Reawakening the sleeping beauty in the brain

“Neuroscience is by far the most exciting branch of science because the brain is the most fascinating object in the universe.” So let's discuss this in more depth.

Another interesting morning on the 30th of November, 2022 was spent in the Bio Lab discussing our very first topic on Biology, Neuroscience – Brain, Mind and Behaviour, long awaited by all the students. Dev Gala began by informing the club as to how multidisciplinary and complex the field of neuroscience is. The understanding of the biological fundamentals that form the basis of learning, memory, behaviour, perception, and consciousness has been described by Eric Kandel, a Nobel Prize winning doctor as the “epic challenge” of the biological sciences.

Dev then highlighted how beautifully the brain works, sighting cognitive abilities as one of man’s most unique features, he went on to explain how everyone in the room could understand him right now only because of the mind’s cognitive abilities. The Club then spoke about a very new and less researched branch of neuroscience called Computational Neuroscience which uses mathematical models, computer simulations and abstractions to understand the nervous system. Looks like escaping the wrath of mathematics is next to impossible!

The conversation proceeded with the students discussing very relevant topics like depression, anxiety and other mental health diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Epilepsy. The students realised through many informational videos that anxiety is our body’s “threat detection system” and is not a sign of weakness at all. There are multiple ways to tackle severe anxiety, and the foremost way is to go natural and change your interaction with your environment.

Another very important subject that was implored was that of something all students desperately need but never seem to get enough of – Sleep.

The children were educated as to how sleep is actually, according to scientists, “the most productive thing you do all day.” The more amusing parts of this were topics of Lucid dreams – a phenomenon that allows one to control their dreams, and Sleep Paralysis – where the mind regains awareness but the body does not.

The session ended with our core members giving the students tips on how to sleep better every night, which involves factors like the ideal temperature, the right timing and accurate lighting, but left them with a stern warning – to not make use of these tips during class!