Part 1 of 4: Our Brains, Memories & Alzheimer’s (AD) – How We Remember & Why We Forget? Structure and Functions of the Human Brain

 It was a pleasure to find really enthusiastic audience for a 12-hour course at the Centre for Life-long Learning (CLL) at Strathclyde University during April/May 2023.  The synopsis of the course is as follows:

Human brains are the most complicated objects in the Universe; memories are forever but can be so unreliable, and forgetting is critical for sanity. The way we live now does not help – Alzheimer Disease (AD) is on the rise; it is the most feared disease of old age.  Join me to explore how the brain constructs/retains/alters memories. Learn how AD develops and that self-help is the best cure.  Sleep, diet and exercise are  most important for good mental and physical wellbeing;  ‘blue-zone’ communities have largely avoided chronic diseases afflicting the modern world – including AD. Much can be learnt from how they live.  

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In the following, I am publishing the slides used for the course.  The course material was roughly divided in four parts:

1.  Structure and  function of the human brain 

2.  Memory 

3.  Ageing Brain and Alzheimer's Disease 

4.  Well being in older age (with particular emphasis on sleep)

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Please click on a slide to see its full-page view.

What I have tried to do here is to discuss the anatomy of the brain -- how different parts of the brain interact with each other with their particular functionalities. The material above is sufficient to understand how the brain senses the world outside and looks after the welfare of the body.

Some of the pictures I have used could be subject to copyright - I am happy to acknowledge the copyright in the best way possible if the holder can contact me at ektalks@yahoo.co.uk  It may be that I have to remove one or more figures if the copyright holder does not allow me to retain them in this public service blog.  

The next part  (Part 2) of the course deals with memories and may be accessed HERE. 

Part 3 of the course (Alzheimer's  Disease) may be accessed here

Part 4 of the course (Well Being in Old Age) may be accessed here