Example of everyday neurobiology

1. Neurobiology
Neurobiology is the study of cells of the nervous system and the organization of these
cells into functional circuits that process information and mediate behavior. In this
essay I will analyze a YouTube video about a child who has autism in more detail. To
do this I will identify the parts of the nervous system that are active in autism, I will
describe the functions of the nervous system that are apparent or impaired in autism
and finally I will explain in detail the ways in which this cause has allowed me to better
analyze the events and phenomena around me.
Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability caused by differences in the
brain. I watched a video on YouTube about a child who has autism. The child often
had problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive
behaviors or interests. He had different ways of learning, moving, paying attention.
One of the parts of the nervous system that are active in autism is the prefrontal cortex.
The prefrontal cortex is part of the brain’s outermost cortical layer compromising
roughly one third of all cortical gray matter. It is part of the brain involved in social,
language, communication, affective and cognitive functions most disrupted in autism.
“Brain imaging studies of young children with autism have shown overgrowth and
dysfunction inthe prefrontal cortex as well as other brain regions” (Courchesne, 2011).
Other parts of the brain involved in autism are the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex,
temporoparietal cortex and insula.
The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, temporoparietal cortex and
insula are apparent in autism. The prefrontal cortex plays a central role in cognitive
control functions and dopamine in the prefrontal cortex modulates cognitive control
thereby influencing attention, impulse inhabitation, prospective memory and cognitive
flexibility (Richard Win MD, 2017). The amygdala is responsible for the perception of
emotions such as fear, anger, controlling of aggression. It helps to store memories of
events and emotions so that an individual may be able to recognize similar events in
the future. The insula controls autonomic functions through the regulation of the
sympathetic and parasympathetic systems. The temporoparietal cortex is responsible
for processing of information in terms of the ability of an individual to orient attention
to new stimuli. The orbitofrontal cortex is involved decoding and representing some

2. primary reinforcers such as taste and touch, in learning and reversing associations of
visual and other stimuli to these primary reinforcers.
This course has allowed me to better analyze the events and phenomena around me.
I now have advanced better understanding of our basic biology and body function.
This course has taught me to understand how the brain learns new information. If
someone has a disorder of some sort, it does not mean that person must not take part
in certain activities. There many ways one can accommodate a person who is
impaired. This course has taught me to look for more details about a certain disorder
and find out more information that will be helpful to others too.