Brain Essay Example

In Multitasking Brain Divides and Conquers, To a Point, by Jon Hamilton, the article raises the question could the brain go above and beyond expectations for the right cost? The human brain is capable of doing many great things such as extraneous problem solving, complicated decision making, and in some special situations, even heal and repair itself from debilitating brain injuries. In my opinion the brain is the most complex and most mysterious organ in the body, but also the most incredible simply because of its limitless potential. Although I have no doubts in the brains ability, a group of French researchers suggest the brain is limited to only two goal oriented tasks simultaneously in order to remain productive and efficient. They came to that conclusion after studying an area of the brain involved in goals and rewards. The article writes “Their experiment tested peoples abilities to accomplish up to three mental tasks at the same time” (para 2). Participants were given paid incentives for completing a task perfectly.
Human brains are divided into 5 main segments; the cerebellum, the occipital lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe and frontal lobe. The study focuses solely on the frontal lobe because it houses our motor functions, problem solving skills, etc. The frontal lobe is divided into two separate portions, the left lobe and the right. Both are said to own different characteristics and control different functions. Etienne Koechlin, a professor at the Ecole Normal Superieure in Paris, noticed when volunteers were responsible for only one task there was activity in goal oriented areas of both frontal lobes which suggest the two sides work together to complete the task at hand. When a second task was added, Koechlin states the lobes dived their responsibilities, “Each frontal lobe was pursuing its own goal” (para 4). When researchers offered a greater reward for one of the two tasks, they noticed the more valuable task conducted the most brain