Attachment in adult inmates and its implications for classroom teaching and student success. Limits of neural pathway restoration in severe mental illness. Links between child development stages, geriatric brain function, and healthcare. Role of glial cells and neurotransmitters in mental illness and behavior regulation.

Dr. Vince Callahan is a counselor, educator, and researcher with nearly 40 years’ experience in trauma-informed care. He holds a Doctor of Education from Regent University and has authored books, led workshops worldwide, and provided over 30,000 hours of counseling. Founder of the Florida Institute for Neural Discovery, he integrates neuroscience and faith-based principles to support healing, learning, and personal growth. Reference:                               The Neurological Impact of Stress: A Look at the Danger to Children The human brain is the most complicated organ in the body. It is complex yet simple. Scientists have studied the brain for many, many years and will tell you, “They have only scratched the surface as to what they know.” We can understand this complex organ by simplifying its functionality. Many big words and medical terms are associated with neural understanding. In this chapter, you will see the functionality of the brain and the various parts that make us a person. This chapter aims to create an understandable reading environment of the parts of the brain in a simplified form and create a foundational understanding of neuroscience. Your brain controls everything about you…. thoughts, memory, emotions, and every process that regulates the body. It weighs about three pounds and is fully formed in utero. The brain continues to develop until a person reaches their mid-twenties. Although the brain’s development slows down, the brain’s ability to change does not stop. This is due to something called neuroplasticity, or the ability of the brain to adapt and change. The brain is 60% fat and 40% water, protein, carbohydrates and salts. Because of the fat content within the brain, it is important to have fat as a part of a healthy diet. Without some fat in the diet, the brain will not function at its peak level (Scripps, 2022, / Psychology Today, Perimutter, 2022). There are approximately 86 billion neurons in the brain. The neuron is the conduit or pathway by which all information travels inside the brain. Once the brain receives information, the neurons create the chemical signal that allows for the information to travel to various parts of the brain. There are over 100 different neurotransmitters (chemical signals) that interact with the billions of neurons. The role of the thalamus is to alert the brain if the incoming sensory information has any danger attached to it. If the information is “safe,” then the outgoing train is sent to the parts of the brain that are used in memory, learning, and behavior. If the incoming train is deemed to be unsafe, then the thalamus sends the alert signal, which in turn ignites the fight-flight-freeze survival system.    Shura (2014) indicates that the insula plays a vital part in neural dysfunctions, especially those related to higher-order cognitive, emotional, and social networks. Even though the insula is less than 2% of the overall mass of the brain, research is now showing how important this part of the brain is to our overall well-being. Within the human body, there is a state called homeostasis. This term refers to the body’s ability to be at and maintain balance. Recent studies (Shura, 2014) indicate a more important role of the insula in maintaining the body’s homeostasis. Bauemfeid (2013) indicates that the insula plays a key role in higher-order awareness and social cognition. Not only does the physiological body employ homeostasis for body balance, but this research also indicates that “a higher order of social cognition” would be connected to emotional homeostasis, the ability to keep the emotions balanced. To be discussed in the chapter on stress will indicate how, during FRMI studies, the insula ‘lights up’ during trauma recall (Cantanni et al. 2009).