The Amazing Brain.

The human brain is a part of the nervous system and it is wrapped by a lining called the meninges. The top layer is called the duramater, and the fluid between the brain and the meninges is called the cerebrospinal. The fluid acts as a shock absorber, and the brain is covered by the skull to give more protection. The brain weighs about three pounds, and three main parts of the brain are: cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem.

Each section of the brain consists of neurons, and each neuron has dendrites to collect messages that are transmitted from other cells. Also, each neuron contains an axon to transmit information to other cells. Neurons secrete chemical substances called neurotransmitters that transmit nerve impulses to other neurons.

Emotions and the Brain

The brain and the emotions are interlinked, and neurotransmitters present in the brain plays the key role in the mood fluctuations. The chemical components that affect mood are serotonin, epinephrine, dopamine, endorphin, phenylethylamine, and melatonin. Serotonin helps in the smooth transmission of messages in the body and brain. Epinephrine helps the body to move during instant action. Dopamine transmits information to higher levels, and also regulates pleasure and pain. Endorphin is the natural pain killer and melatonin regulates the sleep and wake cycles. Phenyethylamine, a chemical is produced during the emotional infatuation or sexual attraction.

What do People Feel When they Fall in Love?

When a person falls in love, the brain releases certain chemicals or neurotransmitters that include oxytocin, dopamine, pheromones, serotonin, and norepinephrine. All the released neurotransmitters trigger the brain’s pleasure area that leads to numerous side effects such as loss of sleep, loss of appetite, increased heart beat, and an increased feeling of excitement.

Brain Disorders

Changes in the neurotransmitter systems lead to brain disorders or neurological problems. With respect to symptoms, brain disorders are classified into many divisions such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, depression, migraine, panic disorder, sleep disorder, stroke, and dementia. Mood disorders are health conditions that are characterized by the disturbance of emotional states of an individual. People with this mood changes often suffer from sad feeling or depression.

Common Brain Injuries

A brain injury is a trauma that leads to injury of the skull, scalp, or brain, and the injuries can range from mild to severe. The brain injury is classified into: traumatic and acquired. The traumatic injury includes concussion, coup-contrecoup, diffuse axonal, contusion, and penetration. The acquired injuries are anoxia and hypoxic. The common type of brain injuries are: concussion and contusion. The concussion is the loss of awareness for a few minutes or few hours after the traumatic event. The contusion is the swelling or bleeding inside the brain itself. The severe injuries can lead to coma, paralysis, loss of sensation, chronic headaches, speech and language problems, and seizures.

Most Recent Blog Post

[caption id="attachment_21715" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Credit: The San Diego Union Tribune"][/caption] Last week, we reported on a car accident in San Diego that resulted out of alleged teen street racing. In new developments, the 18-year-old driver charged with the death of the two teenagers involved in the street racing has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter among four other charges according to reports at the San Diego Union Tribune. The news follows the earlier arrest of another 16-year-old driver that was taken into custody on similar charges. Just shortly after his arraignment, Michael Johnson, the 18-year-old driver of a Volvo S40, said, according to his attorney, that he is not the responsible party in the tragic San Diego accident fatalities that occurred April 4. Accident reports indicate that Johnson was returning from a spring break beach party in La Jolla when he was allegedly involved in a street racing contest with another teen driver – the unidentified 16-year-old driver of a Volkswagen Passat whose name has not been released since he is a minor. According to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler, the two vehicles were zigzagging across lanes at speeds reaching up to a staggering 100 m.p.h. The 16-year-old driver in the Passat lost control over the vehicle, causing the car to flip over several times across multiple lanes of the road. Two passengers, Anthony Foreman, 18, and Jayli Campbell, 16, were thrown from the Passat and died at the scene of the accident. Two passengers survived the crash. Charlotte McQuillen, survived the accident although she suffered serious injury as a result of the collision including reports that say the teen will have to recover from traumatic brain injury. Anthoney Taylor, 16, also survived the crash although his injuries are unclear at this time. Johnson did not flee the scene of the accident according to police reports and cooperated with authorities once officers assessed the scene of the collision. The teen has no prior criminal record, although authorities say his vehicle was found containing a small amount of marijuana. Johnson is being charged with intoxicated driving, although his lawyer says there were no field sobriety tests to confirm the teen’s alleged intoxication. Teen driving: reminders for concerned parents Last week, we blogged on actions parents can take to prevent teen car accidents. Tips include:

Sign a parent-teen contract. Download your free contract now.
Enforcing the rules. Every teen driver needs to know that rules are there for a purpose, and when they are broken, consequences will follow.
Have a DUI backup plan. As most parents can attest, there are many instances when teen drivers run into problems that supersede their know-how and maturity. Drinking is one of those problems. In cases of emergency, your teen should have an open-door policy where they feel safe to call you when they need help – such in the case of drunk driving or driving while intoxicated.

About the Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC The Law Offices of Michael Pines, APC are specialists in car accident injury. Every personal injury attorney in our San Diego office works hard to seek maximum recovery for every injured client. Your case is handled without any out-of-pocket costs, so do not hesitate to speak to a San Diego personal injury lawyer today for a free legal evaluation. Call us at 1-800-655-6585.