(44% of people who come to ITC) (29% of people who come to ITC) (38% of people who come to ITC) (52% of people who come to ITC) (35% of people who come to ITC)
Secreting important chemicals like serotonin, oxytocin, and cortisol
Playing a huge part in emotional regulation!
How does it develop? Good question!
The first movement that babies do for transportation is called creeping, and it’s one of the basic movements of the In The Cortex program. Our brains are wired to creep because it is coded into our development as the only movement that develops the Pons.
Primitive reflexes are automatic, instinctual movements that are designed to ensure survival in the first year of life. They begin to emerge in utero and help guide the fetus into position for a natural delivery, as well as help the baby survive in the first year of life before they have access to the cortex (where we have logic and higher thinking). They also work as a team and most of them have a specific pattern for integrating/ turning "off" when the brain is ready to operate from the cortex. If these movement pattern gets interrupted, the reflexes cannot become integrated therefore leaving them "on"/ unintegrated. When primitive reflexes are left unintegrated, they disrupt daily life and put the brain in survival mode. That means that, instead of responding, many are left reacting to the world around them.
After the Pons comes the Midbrain, which develops from 6-12 months of life.
The Midbrain works as a filter for the rest of the brain. It tunes out all the distractions so we can focus on what’s important in each moment! That means it plays a critical role in:
Planning
Organization
Motivation
Long-term vs. instant gratification
Vision and eye movement
Fine motor control
Memory
Awareness
Sensory processing
What are babies usually doing from 6-12 months of life? Crawling! If this important milestone in development is skipped, the baby doesn’t crawl long enough or the baby has an inefficient pattern (scooting, kickstand crawl, doesn’t put knees down, etc.), it may show up later in life as a disorganized brain.
This is the wrinkly outside layer of your brain. It has between 21–26 billion neurons in the prefrontal cortex! The cortex is super important for memory, learning, attention, language, and many essential functions to humans’ daily lives. While it's the newest part of the brain to develop, it's the most important for all logical and rational activity in our brain. This is the part of the brain we want to spend most of our time: In the Cortex!
