T h e L o v e S h e T a u g h t

It was just another busy day at work. I came home, prepared some coffee and as I began to sip, I got a call from my cousin. It seemed Bhanavi, his 5 yr old daughter, had a question for me. “Hello, why are we here on Earth? And what would have happened if we were not to be on Earth?” I kept my coffee mug down and almost instantaneously broke into laughter.

I have already told you in one of my previous blogs (Funny Bone) how smart Bhanavi (not Bhavani) is. Of late, I was into reading some Neurobiology and so I was able to better appreciate her pranks. What's more, she effortlessly puts her subjective experiences into words and hence, for someone interested in Neurobiology, Bhanavi is an open book – ready to read!

[Click here for a comprehensive outlook of the brain.]

There is a popular statement in Neurobiology regarding memory - “Neurons which fire together wire together.” Let me explain. Neurons are basically the nerve cells, the building blocks of our brain. Neurobiologists wonder how we can go on to build our memory while the no. of neurons in our brain remain fairly constant throughout our life. The accepted theory is that when two neurons are stimulated (fired) together they develop more synaptic connections between them (wire together), especially in the Hippocampal area of the brain which is concerned with learning and memory [Click here for the animation]. For example, as toddlers, when we were shown a cat and were told “cat” every time we saw the animal, the “sight of the cat” - that is, one set of neurons processing the “image of the cat” - gets wired with the word “cat” - that is, another set of neurons processing the phonemes and pronunciation of the word “cat.” So, after repeated exercise, when we hear the word “cat,” we begin to instantly recall the animal in our imagination or when we see the animal, we begin to say “cat.”

As I watched Bhanavi build her memory, I noticed something interesting. Bhanavi had seen in her books, the cow being associated with milk and the chicken with eggs. Bhanavi understood that the cow gave us milk and so, the chicken gave us the eggs. But she didn't stop there; she extended her observation and hypothesized that the monkey gave us the banana and the rabbit gave us the carrot!! Careful she was, not to associate monkey with the carrot or the rabbit with the banana. However, it was hard to convince her that monkeys actually ate the bananas and didn't give them to us. After that incident, I understood that there's something more to memory than just wiring up of the neurons. It involves complex interaction between various areas of the brain including higher order association areas of the Neocortex which were beginning to develop in Bhanavi.

There are scads of things that I observed in Bhanavi and I can't go on explaining them in detail (if you are interested, you can mail me for detailed discussions). Just to mention – if you see all her drawings till date, there is a striking improvement in the quality of her sketches and as I watched her crayon-strokes I could appreciate the orchestrated firing of the Purkinje cells in her Cerebellum which went on improving their rhythm over time.

Like Bhanavi, there are many kids among my relatives with whom I have spent some time. I have had some interesting experiences with them. The other day, I was observing my 2-yr old niece, Sharanya, who is very good at picking up nouns. With a little prompt, she used to fluently pronounce everyone's names. When it came to 'me' she would say, “I wont tell you!” I initially thought she was having some stranger-anxiety. That wasn't the case. She was consciously suppressing her impulse to speak out, “Chethan.” She was clearly demonstrating the maturity of her Orbitofrontal cortex!

Now, this Orbitofrontal cortex is an area of the brain that has got to do with our social behavior, impulse control and decision-making abilities. Often, I like to call it - The Lying Cortex! Let me illustrate. Let's say someone whom you don't want to talk to rings your doorbell. You send a kid to answer the door and ask him to tell the person that you are not at home. If the kid's Orbitofrontal cortex isn't matured, it is most likely that it will say, “Papa said, he is not at home!” When your friend invites you for a movie or a dinner, this Orbitofrontal cortex analyses the situation. If the person is your favorite or if it's a weekend, it will give a positive response. Or else, it immediately scans its database for some lame excuse and executes the best one!

This Orbitofrontal cortex is a part of the frontal lobe of our brain. Frontal lobe has many different areas and this is where many higher order functions including abstract thinking and problem solving skills happen. Bhanavi's frontal lobe was particularly interesting to me because in the process of solving problems she used to create problems as well! The other day she asked me, “How do planets fly? Why are they up in the sky?” Even as I wondered she had another question, “Why are we made up of bones?” I replied, “We are made up of bones because we can be strong!” I don't know what neurotransmitter got released in her frontal lobe, she asked me back, “Why then, the thigh bone is the strongest of all the bones?”

Most of her questions are difficult to explain even though we know the answer. But this question, “Why are we here on Earth?” was a complete bouncer. We told her that we are here because God wanted us to be here. Somehow, she wasn't convinced. For once, she shifted my thinking from Neurobiology to Philosophy and I could faintly recollect a related story from the Upanishads. I told her, “We are here to enjoy, to be happy.” She showed some signs of relief and retired to bed. But I myself wasn't convinced with the answer and I had to revert back to my spiritual teacher. I had a lengthy discussion with him (mail me if you are interested in the details) and we were confused as to how to explain all that to this 5 yr old brain. The final equation was, “We are here to help others, to love and not to hurt anyone, be happy and make others happy.”

I don't know how Bhanavi analyzes me but she likes asking me questions. I too welcome her questions though I am sure I will not be able to answer. We switch-on Skype and have a video chat on the weekends. She asks me some questions, she shows me her sketches, teaches me some nursery rhymes and together we do at least one stupid thing every time we connect. Whenever she did those naughty things she seemed to release some Dopamine and endorphins in her endogenous reward system.

The endogenous reward system consists mainly of Nucleus Accumbens Septi, Ventral Tegmentum and their vast connections that form a loop. When the Ventral Tegmental area releases Dopamine (a biogenic amine molecule) in the Nucleus Accumbens Septi, it kicks up a series of circuits involving the endogenous reward system that we subjectively feel as an “elated mood” and an overall sense of well-being. Also the release of endorphins (naturally occuring molecules in our brain similar in structure and function to those of Morphine and other opioids) appears to relieve our physical pain and even the emotional stress. All these things naturally reinforce the original stimulus, so that we feel good. I wondered, how a simple rhyme like “Twinkle twinkle little star” or a simple game like Peek-a-boo which once released that dopamine in our endogenous reward system can no longer do so? Why it now requires sophisticated electronic gadgets and high-end luxury automobiles to release the same dopamine there?

I also observed a couple of other things that I could not explain with our current understanding of this wonderful organ system. Why is it that I continue to associate the feelings of love and trust with my heart even after discovering that they are the functions of my brain? Why is that, whenever I spend time with Bhanavi or any other kid, I exchange with them only love, hope, kindness, strength and humility? Why do I never get negative feelings like fear, anger, lust, greed, pride or jealousy? Perhaps thats what kids are meant for – to make our lives so very beautiful! When kids are around, unknowingly we release more and more of Oxytocin into our Limbic System.

There are particular areas in our brain which process a range of emotions, play a vital role in our behavior, learning and memory, and collectively these areas are called Limbic System. It is this wonderful limbic system that helps us engage with the world around us and associate persons with one or many emotions. Release of Oxytocin (a chemical and a neurotransmitter) in our brain activates the areas concerned with the feeling of Love and Trust. And this Oxytocin is pure and unconditional unless interrupted by other areas of the brain!

The other day Siya, my another niece asked us a question, “Why don't animals speak?” I went back to my neurology resources to analyze how she could come up with such question. It was all because Siya's right-half of the brain was simply doing its job. This right side of the brain engages us with the present world and everything in the world that is “right” - right here, right now. It sort of unifies us with the energy of the world. [Click here for a wonderful video demonstration – a must view!] But why don't we feel that? It is because we also have a left-side to our brain, that separates us from the world. To everything we see, the left-half attaches something from the past experience or probable experience in the future and separates it. When someone does you a favor, your right brain is all thankful and wants you to release some Oxytocin for that person, but then your left brain takes into account the person's appearence, caste, race, status, personal details and modifies the way you thank that person! Fortunately, Siya's left side of the brain hasn't yet matured. She feels one with everyone, including plants and animals, she's one with the energy of the nature and that's why she's so cheerful all the time!

We, the so-called grown ups, also love. But we aren't as blissful as Bhanavi or Siya because we have a so-called matured left-brain that brings in a “reason” to love. Have you noticed a child playing with a currency note? It's of no value to the child except for its attractive colors. It is we, the grown-ups, who pollute its left lobe with the idea of money. Haven't you seen people loving their parents only because they in turn would get some pocket-money or what's worse, their parents haven't written a “Will” yet? I can feel their Oxytocins being contaminated with some deadly neurotoxins. In the words of Shakespeare, “Love has no reason, if it has, it's not love.”

Though many chapters in neurobiology and philosophy are yet to be thoroughly understood, one thing is clear. Why do you think Bhanavi loves me? She has but one reason – she loves me because she loves to love me. And that is the love she taught me.