Neuro Note 1

          TED talk “The surprising connection between brain injuries and crime”

            

          The brain has always been an interest of mine. I love learning about the different ways it works, and how it functions differently for people. I have always been interested in learning about the different pathways and routes in the brain, and how they are either formed or destroyed. A big interest of mine are people who have a TBI and how their brain functions. I have always wondered how their brain is able to restore and have neuroplasticity even after a traumatic brain injury. More specifically, I wanted to know do these new pathways negatively impact the individual more or less. Of course we know that everyone who sustains a TBI probably will not get the luxury of therapy due to finances, unawareness, or denial; but I wanted to know should we assume that these type of individuals are more likely to have a negative outcome or not. Basically, to sum it up, I inquired about if these new pathways impact the brain more positively or negatively.  So, I did a little research and stumbled across this TED talk that discussed how certain pathways could negatively impact the brain and make the person a bit more riskѐ.

          I decided to do my first neuro note on a TED talk discussing how the numbers of TBIs are surprisingly increasing in prisoners. She discussed how TBI’s increase the likely-hood of a person having a personality disorder and making poor judgments or decisions. Due to these reasons, a person gets rearrested continuously; and instead of getting treated or having some type of rehabilitation, they get taken right back to the penitentiary. TBI’s, as we know, destroy different pathways but, they also increase/destroy the production of certain neurotransmitters which makes decision making and judgment a little harder than normal.

          I definitely learned a lot from this TED talk. I did not know that TBI’s were being seen more in prisoners especially women. According to the speaker, almost every woman in jail has been exposed to some form of violence, and more than half of those women were exposed to a TBI. This TED talk really answered my question on if the new pathways or routes being formed in the brain, due to a TBI, could negatively impact the person. I would definitely recommend this TED talk to others, especially those who have similar questions to mine.

   Citation: 

Gorgens, K. (2018, June). The surprising connection between brain injuries and crime. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/kim_gorgens_the_surprising_connection_between_brain_injuries_and_crime?language=en#t-48