The Life of the Brain

The human brain is a vital part of life; however, many people do not understand the significance of this complex organ. The human brain is like other parts of the body. It grows, gets stronger, weakens and dies. The brain goes through stages throughout life, and there are certain exercises people can perform to keep their brains healthy and active. The brain grows and gets stronger in its first couple of decades, then starts to deteriorate and can get diseases. People should learn the tasks they can perform early in their life to help decrease the chances of having an unhealthy brain, and tasks to make an unhealthy brain healthier.

The first few years of life are significant for a child’s brain. Most of the development of the brain happens in the first few years of life, but can continue until a person reaches his or her twenties. The brain is near its adult size by the time a child reaches the age of six. The brain is born with cells that grow as young children learn new concepts. The brain will start to connect the nerve cells and more connections will be made. These connections help children learn skills that will lead to new skills later in life.

The younger brain has multiple small, packed clusters of activity. The child’s brain has more connections, but the young adult brain has longer clusters of activity. The teenage brain, or young adult brain, is an interesting period where the brain goes through different stages. The portion of the brain located just behind the forehead, the prefrontal cortex, supervises decision making and reasoning. Teenagers do not have a fully developed prefrontal cortex, which means

that teenagers do not have the finest decision making skills. Teenagers use their amygdales, the...

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...igh cholesterol. These factors all lead to an unhealthy brain. One thing people should try to avoid is stress. Stress damages the portion of the brain that controls emotions, memory, and learning; the hippocampus. Avoiding stress and being less anxious and angry will lead to a healthier brain in life.

Understanding how the brain ages is important for people to learn in order to keep their brains healthy. People should learn that the younger brain is stronger and quicker; but the older brain’s knowledge can make up for the slower speed. The brain has important stages that affect people throughout life. There are certain things people should learn to do to keep their brains healthy and active, such as having a healthy diet and exercising regularly. Keeping the brain active with enjoyable tasks is another way to help ensure a healthy brain throughout one’s life.