These are the core concepts of the Neuroseeds curriculum:
The nervous system controls and responds to body
functions and directs behavior
The brain is the body’s most complex organ
- There are a hundred billion neurons in the human brain
and we use them all.
- Each neuron communicates with many other neurons to share
information.
- The nervous system influences and is influenced by all other
body systems (e.g., cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal and immune
systems).
- Humans have a complex nervous system that evolved from a simpler
one.
- The brain can malfunction in many ways, leading to disorders
that have an enormous personal, social, and economic impact.
Neurons
communicate using electrical & chemical signals
- Sensory stimuli are converted into electrical signals.
- Action potentials are electrical signals carried along neurons.
- Synapses are chemical or electrical junctions that allow electrical
signals to pass from neurons to other cells.
- Electrical signals in muscles cause contraction and movement.
- Communication between neurons is strengthened or weakened by an
individual’s activities, such as exercise, stress, and drug use.
- All thoughts and behaviors result from combinations of signals
among neurons
Life
experiences change the nervous system
- Differences in genes and environments make the brain of each
animal unique.
- Challenging the brain with physical and mental activity helps
maintain its structure and function — “use it or lose it.”
- Peripheral neurons have greater ability to regrow after injury
than neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
- Some neurons continue to be generated throughout life and their
production is regulated by hormones and experience.
The
brain is the foundation of the mind; Intelligence arises as the brain reasons,
plans, and solves problems
- The brain makes sense of the world by using all available
information, including senses, emotions, instincts and memories.
- The brain learns from experiences and makes predictions about
best actions in response to present and future challenges.
Brain research
promotes health and leads to understanding and therapies.
- The nervous system can be studied at many levels, from complex
behaviors such as speech or learning, to the interactions among individual
molecules.
- Results from research can teach us about mind, intelligence,
imagination, and consciousness.
- Curiosity leads us to unexpected and surprising discoveries that
can benefit humanity.
- Neuroscience research has formed the basis for significant
progress in treating a large number of disorders.
- Finding cures for disorders of the nervous system is a social
imperative.
Neuroscience research must be done in an ethical manner
- Experiments
on animals provide insights about the human brain and help to make healthy
lifestyle choices, prevent diseases, and find cures for disorders
- Testing
chemicals or plant extracts on animals is a way to determine their likely
effect on humans
- Testing
chemicals or plant extracts on animals to determine safety is more ethical than
testing on humans before these safety tests have been carried out.
- Research on humans is an essential final step before new
treatments are introduced to prevent or cure disorders.
The
plant world is filled with species that contain chemicals with medical
properties, including neuroactive properties.
- Plants
and herbs have been used around the world for millennia to alter brain
function.
- Traditional
healers around the world use plants to treat illness, including mental illness
- In
most cultures in the world, plants are used daily to alter mental function.
- It
is likely that many plants with medicinal uses/ neuroactive properties have not
been “discovered by modern science” yet
- Humans
are intimately connected with the natural world and can use plants to solve
modern problems, including problems in neuroscience
There are many people with mental and neurological disorders in our society.
- Plant
extracts may contain chemicals which can treat these illnesses
Sources
The concepts were taken
directly or adapted from: Society for Neuroscience Core Concepts
http://www.brainfacts.org/About-Neuroscience/Core-Concepts
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