April 15th

How does the infant brain structure work?

During our cohort meeting, Daniel alluded to how it’s a psychological phenomenon that when someone is an expert on something, they feel like they know less about a topic because they are more aware of the “unknown,” as opposed to people who aren’t experts and assume they know everything there is to know. This has become evident during the rise of COVID-19, especially within the dominations of power. This is called the Dunning Kruger Effect. 

As for my essential question, “How does the infant brain structure work?,” I don’t quite think I’ll be able to answer it fully in the next couple weeks, years or even as an (if I still decide to be) professional in the field. We don’t quite fully know how the brain works, and though I am becoming familiar with how the adult brain works and what’s happening in the embryo the first three trimesters, I know that I will never be able to answer that question to the extent I wish I could. Newer studies about the brain are constantly refuting theories from the past. What does it even mean to fully understand the brain? 

This initially frightened me when thinking about the final Senior Project presentation and how to plan my time efficiently. I persisted nonetheless and decided that though this may be my reality, I can still learn to think critically of studies that have been conducted in the past and familiarize myself with the numerous psychological theories that already do exist. In doing this, I have learned that there is a great deal of misdiagnosis in the psychiatric world, which I haven’t really thought about before. A great psychiatrist can understand the intricacies of the wiring of the brain and the properties of every aspect of the brain, however, failure to ask the right amount of questions can potentially harm a patient. I guess science researchers never really do know anything fully, but I am beginning to learn that is okay. Through learning about the fundamentals, the history and modern-day techniques of neuroscience, I am becoming more comfortable with my own curiosity and passion for the field. I plan to continue exploring these parts of neuroscience and parts of myself throughout the project.