We all face so many things every day, don't we? Sometimes we have to do several things at the same time, learn new things, and control our thoughts. To do all of this well, we need special abilities inside our brains. Those abilities are what we are going to talk about today, called "Executive Function."
What is this Executive Function?
Simply put, executive function is the "chief executive officer" of your brain. It's like the CEO of a large company. It's the one that helps you set goals, plan your work around them, solve problems, control your emotions, and shift your focus from one task to another.
Imagine, you wake up in the morning and try to organize your day's tasks. You have to cook, you have to get the kids ready for school, you have to go to the office. Your executive functioning helps you do all of this without panicking and on time. When these abilities are good, they have a huge impact on your mental health, physical health, and quality of life . But if these abilities are weak, it can be a little difficult to do well in school, find and hold a job, and maintain good relationships with people.
What are the main types of executive function?
Our "executive officer" has three main areas that help him do his job properly. Let's see what they are.
1. Working Memory
2. Cognitive Flexibility
3. Inhibition Control
All three of these abilities develop at different times throughout our lives, some of which start when we are young. However, as we get older, some of these abilities may decline. This is normal. Now, let's talk about each of these in a little more detail .
1. What is Working Memory?
Working memory is the ability to hold information in your head for a while and use it to help you understand something or make a decision. Imagine, you are reading about an event on a news website. After a while, new information about the same event comes up. Then, it is this working memory that helps you remember what you read before, match it with this new information, and change your opinion about that event.
Another example is someone giving you a phone number. You hold it in your head until you write it down on a piece of paper. That too is a function of working memory. This ability develops during childhood and adolescence, peaking in your early 30s . Then, after age 35 and into middle age, it may start to decline gradually as you move into old age (after age 65).
2. What is Cognitive Flexibility?
Cognitive flexibility is your ability to adapt to change. It could be a change in your personal life, or a change in your environment.
If you can smoothly switch from one task to another, from one thought to another, from one situation to another, it means that you have good cognitive flexibility . For example, if you are typing an email and then answering a question that someone asks in the office, that is where you are using this ability. We also call it "multitasking."
Similarly, this ability is used when you think about a problem from someone else's perspective, that is, when you show empathy . This cognitive flexibility also helps you quickly switch to a different method when you realize that the way you were thinking about solving a problem is not working. According to some experts, this ability begins to develop in children around the age of 3 and is complete by the age of 12. Others say that it continues to develop until about the age of 29.
3. What is Inhibition Control?
Inhibition Control is how well you can control your thoughts, emotions, and attention . It is this ability that you use to manage your responses in different situations.
Imagine, you are in a very noisy office. But you have to have an important conversation with someone. Then, this inhibitory control helps you to deliberately forget all the other conversations and noises around you (Inhibiting) and focus only on your speech. Also, if something happens during that conversation that makes you angry or anxious, this ability also helps you to control that feeling without getting angry and shouting in a way that you will regret later. This ability also starts to develop in childhood and may start to decrease a little around the age of 60.
What conditions can affect executive function?
The frontal lobe of our brain manages this executive function. So, anything that affects brain tissue can affect this frontal lobe, and through it, executive function. However, there are some neurodevelopmental conditions that specifically affect the frontal lobe of the brain, causing problems with this executive function.
Doctors also call these problems "executive dysfunction." Mental health conditions that can affect this include:
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
For example, if you have ADHD , you may have difficulty controlling your behavior (inhibitory control). You may also have difficulty remembering information (working memory) and associating it with new information.
Executive dysfunction can also be caused by brain damage and degenerative diseases. Examples:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Brain tumors
- Dementia
But experts say that not only diseases like these, but also things like severe stress, loneliness, lack of sleep, and lack of exercise can negatively affect your executive functioning.
Are there ways to test this executive function?
Yes, your doctor, especially a neurologist, can perform a neurological exam . There are also special tests to assess various aspects of executive functioning.
An example is the Stroop Test . This is a test that measures inhibitory control. In this test, you are asked to ignore some information and pay attention to other information. Imagine that when you do a Stroop test, the word "red" is shown in green and you are asked to say the word you see. Then, to give the correct answer, you have to control the urge to say "green" and say the word "red." That sounds a bit difficult, doesn't it? That's how your inhibitory control is measured.
Can we improve our executive function?
This is the most important question. Yes, experts are researching various ways to improve these executive functioning abilities. The research ranges from ways to improve the abilities of those affected by mental health conditions or illnesses, to ways to further enhance the abilities of those without any underlying illness. Here are a few examples:
- Computerized Cognitive Training: Research shows that some children with learning disabilities can benefit from these types of training activities to improve word memory and cognitive flexibility.
- Neurofeedback Training: Early research suggests that neurofeedback training can improve cognitive flexibility. In this training, you try to regulate the activities of your brain related to executive functioning.
- Mindfulness Training: Participating in activities such as meditation or mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can help improve inhibitory control.
- Exercise: In general, research suggests that regular exercise is good for your overall physical and mental health . However, exercise that also uses your brain (cognitive abilities) is more likely to improve executive functioning.
Imagine you're playing basketball. That's when you use a lot of your executive functioning skills:
* You use working memory , instantly processing information about where the other player is now and where they might go next, and passing the ball to them.
* You use Inhibition Control , staying focused on the game itself, or controlling the urge to score a goal yourself instead of passing the ball.
* You use Cognitive Flexibility to manage sudden changes in situations. For example, if one player is injured and a new player joins the team, if you haven't played with this new player before, you need to think about his strengths and weaknesses and adjust your game strategy.
The important thing is that no matter what activity you do to improve executive functioning, studies show that if you stop doing that activity, the improvements you've made can gradually be lost . So it's important to keep doing these things.
Take-Home Message
So, have you ever had to change your mind, make plans, or keep your mind calm? It's your executive functioning skills that help you every time.
- Remember, there are three main areas to this: Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, and Inhibition Control.
- These abilities can be affected by certain mental health conditions, illnesses, and aging.
- If you are experiencing any changes or difficulty with your memory, emotional regulation, or concentration, it is important to talk to a doctor about it. It may be a problem with your executive functioning. Then you can get the advice and help you need.
I hope this information is useful to you. Stay healthy!
` Executive Function, Brain Function, Memory, Attention, Planning, Mental Health
💬 අදහස් (0)
තවමත් කිසිදු අදහසක් පළ කර නොමැත. ඔබේ අදහස පළමු වරට මෙහි එක් කරන්න.
ඔබේ අදහස එක් කරන්න