BDNF--Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor--is a key growth hormone. It protects the structure and integrity of our neurons, enables our neuroplasticity--that's our ability to create new neural maps, and promotes neurogenesis--our ability to grow new brain cells. By creating new pathways…
"As the world has sped up and become more efficient, we have the luxury of time in which to think, reflect, ponder, stew, and even fester. how I define me derives from a story I constantly tell myself, and the…
How we focus our attention determines the neural maps we reinforce in our brains. It is the basis of neuroplasticity--our inherent gift of transformation. Daniel Siegel notes in Mindsight "Some days we lean towards chaos--life feels unpredictable and out of…
"At Standford University, the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, under the direction of Neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty is doing studies and conducting courses that show that compassion and altruism can be cultivated through disciplines and practices that…
It's proven we can wire neutral events to fearful responses. Ex: a dog barks each time you get a bit of bad news. Soon, you cringe at the dog bark, even if no bad news follows. The auditory cortex delivers…
DNA, contrary to the last 50 years of belief, is NOT the director of our gene expression--it's the code. DNA MUST be activated by proteins in order to manifest any gene expression. The cell's effector/receptor proteins are the conductors and…
Different aspects of memory are stored in different areas of the brain simultaneously. Memory retrieval is not like looking at a snapshot--it's always a reconstruction and coming together of pieces and parts. So when we think we remember exactly what…
Science now says we have 100 billion neurons in the brain. There are 5 times as many neuronal networks allocated for threat detection than there are for non-threat input. This is why negativity is so easy to default to AND so…
Your cortices, like muscles, grow with use. So if you use your limbic brain to function mostly--in fear and threat--you strengthen that part of the brain so it dominates. If you use your prefrontal cortex mostly--for higher level thought like…
The VLPFC (ventro lateral prefrontal cortex) controls our braking system and helps us inhibit behavior and exercise self-control. This area is easily exhausted and uses up large amounts of glucose and oxygen to function. SO exercising lots of self-control in…
