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Three brains theory. Negative thoughts paralyze our mind. There is a scientific explanation for this! Neocortex, new brain, mind

All his life, man strives to overcome the chaotic essence of nature: to “fit” it into the existing framework, to subordinate it to rules. One of the clear examples is the endless fields, which, when viewed from a bird’s eye view, resemble either a striped terry robe or a colorful illustration from a geometry textbook. Has a special love for such landscapes Alex MacLean- one of the most popular aerial photographers in the world.

Alex McLean has been “sick” of the sky since back in 1975, when he first took off above the ground in his four-seater Cessna 182 aircraft. Since then, the passion for flight has not subsided; the photographer has spent more than 6,000 hours in the sky, without letting go of his camera. McLean is an architect by training, which is perhaps why he is so impressed by straight lines on multi-colored fields or bizarre patterns on deserted plains.

The photographer enthusiastically talks about each of the flights, admitting that in the cabin of the plane you can even smell the scent of flowers. McLean now lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and makes several flights every day, each of which can last two to three hours. Sometimes he goes long distances, spending six to eight hours at the helm. True, Alex doesn’t like long-distance flights across the country: he has to circle over every object he likes for too long.

It is noteworthy that, in addition to aesthetic value, Alex’s photographs can often have practical applications: for example, the master’s lens often captures areas where excessive environmental pollution is fraught with environmental disasters.

Yes, a person has three brains.

This is a proven fact that is worth knowing.

Why? First of all, it's interesting. Secondly, this is important.

Three brains are a gift from long evolution that allowed us to survive and become who we are. But also the three blocks of the brain are a complex system of interactions, without understanding the logic of which it is almost impossible to plan, achieve or achieve anything. Perhaps only on an intuitive level.

Paul MacLean's theory: three human brains

First, general information.

In every person's head there is three-layer triune brain. Each new level appeared as a consequence of evolution and introduced something new and absolutely unique into behavior. All systems are located one above the other, that is, they are not departments or hemispheres.

More like shells.

The deepest layer, small in volume and oldest in age, is the membrane of the reptilian brain. Responds to survival in the global sense of the word.

The second layer is the limbic system. She is already less years old, and the zone of influence on the human body is stronger. It includes the entire emotional spectrum of feelings - from love to hatred.

The neocortex completes the structure of the human triune brain. This level makes us thinking, intelligent beings. The main ones on this planet.

An interesting pattern has been revealed: the older the level of the brain, the stronger its influence on behavior and habits, the more difficult it is to fight it.

Important. All three structures “live” unharmoniously. They very rarely interact with each other; more often, each “defends” its own interests.

That's what we'll talk about.

Reptilian brain, r-complex, instincts

The reptilian brain got its name because it exists today in a fully formed form in reptiles. They did not go further along the chain of evolution, giving scientists the opportunity for global analysis.

Reptiles have a complete p-complex, the activity of which is aimed at survival. To do this you need:

eat;
multiply;
defend - run away or attack.

Actually, that's all. If there are no external influences, and basic instincts are satisfied, the reptile will be in hibernation or immobility.

This is a huge plus for a person whose p-complex is included in three blocks of the brain. Why? Because during normal life, this layer of the brain is almost always in a state of stasis and does not interfere.

In case of danger, hunger or other basic needs, it wakes up and “rallies”. Then he “sleeps” again.

Limbic system, L-complex, emotions

The second round of evolution is easy to trace in mammals and birds.

Following the emotions, the need for society quickly grew. The concepts of “hierarchy”, “status”, “dominance” appeared.

The desires of the limbic system influence all three parts of the brain.

What does the limbic want?

Endless comfort!
Good and tasty to eat.
It's interesting to relax.
Constantly rejoice.
Enjoy life.
Be in love.

The more positive, the more fully the L-complex is realized. The happier the person. And this is already creating problems.

In general, the limbic behavior pattern resembles a very capricious child. She only wants to be happy and have fun. Everything that she doesn’t like and doesn’t bring pleasure is rejected at a conscious-subconscious level.

The word “should” is not familiar to the limbic system. Just the word “I want”!

Neocortex, new brain, mind

Humans, dolphins and some primates have thoughts, judgments, the ability to analyze and other “goodies” of conscious existence. What is the new level created by evolution responsible for?

If we compare all three brain systems, the new structure is allocated 85%. It's a lot in volume, but it doesn't add any influence.

The neocortex, on the one hand, heads all three types of brain and makes us “reasonable people,” but at the same time it is in a constant struggle with emotions and the p-complex.

The new brain wants:

develop;
think;
analyze;
to plan;
evaluate;
compare…

But the rest of the systems - the limbic and reptilian parts - do not need this. They need to survive and get maximum pleasure. All!

Three membranes of the brain: difficulties

The three parts of the brain are constantly in opposition to each other. But the limbic system struggles most with the neocortex.

Limbika does not want to learn, develop, or plan. She wants to lie on the couch, eat delicious food and enjoy light books.

And in this situation, the reptilian simply sleeps. There is no danger, there is food - and nothing else is needed.

It is with the capricious child - the L-complex - that you have to fight when you want to:

move towards goals;
develop;
to plan;
achieve;

By the way, everything works out well with habits. If you survive the protests of the body and brain, then the limbic will learn to get a thrill from the newly acquired skill and will perceive it favorably.

This is where the whole secret lies. A single brain - a three-in-one concept - can interact efficiently if the comfort of each structure is taken care of.

Synchronize the blocks and give each level the sensations that are important to it.

If you can do this, then the three brain blocks work as one. And a person finds himself in a “flow” and can reach any heights.

And another very important point: the theory of three brains gives an understanding of how to control emotions and not spontaneously fall into extreme states. That is, keeping anger, rage, stress and even excessive joy in check. More on this in the following articles.

Triune brain theory

If you hold your thumb with the other four fingers, you get a “handy” model of the brain. In this case, the face will be on the side of the knuckles, and the back of the head will be on the back of the hand. The wrist functions as the spinal cord running inside the spine; on top of it is the brain. If you open all your fingers, the inner brain stem will be right in the palm of your hand. By bending your thumb back, you will see the approximate location of the limbic lobe (ideally, for the symmetry of the model, we should have two thumbs, left and right). Now make a fist with four fingers and you will have a bark.

These three regions—the brainstem, the limbic lobe, and the cortex—make up the so-called triune brain, the levels of which have developed successively during evolution. Integration of brain activity at least implies the unification of the activity of these three areas. Since they are located one above the other, it is called vertical integration. The brain is divided into left and right hemispheres, so neural integration requires combining their functions. This can be considered horizontal, or two-way, integration.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, the trunk was what some call the brain of a reptile. The trunk receives signals from the body and sends them back, thereby regulating basic life processes, such as the functioning of the heart and lungs. It also determines the energy supply of the parts of the brain located above - the limbic lobe and the cerebral cortex. The trunk directly controls the state of arousal, determining, for example, whether we are hungry or full, experiencing sexual desire or satisfaction, sleeping or awake.

The lateral plane diagram of the brain shows the main areas of the brain: brainstem, limbic structures (with the amygdala and hippocampus), cortex (with the medial prefrontal region). The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is not visible.

Neural clusters in the brainstem also come into play when certain external conditions require rapid distribution of energy in the body and brain. The so-called “fight-flight-freeze” response set is responsible for survival in dangerous situations. Working in parallel with the evaluative processes of the limbic and higher areas of the brain, the brainstem evaluates how we should respond to danger: mobilize energy for fight or flight, or helplessly freeze and capitulate. However, regardless of the chosen response, the survival mode turned on makes it difficult, if not completely blocking, the ability to be open and receptive to others. Therefore, in order to get rid of the mental traps in which we sometimes get stuck, we need to reduce our reaction speed.

The trunk forms the basis of the so-called motivational systems that help us satisfy basic needs for food, procreation, safety and shelter. When you have a strong need for a certain behavior, it is very likely that it is the brain stem, along with the limbic lobe, that motivates you to take action.

2. Limbic structures

The limbic lobe is located deep inside the brain, approximately where the thumb is located on our “handy” model. It was formed about two hundred million years ago, simultaneously with the appearance of the first mammals. The “ancient mammalian brain” (old cortex) works in close contact with the brainstem and our entire body, forming not only basic desires, but also emotions. We experience a certain meaningful feeling at some point because our limbic structures evaluate the current situation. "Is it good or bad?" - this is the main question that the limbic lobe answers. We reach for the good and stay away from the bad. Thus, limbic structures help us create “emotions” that provoke movement, motivating us to act in accordance with the meaning that we ascribe to what is happening at a particular time.

The limbic lobe plays a key role in our emotional attachments and how we build relationships with people. If you've ever kept fish, frogs or lizards at home, you know that, unlike mammals, they do not experience attachment to their owners or to each other. Meanwhile, rats, cats and dogs have a limbic system characteristic of mammals. Emotional attachment is what characterizes them and you and me. We are literally designed to connect with each other, thanks to our mammalian ancestors.

The limbic system performs an important regulatory function through the hypothalamus, the main endocrine control center. Through the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus sends and receives hormones, having a special effect on the genitals, thyroid and adrenal glands. For example, during times of stress, a hormone is released that stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, which mobilizes energy and puts the metabolism on high alert to cope with the situation. This reaction is easy to manage under short-term stress, but becomes a problem in the long term. When we are faced with an issue that we cannot adequately resolve, cortisol levels become chronically elevated. In particular, traumatic experiences can lead to increased sensitivity of limbic structures, and as a result, even minor stress will provoke an increase in cortisol levels, further complicating the daily life of a person who has suffered psychological trauma. High levels of cortisol are toxic to the developing brain and disrupt the normal growth and functioning of nerve tissue. An overly reactive limbic system needs to be softened to balance the emotional background and reduce the harmful effects of chronic stress.

The limbic lobe also contributes to the formation of various types of memory: remembering facts, specific experiences and emotions, making it more colorful. On either side of the central portion of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland are two special clusters of neurons: the amygdala and the hippocampus. The amygdala plays an important role in the fear response. (Although some authors attribute all emotions to the amygdala, according to the most recent research, our overall state is determined by the limbic system, the cortex, as well as the brain stem and the entire body.)

The amygdala triggers immediate reactions for survival purposes. An emotional state can prompt us to act unconsciously and thereby save our life or provoke us to actions that we will later greatly regret. To begin to make sense of our own feelings - to specifically pay attention to them and understand them - we need to integrate these emotional states formed in the subcortical structures with the cortex of our brain.

Finally we come to the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped cluster of neurons that functions as a jigsaw puzzle. It connects widely separated areas of the brain: from perceptual systems to fact storage and language centers. The integration of impulses turns our moment-to-moment impressions into memories.

The hippocampus develops gradually in early childhood and forms new connections and neurons throughout life. As we mature, the hippocampus weaves basic forms of emotional and perceptual memory into factual and autobiographical memories, allowing us, for example, to tell someone about an incident. However, this ability to tell stories, unique to humans, also depends on the development of the uppermost part of the brain, the cortex.

The outer layer of the brain is the cortex, much like a tree. It is sometimes called the neocortex, or new cortex, because it began to develop rapidly with the advent of primates, particularly humans. The cortex generates less simple impulse patterns that represent a three-dimensional world beyond the body's functions and survival reactions, which are responsible for the deeper subcortical areas. The more complex frontal cortex allows us to have ideas and concepts and create “mindsight maps” that give us insight into our own inner world. For example, in the frontal cortex, patterns of impulses arise that represent its own representations. In other words, it gives us the ability to think about the thought process. The good news is that through this, people can diversify their thinking process: imagine, combine facts and experiences in new ways, create. However, there is a flip side to the coin: sometimes these abilities make us think too much. As far as is known, no other species is capable of producing its own neural representations. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we sometimes call ourselves neurotic.

The bark is covered with winding grooves, which scientists have divided into sections called lobes. In our “handy” model, the posterior cortex extends from the second knuckle (counting from the tips of the fingers) to the back of the hand and includes the occipital, parietal and temporal lobes. The posterior cortex is a kind of “mapper” of our physical experience, shaping the perception of the external world using the five senses and tracking the location and movement of our body in space through the perception of touch and movement. If you've learned to use an object—a hammer, a baseball bat, or a car—you may remember that magical moment when the initial awkwardness left you. The perceptual functions of the posterior cortex are surprisingly adaptive: they have embedded this object in your body "map" so that it is felt by the brain as an extension of your body. Due to this, we can drive quickly on highways, park on a narrow street and use a scalpel with great precision.

Looking again at our handy model of the brain, the frontal cortex, or frontal lobe, extends from our fingertips to our second knuckle. This area evolved during the era of primates and is most developed in humans. Moving from the back of the head to the frontal lobe, we first encounter the “motor stripe” that controls voluntary contracting muscles. The muscles of the legs, arms, hands, fingers and face are controlled by separate groups of neurons. The muscles connect to the spinal cord, where they intersect and change position, so the muscles on the right side of the body are activated by the left motor area of the brain. (The same intersection applies to the sense of touch: it is responsible for an area closer to the occipital part, in the area of the parietal lobe, which is called the somatosensory strip.) Returning back to the frontal lobe and moving forward a little, we will see an area called the premotor strip. It is connected to the physical world and allows us to interact with the environment: we plan our movements.

So, the brainstem is responsible for bodily function and survival, the limbic system is for emotion and evaluation, the posterior cortex is for perceptual processes, and the posterior frontal lobe is for motor activity.

Let's move along our model to the area from the first knuckles to the fingertips. Here, just behind the frontal bone, is the prefrontal cortex, which is only well developed in humans. We move beyond the perception of the surrounding world and the movement of the body into another area of \u200b\u200breality, constructed by neurons.

We are moving towards more abstract and symbolic forms of information flow that distinguish us as a species. This prefrontal region is where representations of concepts such as time, the sense of self, and moral judgment are created. This is where we create our “mindsight maps”.

Take another look at the brain model. The two outermost fingers represent the lateral portion of the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in the formation of a person’s conscious focus of attention. By placing something in front of your eyes, you associate activity in that area with activity in other areas of the brain, such as ongoing visual perception in the occipital lobe. (When we reproduce an image from memory, a similar part of the occipital lobe is activated.)

The third figure shows the location of areas of the medial prefrontal cortex, which includes the middle and ventral areas of the prefrontal cortex, the orbitofrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex of both hemispheres. The corpus callosum connects the two hemispheres.

Now let's look at the medial prefrontal cortex, represented in our model by the middle fingernail. This region performs important regulatory functions, from controlling life processes to making moral judgments.

Why is the medial prefrontal cortex so important for performing these tasks necessary for a healthy life? If we open our fingers and close them again, we see the anatomical uniqueness of this area: it connects everything. Notice how the middle finger rests on top of the limbic system (thumb), touches the trunk (palm), and directly connects to the cortex (fingers). Thus, the medial prefrontal cortex is literally one synapse away from the neurons of the cortex, limbic lobe and brainstem. It even has functional pathways connecting it to the social world.

The medial prefrontal cortex creates connections between the following distant and disparate areas of the brain: the cortex, the limbic systems, the brainstem inside the skull, and the internal nervous system of our body. It also links signals from all these areas to the signals we send to and receive from our social world. Because the prefrontal cortex helps coordinate and balance impulse patterns from all of these areas, it serves a critical integrative function.

Used materials:

Daniel Siegel Mindsight. The New Science of Personal Transformation"

It’s hard to believe, but a person can have up to 100,000 thoughts a day, that’s a thought per second. We often do not track this flow; thoughts rush through our heads at great speed, leaving behind a completely different “aftertaste”.

Nowadays a very popular theory is that thoughts are material, that they can influence the scenario of life development, the emotional and physical well-being of a person. And indeed it is!
It is necessary to treat your thoughts carefully and consciously, because they directly affect the functioning of our brain, let's figure it out - how?

American neurophysiologist Paul D. MacLean developed a model of brain structure and evolution back in the 1960s, which he called the “triune brain.” Its essence lies in the fact that the human brain consists of three parts, mounted on top of one another, like in a nesting doll:

1. reticular (reptilian) brain

2. emotional (limbic, mammalian) brain

3. visual brain (cerebral cortex, neocortex).

The human brain, MacLean believes, is “equivalent to three interconnected biological computers,” each of which has “its own mind, its own sense of time and space, its own memory, motor and other functions.”

Reptilian brain- the most ancient. Its age is more than 100 million years. It regulates the vital functions of the body: breathing, sleep, blood supply to the body, muscle contraction. The only function of the reptilian brain is SURVIVAL. Reptilian brain is responsible for the safety of the species and controls basic human behavior, reflexes and instincts.

Limbic system- younger, its age is more than 50 million years and man inherited it from ancient mammals. The limbic system is responsible for the generation of EMOTIONS and connects emotional and physical activity. This is where fear, sadness, fun, and change of mood arise. The entire range of feelings is generated by this part of the human brain. The limbic system is also responsible for human social adaptation, interaction with other people, and empathy.

The neocortex is the youngest structure of the brain, the cerebral cortex. Its age is about 2 million years and all higher mammals have it. The neocortex is responsible for the human MIND in the broadest sense of the word. Thanks to the neocortex, modern man has the ability to think, draw conclusions, analyze, compare, and learn. Those. It is the neocortex that allows us to HEALTHY evaluate situations, relying on reason, and not just instincts and emotions, make informed decisions, analyze our experience, and reflect.

Now that we have examined all three structures of the brain, we can correctly conclude that in order to lead a conscious life, to make logical, correct and informed decisions, we must actively use neocortex. But the trick is that evolutionarily, the reptilian brain performs the most important function - ensuring the survival of the species, and, accordingly, is the strongest, dominant of the entire structure of the triune brain. And it is the reptilian brain that is the first to react to any external stimuli, especially if they have a negative connotation.
It is very important to remember the feature reptilian brain- when he exhibits dominant activity, a person loses the ability to think at all other, disproportionately higher levels, i.e. emotional brain And neocortex they simply switch off and the person acts at the level of instincts, which means he shows aggression (instincts of defense, protection, struggle for power and territory), or goes into passive behavior (instinct of escape), or begins to eat stress (instinct of destruction, eating the enemy), or acts in a different, instinctive way, far from reasonable, “adult” behavior.

Reptilian brain– this is a certain Cerberus who stands in defense of our body, our life. Any negative information received from the outside, like any negative thought or memory, instantly activates the reptilian brain and paralyzes emotions and mind. A person simply CANNOT think rationally.

Track how many negative thoughts fly through your head per day. Analyze how much negativity you receive from the media (Internet, television, radio).

90% of the information we receive from the media is negative, related to violence, death, disasters, wars. How do we react to this news? That's right, at the level of instincts. Our reptilian brain completely takes over our consciousness, depriving us of the ability to think and reason soberly. All we can do is react instinctively: show aggression (and in most cases, auto-aggression, i.e. directed at ourselves, since we have no one to direct external aggression at), fall into depression (as a variant of passive behavior), earn eating disorders, neuroses, panic attacks, etc.

The same thing happens when we think negatively, because the brain does not distinguish between the circumstances of real life and the pictures that we imagine in our head. The brain’s reaction is the same to both the real and the imaginary – the reptilian brain turns on and we “fall” to the level of instincts. People suffering from aerophobia only need to hear the word “airplane” or imagine a picture of a flight - they fall into a state of panic, close to fainting, showing all the signs of behavior and physiological reaction, as if they were actually in danger of trouble.

Can behavior at the level of instincts be productive and rational? Probably not.

Our task is to protect ourselves from internal and external negativity in every possible way. We are not used to controlling our thoughts. Often we simply don’t think about it, perceiving the flow of thoughts as something taken for granted, something integral to us. It is extremely important to engage in thought prevention. Analyze, identify and neutralize negative images that arise in our head. Fill your mind with productive, positive information. Remain in a state of intelligence and awareness.

We need to calm and tame our inner Cerberus, otherwise we risk being completely at its mercy.

There is always a well-known solution to every human problem - neat, plausible, and wrong.
H.L. Menken

There is always a well-known solution for every problem that worries a person - elegant, plausible, and... erroneous.
Henry Mencken

Triune Brain

The Triune Brain theory by Paul MacLean is extremely popular.

This is, in a sense, comparative neuroanatomy, incredibly elegant in its simplicity. The entire brain consists of three parts:

The oldest "reptile brain", or R-complex, including the basal ganglia and stem structures. Instinctive behaviors such as aggression, dominance, territoriality and ritualistic behavior are attributed to him.
The brain of paleomammals corresponds to the amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus and cingulate cortex. MacLean believed that it arose in the earliest mammals and was not present in reptiles, and attributed emotions to it
The brain of neomammals is the cerebral cortex. According to MacLean, the newest brain, which contains language, planning, abstract thought, etc.

Why emotions in the paleobrain? Since emotions are mammals (McLean believed that birds and reptiles have nothing like that), and they are too crazy for the “rational” neocortex, they were recorded there, in the middle layer. And since the hippocampus is sort of like a paleocortex, he was assigned there too. I'm exaggerating, but the quality of the reasoning there is something like this. For its time and America, the theory was a new contribution, and led to the appearance of the very term "limbic system". (Although Bernstein was 20 years earlier and much more detailed and accurate).

The theory is wrong

MacLean has a lot of very interesting guesses, but in general his construction is very primitive and certainly needs to be updated.

The brains of reptiles and birds do not consist only of the basal ganglia and are not even dominated by them.
Emotions - more precisely, affects - are not an invention of mammals, and sit in the mesencephalic and brainstem structures (but also in the cortex)
The limbic system is a legitimate department, but consists of a much more subtle organization than Maclean wrote.
In particular, all known roles of the hippocampus are in no way related to the limbic system
In general, mammals did not evolve from reptiles.

But inertia is a hard thing.