The Prefrontal Cortex in the human brain plays a key executive functions in humans. Show
The Prefrontal Cortex in humans is only a few millimetres thick and evolved quite recently in our species at the front of our skulls. It is responsible for all of our key "executive functions" including: decision making, setting goals, deciding good and bad, and moderating social behaviour. One interesting finding of brain scientists has been that young people
(teens and early 20s) often do dumb, risky things because their brain cells connecting the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions are not quite finished development. And so, risky impulses from lower brain regions that in older adults, get vetoed down by the prefrontal cortex, often sneak through in teens! This has lead to a lot of premature deaths and injury in young adults. Executive functioning skills help you get things done. These skills are controlled by an area of the brain called the frontal lobe. Executive function helps you: When executive function isn’t working as it should, your behavior is less controlled. This can affect your ability to: Executive function can be divided into two groups: For example, seeing a piece of chocolate
cake on a dessert cart at a restaurant may be tempting. That's where executive function can step in. The organizational part reminds you that the slice is likely to have hundreds of calories. Regulation tells you that eating the cake conflicts with goals you may have, like eating less sugar or
losing weight. Many ADHD symptoms are problems with executive function.
ADHD is a condition that your doctor can diagnose, and while you may hear them use the term executive function disorder, it isn’t a true medical condition. It’s a weakness in your brain’s self-management system, particularly skills that help you: Some people are born with weak executive function. People with ADHD, depression, or
learning disabilities often have problems with these skills. An injury to the front of the brain can harm your ability to stay on task. Damage from Alzheimer's disease or strokes may also cause problems. Experts rely on different tests to measure specific
skills related to executive function. Problems seen on these tests can't predict how well adults or children will do in real life. Sometimes, watching them and trying different things are better ways to improve weak executive function. Warning signs that a child may have problems with executive function include problems with: Because executive function problems aren’t recognized as an
official illness, there isn’t a set of criteria you can use to diagnose someone. But there are tests to gauge how well your executive function works. These include: Checklist: Common Executive Function Challenges -- and Solutions Here are some tips from the National Center for Learning Disabilities: To improve time management:
To better manage space and keep things from getting lost:
To improve work habits:
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