The six brain systems that influence your focus, feelings, and daily behavior …
The balancing act: Corpus Callosum
Imagine your brain divided into two hemispheres, left and right, each with its own strengths. The corpus callosum acts as the bridge, ensuring smooth communication between these halves. When this bridge weakens, it can explain why some struggle with tasks requiring both analytical (left brain) and creative (right brain) thinking.
The gender factor: Male vs. female brains
Did you know men have more grey matter (neurons) while women boast superior white matter (connections)? This difference might explain why men tend to excel in spatial tasks, while women often demonstrate heightened empathy. It’s a beautiful example of how our brains are wired for different strengths, not weaknesses.
The six powerhouse systems
Now, let’s dive deeper into the six core systems that conduct the orchestra within your head:
1. The Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), your brain’s CEO. Think of the PFC as your control center. It governs focus, planning, impulse control, and even your ability to learn from past mistakes. When this CEO slacks off, you might experience challenges with attention span, organization, or resist that tempting third slice of cake.
2. The Cingulate Gyrus, the gear shifter. This area helps you shift gears between thoughts, allowing for flexibility and open-mindedness. Overactivity can lead to obsessive behavior or constant worry, while underactivity might make it difficult to see new perspectives or let go of grudges.
3. The Basal Ganglia/Insula, the body-mind hub. This dynamic duo acts as the interpreter between your body and emotions. Overactivity can manifest as anxiety and pain sensitivity, while underactivity might lead to tremors or difficulty finding motivation, a key player in conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
4. The Temporal Lobes (TL), the “what” pathway. These lobes are the language center, processing words, memories, and even social cues. When the TL sputters, you might experience difficulty understanding language, forming memories, or interpreting the emotions of others.
5. The Deep Limbic System (DLS), the emotional powerhouse. This area is the heart of your emotions, influencing everything from happiness to sadness. Overactivity can lead to intense negativity, social withdrawal, or even pain perception, while underactivity might contribute to depression or difficulty forming emotional bonds.
6. The Cerebellum, the fine-tuner. This champion of coordination integrates information, ensuring smooth movement and thought processing. When the cerebellum goes out of tune, you might experience problems with balance, slow thinking, or difficulty learning new skills.
When the brain is misfiring, life does not function as it should. That’s not an excuse, it’s a warning. These six systems affect everything from decision-making to emotional stability, and when they’re out of sync, the consequences are real. But dysfunction isn’t destiny. With the right strategies, damaged systems can be strengthened, misfires corrected, and patterns disrupted. The brain can change, but it won’t change by accident. It takes action, intention, and the willingness to face the problem directly. That’s where healing can begin.
Scotty
April 21, 2025 at 6:03 pm
If they tell after an MRI your brain is a little slow. What does that mean?
April 22, 2025 at 8:23 am
Hi Joe! First, I’m not a physician so I can’t tell you what that would mean from an MRI, but I would suspect poor communication/explanation from a physician if that was the feedback. My training as a certified Brain Health Professional was with Daniel Amen, who uses SPECT imaging – An MRI primarily visualizes the brain’s structure, showing anatomy like tissues, blood vessels, and abnormalities (tumors, lesions). SPECT imaging, as done by Dr. Amen, is a functional study that measures blood flow and activity patterns in the brain to identify areas of high, low, or normal activity. So I’m not sure what a doctor would mean saying an MRI shows the brain is “slow.” Using SPECT imaging, we do talk about the brain being over or under active, but KEY would be what portion of the brain – it’s not the entire brain would be “slow” (again, whatever that means!), and using SPECT if a certain part of the brain is overactive or underachieve, that will have specific impact. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful, but you’d need clarifying information of 1) what does the doctor mean by “slow,’ abdominal 2) what brain system are they referring to?