The Secret Life of the Brain
David Grubin’s book The Secret Life of the Brain reveals the fascinating process of brain development throughout life.
This five-part series introduces viewers to exciting information in brain science, introduces leading researchers in the field, and uses dynamic visual imagery and engaging human stories to help general audiences understand otherwise difficult scientific concepts.
In the past decade of neuroscience research, a startling new map of the human brain has emerged that contradicts many previous ideas. The series tells stories through personal stories, expert commentary and animation.
1. Baby’s brain: bigger than the sky. The baby’s brain is a mystery that scientists are only just beginning to unravel. The puzzle begins in the womb – after only four weeks of pregnancy, the first brain cells, known as neurons, are already forming at an astonishing rate: 250,000 per minute.
2. The child’s brain: the syllables of the sound. A child’s brain is a great learning engine. A child learns to crawl, then walk, run and explore. A child learns to think rationally, to pay attention, to remember, but nothing beats the way a child learns a language. As children, we learn language—the hallmark of being human.
3. The teenage brain: a world of its own. When we examine the adolescent brain, we find mystery, complexity, frustration, and inspiration. While the brain is full of hormones, the prefrontal cortex (the center of thought and impulse control) is still developing. For the first time, scientists can explain what parents already knew — that adolescence is a time of emotional distress and a lack of judgment.
4. Adult Brain: Thinking with Feelings. The adult brain is a model of human intelligence, but what about emotions? The study of emotions, once relegated to the abyss of neuroscience, vindicates the widely held notion that our feelings exist outside our brains and only mess with normal thinking. The science has changed: emotions are now considered an integral part of our overall mental health.
5. The Aging Brain: Through Many Lives. At 95, Stanley Kunitz has been named Poet Laureate of the United States. He’s still writing new poems, still reading to live audiences, and is an inspiring example of how the brain stays alive in our final years. Recent discoveries in neuroscience offer a new way of looking at how the brain ages. Reversing decades of dogma, scientists recently discovered that our brains continue to make new neurons well into our 70s.
