The Neuroanatomical Transformation of the Teenage Brain: Jill Bolte Taylor at TEDxYouth@Indianapolis

Summary

This script delves into the fascinating world of the human brain, highlighting the concepts of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity. It emphasizes our ability to control our neurocircuitry through mindfulness, affecting thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses. The speaker explores the '90-second rule' for emotions, the teenage brain's development, and the societal implications of a left-brain dominant culture. Ultimately, it calls for a conscious relationship with our brains to foster mental health and planetary balance, empowering individuals to shape their futures.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The human brain is composed of neurocircuitry, and our abilities are a result of the functions of specific cells.
• 🌱 Neurogenesis shows that the brain can grow new neurons, especially in response to trauma, challenging old beliefs that brain cells are static.
• 🔄 Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's capacity to rearrange connections between cells, meaning our brain changes throughout the day.
• 🧘 Mindfulness allows us to observe and potentially alter our internal neurocircuitry, indicating a level of control over our thoughts and emotions.
• 💡 The '90-second rule' suggests that emotions like anger, if not rekindled by thought, naturally dissipate within 90 seconds.
• 🚫 No one can trigger our neurocircuitry without our permission, emphasizing personal control over our emotional responses.
• 🧬 Sensory information is processed in the brain with the limbic system assessing safety and familiarity, influencing our emotional state.
• 🏫 The relationship between the amygdala and the hippocampus is crucial for learning and memory, with emotions playing a significant role in cognitive function.
• 📚 Test anxiety is an example of how emotions can impair cognitive function, but conscious effort can help regulate emotional responses and improve performance.
• 🔄 The teenage brain undergoes significant changes, including synaptic pruning and hormonal shifts, affecting behavior and cognition.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The prefrontal cortex, which is the last to mature, is responsible for planning, impulse control, and understanding consequences, often not fully developed until the mid-twenties.
• 🌱 The speaker encourages nurturing the teenage brain, as it's a critical period for shaping future behavior and capabilities.

Q & A

What is the main message of the speaker about the human brain?

The speaker emphasizes that we are neurocircuitry, meaning our abilities and thoughts are a result of our brain cells. She highlights the concepts of neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, showing that the brain is capable of change and growth throughout life.

What does the speaker mean by 'neurogenesis'?

Neurogenesis refers to the brain's ability to grow new neurons, especially in response to trauma, which was a concept not well understood when the speaker was in school in the 80s.

What is 'neuroplasticity' and why is it significant?

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to rearrange the connections between neurons, allowing for adaptability and change. It's significant because it means that our brain is not static and can adapt to new situations and learning.

What is the '90-second rule' mentioned by the speaker?

The '90-second rule' is the speaker's term for the time it takes from the moment a thought stimulates an emotional response to when the body's chemistry returns to normal, which is less than 90 seconds.

How does the speaker describe the relationship between thoughts, emotions, and physiological responses?

The speaker explains that we can think a thought, stimulate an emotional circuit, and then have a physiological response to that thought. This process is quick, and our ability to stay angry or in any emotional state longer than 90 seconds is due to continuously rethinking the thought.

What is the role of the amygdala in the brain as described in the script?

The amygdala is responsible for assessing the familiarity of incoming information and determining whether the individual feels safe. It plays a crucial role in emotional responses and can affect learning and memory through its interaction with the hippocampus.

How does the speaker explain the impact of the teenage brain's development on behavior?

The speaker describes the teenage brain as undergoing significant changes, including an increase in dendritic connections, hormonal shifts, and synaptic pruning. These changes can lead to mood swings, aggression, and a sense of unfamiliarity, all of which have biological underpinnings.

What advice does the speaker give to teenagers regarding their brain development?

The speaker advises teenagers to engage in activities they are good at and enjoy during their teenage years, as this is the time to cultivate the skills and interests they wish to pursue in adulthood. She emphasizes the importance of nurturing the brain until the age of 25 when it is fully developed.

How does the speaker connect the development of the brain to societal issues?

The speaker suggests that our left-brain dominant society, which values thinking over feeling, contributes to a global crisis and mental health issues. She calls for a shift towards a more balanced approach that acknowledges the importance of feelings and community.

What is the significance of the speaker's personal experience with a stroke?

The speaker's stroke led to the loss of her left-brain functions, immersing her in a state of right-brain consciousness characterized by peace and euphoria. This experience gave her a unique perspective on the potential for humans to choose their emotional states and behaviors.

What is the speaker's final call to action for the audience?

The speaker encourages the audience, particularly the younger generation, to develop a conscious relationship with their brains. She sees them as potential leaders who can guide humanity toward better mental health and global balance.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding the Human Brain

This paragraph discusses the neurocircuitry of the human brain and its capabilities. The speaker explains the brain's ability to grow new neurons (neurogenesis) and rearrange connections (neuroplasticity). It emphasizes the concept of mindfulness and the brain's adaptability in response to trauma. The 90-second rule is introduced, highlighting the duration of physiological responses to thoughts and emotions. The speaker stresses personal control over one's neurocircuitry, the impact of external influences, and the importance of understanding the brain's functions.

05:02

🔍 Feeling Creatures Who Think

The paragraph explores the idea that humans are fundamentally feeling creatures who think. Information first goes to the amygdala, assessing safety and familiarity, then to the hippocampus for learning and memory. The speaker explains the relationship between the amygdala and hippocampus, using examples like test anxiety to illustrate the brain's response to stress. The concept of the 90-second rule is reinforced, and the importance of the amygdala in emotional responses is highlighted. The speaker discusses the biological basis of teenage behavior and brain development, focusing on the pruning process and hormonal changes.

10:04

🌱 Teenage Brain Development

This paragraph delves into the biological changes in the teenage brain. It explains the physical growth spurts, hormonal changes, and the pruning back of synaptic connections. The speaker describes how these changes affect behavior, emotions, and the development of the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for planning, impulse control, and understanding consequences. The speaker advises teenagers to nurture their brains and parents to support their development. The significance of the teenage years in shaping future abilities and preferences is emphasized.

15:06

🌍 A Vision for a Balanced World

The speaker shares a personal experience of having a stroke and losing left brain functions, leading to a peaceful state of right-brain consciousness. This experience inspired a vision of a world filled with compassionate, loving people who consciously choose their behavior. The speaker believes that understanding and nurturing the brain can lead to mental health and planetary balance. The audience is encouraged to use their brains as powerful tools for positive change, emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility and conscious living.

Keywords

💡Neurocircuitry

Neurocircuitry refers to the interconnected network of neurons in the brain that facilitate various cognitive and emotional processes. In the video, the concept of neurocircuitry is central to understanding human abilities and behaviors. It is mentioned that every ability we have is due to specific cells performing functions within this network, highlighting the brain's complexity and adaptability.

💡Neurogenesis

Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are generated in the brain. The script explains that contrary to past beliefs, the human brain is capable of neurogenesis, especially in response to trauma, indicating the brain's capacity for growth and change even in adulthood.

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, or brain plasticity, is the ability of the brain to change and adapt as a result of experience. The video emphasizes neuroplasticity as the brain's capacity to rearrange connections between neurons, which is crucial for learning and memory, and is an important aspect of personal growth and development.

💡Mindfulness

Mindfulness, as discussed in the script, is the practice of being aware of and attentive to one's current thoughts, feelings, and environment. It is presented as a powerful tool for observing and potentially altering one's neurocircuitry, which can lead to changes in behavior and emotional responses.

💡Amygdala

The amygdala is an almond-shaped part of the brain involved in the processing of emotions, particularly those related to fear and pleasure. In the video, the amygdala is highlighted as a key player in determining feelings of safety and in the process of learning and memory, especially in the context of stress and anxiety.

💡Hippocampus

The hippocampus is a region of the brain that plays a critical role in memory and spatial navigation. The script describes its function in learning and memory, and how it can be affected by the amygdala's response to stress, as seen in the example of test anxiety.

💡90-second rule

The '90-second rule' mentioned in the video refers to the idea that emotions, such as anger, can be transient and typically do not last longer than 90 seconds unless the triggering thought is continuously reinforced. This concept is used to illustrate the power of conscious thought in managing emotional responses.

💡Puberty

Puberty is a stage of physical maturation that involves a series of physical changes through which a child's body develops into an adult's. The script discusses the significant shifts that occur during puberty, including physical growth, hormonal changes, and the pruning back of synaptic connections, which have profound effects on behavior and cognition.

💡Prefrontal Cortex

The prefrontal cortex is the forward part of the frontal lobes in the brain, responsible for higher cognitive functions such as decision-making, planning, and impulse control. The video script explains that the prefrontal cortex is one of the last areas to fully mature, affecting teenagers' abilities to understand consequences and control impulses.

💡Biological Reasons

Throughout the script, 'biological reasons' is used to explain the changes and behaviors observed in individuals, particularly teenagers, during their development. It underscores the idea that many emotional and cognitive experiences are rooted in the brain's physical and chemical processes.

💡Conscious Relationship

A 'conscious relationship' with one's brain, as mentioned in the video, refers to the idea of being aware of and actively engaging with the mental processes and neurocircuitry. The script suggests that cultivating such a relationship can lead to better mental health and a more balanced approach to life.

Highlights

We are neurocircuitry, with every ability we have stemming from cells that perform specific functions.

Neurogenesis shows our brains can grow new neurons, especially in response to trauma.

Neuroplasticity allows brain cells to rearrange their communication, meaning our brain changes throughout the day.

Mindfulness is our ability to observe and change the neurocircuitry inside our heads.

The '90-second rule' explains how anger and physiological responses can be triggered and resolved quickly.

We have control over our neurocircuitry and should not give others the power to trigger it without permission.

The limbic system and amygdala play a key role in determining our sense of safety and emotional responses.

Our brains are more focused on feeling than thinking, contrary to common belief.

Test anxiety is an example of the amygdala's impact on learning and memory.

The teenage brain undergoes significant changes, including neuron pruning and increased aggression due to testosterone receptors on the amygdala.

The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning and impulse control, is one of the last brain areas to fully mature.

Teenagers should nurture their abilities and interests during this critical period of brain development.

Our society tends to be left-brain dominant, valuing logic and action over emotion and being.

A shift towards right-brain consciousness could help address the current mental health and environmental crises.

Individuals have the power to choose their thoughts and behaviors, influencing the world around them.

Conscious relationship with our brain is key to becoming leaders in mental health and environmental balance.

The brain is a powerful tool, and using it wisely can lead to positive change in the world.

Transcripts

Transcriber: Helene Batt Reviewer: Denise RQ

Thank you everyone.

I have brought for you a human brain.

So this is a real human brain.

When I look at this brain,

I am reminded that we are neurocircuitry.

We are neurocircuitry, and every ability we have

is because we have cells that perform that function.

We know more about the human brain than we've ever known before.

We've learned things in the last 10 to 20 years

--most of your life span--

that has completely shifted the way

neuroscientists think about this organ and our relationship with it.

When I was in school back in the 80s, we were taught

that the brain cells you were born with are the brain cells you'll die with,

and you are not going to get anymore along the way.

We do know that our brain is capable of growing some new neurons,

and this is neurogenesis.

We are capable of growing new neurons, particularly in response to trauma.

In addition, neuroplasticity, is the ability of our brain cells

to rearrange who they are communicating with.

What this means, is that the brain you woke in with this morning,

is not identical to the brain that you are going to take home with you tonight.

In addition, we understand that we are capable of mindfulness.

Mindfulness is our ability to observe

the neurocircuitry we are running inside of our heads.

But on top of simply observing in our neurocircuitry,

we are capable of changing our thoughts and changing our brain.

We have the ability to pick and choose what's going on inside of our heads.

We typically run three types of neurocircuitry.

We think thoughts,

we stimulate emotions and feel emotions,

and we run physiological responses

to what we are thinking and what we are feeling.

I have the ability to think a thought,

stimulate an emotional circuit,

and then run a physiological response to what I am thinking.

From the moment I think of a thought that stimulates my anger circuit,

to the time that I run my physiological response

where I down noradrenalin into my blood stream,

it flashes through me and flashes out of me.

From the beginning of the thought,

to the time when my blood is clean of that chemistry,

takes less than 90 seconds.

I called this the 90-second rule.

How many of you have the ability to stay angry

for longer than 90 seconds.

What you are doing,

is you are rethinking the thought that is restimulating the anger circuit,

which is restimulating the physiological response,

and we can stay mad for days.

The bottom line is, I am neurocircuitry. We are neurocircuitry.

My neurocircuitry is my neurocircuitry,

and you do not have the ability

to stimulate and trigger my circuitry without my permission.

You cannot make me angry,

unless I stick my trigger out there

for you to pound on and stimulate my neurocircuitry.

If I give you the power to trigger my neurocircuitry,

then I have given you my power.

And if I give you my power, then I become vulnerable to you

through manipulation, through advertising, through marketing.

through peer pressure and through abuse.

Bottom line is, we are neurocircuitry.

We are these incredible celled brain filled with these beautiful cells.

So how does it work?

Stimulation streams in through our sensory systems.

It integrates and organizes as it passes up the spinal cord,

and it aims for the outer portion of our brain, the cerebral cortex.

The cerebral cortex is divided into two different groups of cells.

Our outer layers, for a higher cognitive thinking,

and our inner layers, for emotion.

So information streams in through our sensory systems,

and it aims directly for the inner group of cells of our limbic system.

And the cells in the limbic system are asking the question, moment by moment,

"Am I safe?"

"Am I safe?"

I feel safe when enough of the information streaming in through the sensory systems

feels familiar.

When the world feels familiar, my amygdala is calm,

and I feel safe.

The interesting thing

is that as information comes in and it stimulates my limbic system,

my limbic system then sends that information

throughout my nervous system, including my higher cortex.

What this means is that,

although many of us may think of our cells as thinking creatures who feel,

biologically, we really are feeling creatures who think.

We are feeling creatures who think;

and this becomes significant in the way we live in the external world.

Information streams in, goes straight to the amygdala;

the amygdala says how much feels familiar,

and if it feels familiar, then I feel calm.

When I feel calm, the cells right next to that, the hippocampus,

turn on and they are capable of learning and memory.

But let's say that, all of the sudden, the building starts to shake.

[If] that happens, your amygdala goes unfamiliar,

"Alert, alert, self preservation!", you bolt out the door,

shut down the hippocampus and don't care what I have to say anymore, right?

A great example about the relationship between the amygdala and the hippocampus,

is test anxiety.

We all know what it feels like to have that knot inside of our belly

and then our throats get tight

and our brains feel like they are going to explode, everything is moving so fast:

"Alert, alert, panic, panic, anxiety, anxiety, oh my gosh!"

But the secret here is that I have a higher cortical thinking.

I have the ability to consciously choose:

"OK, I have other circuits I can run, I can turn on my higher cortical mind,

I can bring my mind to the present moment, I can look around, take new pictures,

I can see I am safe, I am safe, and I am not going to die.

It's just an exam and I've prepared for it and I know some of these answers."

If my amygdala would just calm enough

so that I could access that information in my hippocampus,

then I could answer the questions.

So this is what's going on.

Everything that has anything to do with anything is our relationship

between the amygdala and the hippocampus.

This is really important news; big news, big news, we didn't know this.

My generation, and generations before me, we did not know about the 90-second rule,

and we did not understand the neurocircuitry of the brain.

So, all you have to do, is open up the newspaper and you will see

someone has killed someone because someone's amygdala was on alert.

Somebody's divorcing somebody because somebody did not feel safe.

Everything has something to do with the amygdala, and I think

we should all wear shirts that say, "I love my amygdala."

(Laughter)

"I love my amygdala."

What is going on with the teenage brain?

How many of you have had a parent or an adult

say something like this to you in the last few years:

"I just don't recognize you anymore. What happened to my little angel?"

How many of you have had that?

There is a biological reason for that.

How many of you have had a parent or an adult say something like:

"I don't understand you! You used to love to do this all the time,

I bought you this but you don't use it, I don't get it, what's going on?"

There is a biological reason for that.

How many of you have had a parent or an adult saying something to you like:

I'm just really not very comfortable with your new friends."

Yeah! There is a reason for that. We are biology.

So, what's going on?

We are born with twice as many neurons as we are ever going to use.

Isn't that nice we are born with an abundance of cells?

And then, the next two to three years, the neurons that are stimulated

will connect with other neurons in neurocircuitry,

and the cells that are not stimulated, will die away.

And then, for the next couple of years, ten years or so,

I'm pretty much about me, right? It's all about me, little Jill.

I got this new body, I am trying to figure out how to get the body to work,

eventually, it's going to hop, skip and jump,

and then, I am going to learn about communication.

How to pick a voice out from background sound,

how to make sound, how to place meaning on sound.

Then, I am going to get socialized with little people my size,

and my siblings and the adult world,

but, it is pretty much all about me.

Then, you put me in school, where I will learn more about communication,

about spelling, reading and writing.

I'm going to learn about mathematics and abstract thinking.

And if I am lucky, I am going to be exposed to music,

the arts and technologies

and all kinds of interesting things that will stimulate me.

But ultimately, it's all about me.

Well, somehow,

our one obligation to our species as a biological creature, is reproduction.

So somehow, we have to get ourselves out of the 'me-me-me'

into the, "Oh, aren't you cute?"

(Laughter)

In order to do that, during the pre-puberty years,

the brain goes through what we called an exuberance

of the dendritic connections inside of our brains.

And these little people, if you know them couple years right before puberty hits,

they are really, really smart, little sponges looking for information.

They are curious about everything, they want to know, and how

they want to know why, and just want to understand it all.

Then, their bodies are prepared for puberty.

And then puberty comes.

And with puberty comes several major shifts.

One of the first ones is

we are going to go through a major physical growth spurt.

When we are going through a major physical growth spurt,

our entire body changes.

It changes and it's not as agile,

so our amygdala is on a little bit of alert, which is interesting,

but it's a little bit of alert, "What's going on?"

And on top of that,

then we are going to have our hormonal systems,

they are going to start flowing through our body,

and with that are going to come all kinds of mood swings

and all kinds of interesting behaviors.

On top of that,

there is going to be what we called a pruning back.

A pruning back of 50% of the synaptic connections

inside of our brain.

We literally lose half of our minds.

(Laughter)

We literally lose half of our minds.

"How does that feel?"

"Unfamiliar, unfamiliar. I used to know all this stuff, it isn't there anymore.

I used to be interested in these things, I used to look like something.

I used to hang out with them, now I am hanging out with this".

And then on top of it, on top of it:

"Oh, my gosh, unfamiliar, unfamiliar!"

We are going to grow testosterone receptors

on our amygdala.

And when that comes: aggression!

I feel a little aggressive.

(Laughter)

There are biological reasons for the teenage years.

There is biology underlying everything you're feeling,

everything you're thinking, and everything you are experiencing.

The last portion of the brain to come totally aligned,

is the prefrontal cortex.

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for things

including our ability to plan ahead.

It's our impulse control.

It's our ability to understand the consequences of our behavior.

It's the appropriateness of our behavior.

So when our parents are looking at us,

and we are bigger than they are,

and it's all unfamiliar for everyone in the house,

what's going on?

I haven't reattached my prefrontal cortex yet.

There is a biological reason.

The beauty, the wonderful thing about the teenage years,

is you have literally lost half your mind.

Which half have you kept? The one that you are going to use.

You are going to walk, to talk, to socialize, to do these things.

My best advice to any teenager,

is whatever you are good at when you were young,

that you want to do in your 20s, 40s and 80s,

do it throughout your teenage years.

The teenage years is the time for you to tend the garden of your mind.

It's your opportunity for you to pick and choose

who and how you want to be when you get older.

We technically become biological adults at the age of 25.

It's when the long bones in our body stop growing long.

We are adults, development is over, and the brain is now established.

My advice to all parents is keep them alive till 25.

(Laughter)

Keep your kids alive till they are 25.

And to all of you teenagers, keep them alive until 25;

nurture the beautiful cells inside your brain until you are 25,

and then you will have this gorgeous adult brain

then you get to figure out what you want to do with, later.

So bottom line here, we are feeling creatures who think.

We are feeling creatures who think.

Living in a left brain dominant society,

where we value what we think over what we feel,

and where we reward people

for what we do rather than who we are.

We care about the "me" rather than the "we,"

we focus on personal gain, rather than community,

we care about profits rather than people.

We strive for authority rather than equality,

we seek differences rather than similarities,

we are competitive rather than compassionate,

we are judgmental rather than forgiving.

We are very left brain versus right brain.

But we know that we have a choice.

Our left brain dominant society is using up our natural resources,

and we are heating up the planet.

We are in the middle of a major global crisis.

On top of this, our left brain dominant society

is eroding our self-value.

We are in pain,

because the world does not care about what we feel and who we are,

it cares about what we do and what we think,

which is not the basis of our biology.

We are in the middle of a major mental health crisis,

where at least 25% of the people in the [United] States

are suffering from some type of serious mental illness,

and then you throw on top of that

a whole bunch of people who have addiction.

We are in pain, so what do we do?

We mask our pain with all kinds of things that we can get addicted to.

And virtually, this just is not very healthy

for these gorgeous cells inside our brain.

The teenage brain

is at the most vulnerable time of our existence,

because it is this time for planting the seeds

and planting who and how you want to be in the world.

When I experienced my stroke and I lost my left brain,

and I shifted into the consciousness of my right mind,

where I felt peace and euphoria,

what gave me the courage to come back,

was that I pictured a world that was filled with beautiful,

peaceful, compassionate, loving people.

I pictured a world filled with people

who knew that they could pick and choose who and how they want to be in the world.

You are that population.

You are those people.

You have the ability to pick and choose

who and how you want to be in the world.

I believe that those of you

who are willing to create a conscious relationship with your brain,

you will be the leaders

who will help guide humanity back toward mental health,

and you will be the game changers

who help bring our planet back to balance.

This is your brain.

This is your brain.

This is your instrument.

This is your tool.

And this is your power.

What are you doing with your power?

(Applause)

Thank you!