The mystery of the cerebral hemispheres
Mysteries of the brain: the mystery of the two hemispheres
Our time is an era of amazing discoveries: deciphering the genome, cloning, organ transplantation... But the highest mystery of nature still remains the human brain.
brain, self-knowledge
Our time is an era of amazing discoveries: genome decoding, cloning, organ transplantation. But back in the 30s of the last century, Academician I.P. Pavlov noticed: the progress of natural science for the first time noticeably stopped in front of the highest mystery of nature - the thinking brain. Cybernetics called the brain a black box. We know what information enters the brain, and we can judge how this responds to a person’s behavior, thoughts and feelings. But what's going on inside - in this box?..
The brain has two hemispheres: left and right. But they developed at different times: for millions of years people lived only with the right hemisphere, and then another one appeared, which complicated the picture. It turned out that these two hemispheres are completely autonomous. They “speak” different languages and, as a rule, do not hear each other.
University of California scientist Robert Ornstein has proven that if the “weaker” hemisphere is stimulated and involved in work together with the “stronger” (leading), the effectiveness of human activity increases by 5-10 times.
Treatment
A patient who has suffered a stroke requires emergency care and hospitalization. Numerous studies of this disease confirm that treatment carried out in the first three days is most effective, since the activity of nerve cells surrounding the lesion is high.
Neurologists at the Yusupov Hospital begin treating the consequences of a stroke after a comprehensive examination of the patient. The treatment and rehabilitation programs developed by our specialists are based on the principle of the individuality of each patient, however, if the blood supply to the brain is impaired, the following measures are mandatory:
- monitoring of cardiac activity and blood pressure;
- prevention of early contractures, pneumonia;
- ensuring the required level of blood oxygen saturation and removing excess carbon dioxide;
- maintaining homeostasis - equilibrium of the internal environment;
- monitoring the condition of the intestines and bladder;
- swallowing control;
- skin care and prevention of bedsores.
Treatment of patients after pneumonia involves the use of drugs and non-drug methods. To take into account contraindications, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and resuscitators take part in drawing up the treatment program.
Drug therapy after a stroke involves the use of the following drugs:
- antihypertensive drugs for high blood pressure;
- osmotic diuretics and dexazone are used for cerebral edema, as well as to prevent increased intracranial pressure;
- anticoagulants, which include heparin, help control blood clotting;
- antiplatelet agents (trental, beta blockers, calcium antagonists) are used to identify signs of insufficient blood supply;
- drugs with a neuroprotective effect are used to restore neurons.
The Yusupov Hospital creates comfortable conditions for every patient. After a stroke, patients need professional care, which is provided by the staff of the neurology clinic:
- introducing fluids and nutrients into the body;
- turning the patient from one side to the other every 2 hours;
- performing cleansing enemas once every two days;
- wiping the skin every 8 hours with camphor alcohol;
- cleaning the nasopharynx and oropharynx using suction and then rinsing them.
Left hemisphere: tasks
The left hemisphere is primarily concerned with processing, analysis and deduction; convergent (“converging” - from the general to the specific) thinking; facts, figures; the end result; structure, logic and consistency; mathematical models; expediency; reducing tasks to working details; science and technology; using a sequential approach - approaching step by step; verbal (verbal), literal, concrete language; developing well-defined plans; in order.
Right hemisphere: tasks
The right hemisphere is more “interested” in abstract topics; artistic expression; constructive tasks; ideas, emotions and feelings; creative crafts; divergent (“divergent” - from the particular to the general), global thinking; a process, not a result; using experience; knowledge through images; perception; prayer, meditation, mysticism; remembering faces; spontaneity; visual; working with symbols, fantasies, dreams, metaphors and images; working with the opposite and the unknown.
The two hemispheres of the brain are connected by a small area called the corpus callosum. Through it, the hemispheres “communicate” with each other, which largely determines coordinated and consistent thinking, imagination and human behavior. If this part of the brain is damaged, a person experiences mental and behavioral disorders.
Which part of the brain controls love?
It may sound strange, but the onset of romantic love is associated with stress caused by the hypothalamus. This is why when you are in love and think about the object of your love, you experience excitement and anxiety.
As these feelings intensify, the hypothalamus triggers the release of other hormones such as dopamine, oxytocin and vasopressin.
Dopamine is connected to your body's reward system. It helps make love a desirable feeling.
You can read more about dopamine in the article: “What is dopamine and how does it work”
In a small 2005 study, participants were shown a photo of a person they had a crush on. They were also shown a photograph of a person they knew. When shown the first photograph, the subjects showed increased activity in those parts of the brain that are rich in dopamine.
Oxytocin is often called the “love hormone.” This is mainly because its release increases when you hug someone or have an orgasm. It is produced in the hypothalamus and released through the pituitary gland. It is also about social connection, which is very important for trust and relationship building. Oxytocin may also promote feelings of calm and contentment.
Vasopressin is produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland. Vasopressin is also involved in social bonding with a partner.
If the right hemisphere is dominant
Someone who solves problems using the right hemisphere:
- softens rational thought with emotional and intuitive preferences;
- uses various methods of “bringing” extraconscious material into understanding;
- avoids censorship of ideas during their “maturation”;
- considers divergent, even contradictory, ideas with respect rather than with skepticism and defensiveness;
- tries not to neglect intuition;
- tests any rational way of solving a problem to see if it feels intuitively good during the development process and in the final solution;
- tries to remain constantly aware of himself.
Understand each other
The result is that the two hemispheres live in different realities and express themselves in completely different ways. For example, the lecturer builds certain logical connections and strings together concepts. But not everyone in the audience understands him, and then he names a certain metaphor and sees that some of the listeners grab a pen to write down an image they understand.
Some people find it difficult to think, reason, and comprehend logical connections. They talk about their problems and, when you manage to understand the reason for their condition, they are sincerely surprised: “Why has this never occurred to me?” Other people are bad with emotions. They do not understand why feelings are needed, and often even despise mental anguish.
In one of the sciences that understand the mystery of the brain - neuropsychology - it is customary to talk about the dominance of one of the cerebral hemispheres and the so-called interhemispheric asymmetry. This asymmetry is normal. It is believed that in men the left hemisphere of the brain is predominant - dominant, and in women - the right hemisphere of the brain.
Which part of the brain controls anger?
Like fear, anger is a reaction to threat or stress. When a situation occurs that seems dangerous and there is no way to escape, the body is likely to respond with anger or aggression. This can also be considered part of the fight or flight response.
Frustration, such as encountering obstacles in trying to achieve a goal, can also trigger anger.
Anger begins with the amygdala stimulating the hypothalamus, just like the emotion of fear. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex may also play a role in anger. People with damage to this area often have trouble controlling their emotions, especially anger and aggression.
Perfect balance?
So what then can be considered a psychological norm? Someone may answer right away: equilibrium, balanced development of both hemispheres. But how can this be achieved and what will human culture look like in this case? It's hard to imagine. Perhaps it will not contain outstanding discoveries and creations, but will something qualitatively new arise? This encourages us to continue to think about the mysteries of the brain.
Author: Pavel Gurevich, Doctor of Philological and Philosophical Sciences, Professor
The material used photographs belonging to shutterstock.com
The left hemisphere thinks logically.
The right helps to create new things, generate ideas, as it is now fashionable to say. However, you can be a mathematician with a well-developed left hemisphere and still not invent anything new. Or you can be a creator and throw out ideas left and right and not implement any of them due to the inconsistency and illogicality of your actions. Such people also exist. And they only lack one thing: working on improving their brain, bringing it into a harmonious state. Meanwhile, psychophysiologists have long developed a system of exercises for this. Music is good in this regard, for example, for pianists. They were already made harmonious from early childhood. After all, the most important tool for brain development is your hands. Acting with two hands, a person develops both hemispheres.
So, let's move on to the exercises. Many of them are well known to us from childhood. 1. “Ear-nose.” With our left hand we take the tip of the nose, and with our right hand we take the opposite ear, i.e. left. At the same time, release your ear and nose, clap your hands, change the position of your hands “exactly the opposite.” I tried it, it worked better when I was a child. 2. “Mirror drawing.” Place a blank sheet of paper on the table and take a pencil. Draw mirror-symmetrical designs and letters with both hands at the same time. When doing this exercise, you should feel your eyes and hands relax, because when both hemispheres work simultaneously, the efficiency of the entire brain improves. 3. "Ring". We move our fingers one by one and very quickly, connecting the index, middle, ring, and little fingers into a ring with the thumb. First, you can do it with each hand separately, then with both hands simultaneously.
Now let's remember physical education lessons. No wonder we were forced to do exercises in which we had to reach our right leg with our left hand and vice versa. They also develop our hemispheres and help them work in harmony.
Neurolinguistic programming, abbreviated NLP, is remarkably helpful in developing the hemispheres of the brain. I liked one of the NLP techniques called “First Aid”.
It helps relieve emotional stress, improves performance, develops attention, thinking and interhemispheric connections. This exercise is difficult and yet interesting.
I explain the procedure. In front of you lies a piece of paper with the letters of the alphabet, almost all of them. Under each letter the letters L, P or V are written. The upper letter is pronounced, and the lower letter indicates movement with the hands. L - the left hand rises to the left side, P - the right hand rises to the right side, V - both hands rise up. Everything is very simple, if only it weren’t so difficult to do it all at the same time. The exercise is performed in sequence from the first letter to the last, then from the last letter to the first. The following is written on the piece of paper.
