Page 45 - Advanced Biblical Counseling Student Textbook
P. 45
The Hypothalamus
Just below your thalamus is your hypothalamus, an important link in the chain of command for bodily
maintenance. Some neural clusters in the hypothalamus influence hunger. Others regulate thirst, body
temperature, and sexual behavior. Together, they help you maintain a steady internal state. As the
hypothalamus monitors the state of your body, it tunes into your blood chemistry and any incoming
69
orders from other brain parts.
Prefrontal Cortex
Understanding this area of the brain is very important. We briefly looked at this part of the brain when
we learned about adolescence and development. Take a look at the picture of the prefrontal cortex and
notice all it is responsible for. Scientists used to think the prefrontal cortex was fully developed by the
late teens. Now the belief is that it is not fully developed until the mid-twenties. Does this make sense to
you? Depending on your age, you may struggle with some of the functions of the prefrontal cortex. Or
70
you may be able to think about how you’ve developed in some of these areas recently.
(photo:www.actualized.org) (photo: neuroscienceofdating.com)
69 Ibid.
70 Ibid.
44
