLAIMER : THESE ARE S IMPL IF IED EXPLANATIONS OF THE COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN OUR BRAINS   THIS CHEAT SHEET I S SPECIF ICALLY DESIGNED TO HELP TEACHERS UTIL IZ ING THIS CURRICULUM TEACHER CHEAT SHEET : NEUROSC IENCE MARY KATE DANIELS & SARA MIDURA , CERT IF IED IN APPL IED EDUCAT IONAL NEUROSC IENCE NEUROPLAST IC ITY Our brains have the capacity to be changed at any point in our life due to the amazing concept of Neuroplasticity . This is basically synonymous with malleability , and is perfect to teach our students that we can always learn new things and change the way we think . MYEL IN Myelin is the insulating sheath around an axon (two neurons that come together to make a neural connection , or a new "idea" we have learned).  Every time that we "exercise" that neural connection another layer of myelin is wrapped around it , creating a myelin sheath .  The more myelin we have around an axon , the stronger that connection is !  This is why "practice makes perfect", because every time we practice something we are making that connection stronger , just like building muscle . PRUNING Pruning is another way to say "getting rid of".  For these lesson plans , the need-to-know about pruning is that during the adolescent years our brains prune away about half of the neural connections that we have built since birth .  There are many connections that our brain recognizes that we don 't need anymore , so it gets rid of those to make room for the new ones we will make . NEUROHORMONES Neurohormones are quite literally the hormones found in our brains . Two major neurohormones to know for these lessons are Serotonin and Dopamine ,  They both do a lot for our bodies , but for these lessons it is important to know that Serotonin is a main contributor to our happiness and well-being , while Dopamine is largely responsible for our reward-motivated behaviors as humans . MIRROR NEURONS Mirror neurons are exactly as they sound : they are neurons in our brain that literally "mirror" the behaviors and emotions of others .  These are responsible for us feeling sad when we see others crying and yawn when we see someone else yawn ! " INS IDE OUT " SPEC IF IC In the film "Inside Out", that inspired and connected our lessons , there are specific terms that they use to explain functions and phenomenons in the brain .  These two are specifically utilized in these lesson plans , so to help here are some definitions . Core Memory : These are memories of extreme importance in one 's life that contribute to an aspect of one 's personality (i .e . Riley from the film has a core memory of the first time she played hockey , which contributed to her love of hockey). Island of Personality : Stemming from core memories , these "Islands of Personality" are key aspects of one 's personality (i .e . Riley has a "Hockey Island")