Public
Script
January 20, 2024
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
/** @jsxImportSource https://esm.sh/react */
import { generateLessonHtml } from "https://esm.town/v/petermillspaugh/lessonTemplate";
import { renderToString } from "npm:react-dom/server";
/*
* Note: this lesson is a work in progress 👷‍♂️
*/
const TITLE = "Your brain";
const FILL_BLANK = <></>;
const CONTENT = (
<>
<h2>Neurons</h2>
<p>
Humans are born with about 100 billion neurons (TODO: source).
</p>
<p>
Axons and dendrites.
TODO: great diagram here from Anki
</p>
<p>
Myelin sheath, myelination. Myelin sheath is the fatty layer around axons on neurons. Thicker, more developed
myelin sheath allows stronger and faster signals to transmit between synapses, which correlates with more advanced
skill or knowledge. Myelineation refers to the development of myelin sheath.
TODO: great diagram here from Anki
</p>
<h2>Synapses</h2>
<p>
Synapses are connections between neurons that transmit electrical signal. An axon on one neuron connects to a
dendrite on another neuron to form a synapse.
</p>
<h2>Neurogenesis</h2>
<p>
Neurogenesis is the process of creating new neurons. It mostly happens in prenatal development but also in the
hippocampus during adulthood to facilitate learning.
</p>
<h2>Synaptic pruning</h2>
<p>
Humans reach a peak number of synapses around age 1 or 2, plateau until puberty, then undergo synaptic pruning
until adulthood.
There's still research to be done on why certain neural pathways are pruned. The "use it or lose it" camp
hypothesizes that pathways that aren't used during childhood get pruned.
</p>
<h2>Neuroplasticity</h2>
<p>
Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to change, e.g. forming new pathways between neurons and
strengthening/weakening synaptic connections.
</p>
<h2>The hippocampus</h2>
<p>The hippocampus performs consolidation of short-term memory into long-term memory.</p>
<h2>The basal ganglia</h2>
<p>
The basal ganglia, which also controls some motor function—both voluntary and unvoluntary, like subconscious eye
movements, Cognitive and motor functions can be chunked together in one unit that makes up a learned habit or
skill. So you can think of learned habits become automatic, uncontrolled System 1 knowledge.
It kind of looks like an over-ear bluetooth thingy. TODO: image/diagram
</p>
</>
);
const QUIZ = [
{
question: "",
answer: "",
},
];
export const yourBrain = {
title: TITLE,
fillBlank: FILL_BLANK,
quiz: QUIZ,
fetchHtml: (email: string, lesson: number) =>
generateLessonHtml({
email,
lesson,
title: `Lesson ${lesson + 1}: ${TITLE}`,
fillBlank: FILL_BLANK,
content: CONTENT,
quiz: QUIZ,
}),
};
Val Town is a social website to write and deploy JavaScript.
Build APIs and schedule functions from your browser.
Comments
Nobody has commented on this val yet: be the first!
January 20, 2024