Place a finger on the back of your skull, at a more or less level point with the upper part of the ears. Here, deeply under hair, skin and bone, near a cavity full of fluid at the root of its brain, there is a small package of pigmented cells of the color of lapislazuli. This is the LOCUS COERULEUS – Latin for “Blue Dot”. It measures only a few millimeters, but its tiny size denies its power over its thoughts.
Research has revealed that the structure is essential to coordinate our mental processing. Sometimes labeled by the “brain switch”, it may be better imagined as a gearbox. “You can establish the rhythm of your brain to adapt to the specific type of mental work that you are doing,” says the neuroscience researcher rotated writer Mithu Storoni. When it is in the right team, we feel pleasantly committed to the task in question. Often, however, it can get stuck in incorrect, which leads to the dream procrastination or frantic frustration.
Until recently, we knew very little about the ways of controlling these transitions, but that is changing. It turns out that the small blue point of the brain can be trained, with immediate consequences for cognition and mental well -being. This means that, with the correct techniques, you can change your march, to influence your mental state, from how well it focuses and the stress levels you feel, to your ability to make creative leaps and think about your feet.
A good appreciation of Locus Coeruleus has taken almost two and a half centuries to emerge …
#control #brains #master #switch #optimize
