Executive Empathic Panning Pathway – Empathy vs Dyspathy

Chapter 3 – Executive Empathic Panning Pathway – Empathy vs Dyspathy

Reflective & Thoughtful DLPFC Regulation – Reflexive & Rapid Emotional Responses Regions of frontal lobes that are now being called the empathy network … they kind of help us detect other people’s pain,” Keltner explains. “When you damage the empathy networks of your brain, which some people do, they become really impulsive. Cartoons where hero demolishes villain by power or power arrogated via digital games similarly damages child’s empathy networks. Digital gadgets make children powerful. Thus children become rude, uncaring, selfish, violent, bullying, ganging up against the weak or ugly. High levels of catecholamine release initiated by the amygdala during digital stress switch the brain from thoughtful, reflective regulation by the PFC to more rapid reflexive regulation by the amygdala and other subcortical structures. (3).

Child is wired up for reflexive behaviour rather than creative play & thoughtful action
Top down regulation by PFC to subcortical structures is deficient. Down to top regulation by amygdala over firing has taken over.

Colour & Sound – For example, high levels of noradrenaline acting at α₁– and β-receptors enhance memory consolidation processes in the hippo-campus (4) and increase the signal/noise ratio in primary sensory cortices. This explains why ADHD children are very sensitive to visual & auditory input. Too over wired for in this area craving more colour, more sound, more screech, more cartoons.

Stress impairs higher-order PFC abilities such as working memory and attention regulation. Digital Stress does the same. Thus, attention regulation switches from thoughtful ‘top-down’ control by the PFC that is based on what is most relevant to the task at hand to ‘bottom-up’ control by the sensory cortices, whereby the salience of the stimulus (for example, whether it is brightly coloured, loud or moving) captures our attention. This is the problem with ADHD. Venteromedial aspect of the PFC is overwired making brain over sensitive & addicted to colour, sound & chaos. Child’s stress was digital overuse.

Multi-tasking makes brain to be a milk shake. There isn’t enough time for Default Mode Network to recover.

While people without ADHD use verbal sections, those with the disorder do not. Their brain activity is concentrated on visual areas.
Schweitzer also found more activity in motor portions of the brain, which accounts for the fidgeting typical in those with ADHD. (5) This could result from hyperactive digital play stations
The frontal lobes help us to pay attention to tasks, focus concentration, make good decisions, plan ahead, learn and remember what we have learned, and behave appropriately for the situation.
The inhibitory mechanisms of the cortex keep us from being hyperactive, from saying things out of turn, They help us to “inhibit” our behaviors. It has been said that 70% of the brain is there to inhibit the other 30%.
The limbic system is the base of our emotions and our highly vigilant look-out tower. If over-activated, a person might have wide mood swings, or quick temper outbursts. He might also be “over-aroused,” quick to startle, touching everything around him, hyper-vigilant

DLPFC – Dorsolateral PFC. VMPFC – Venteromedial PFC

Imbalance in Brain Wiring

“Normal” child = usual class room learner – this was thought to be the dominant pattern & took the name of dominant hemisphere in 70% = Left brain = management mode, verbal, mathematical, logical
They had dominance in – Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Linguistic, Logical/mathematical
those who had other 3 tracts dominant – Kinaesthetic, Musical, Visual/Spatial (KMV) – were considered right brain = creative, imaginative, dreamy, visual
When the digital revolution hit the children more than normal were wired dominant in the KMV tracts

Overwiring of Kinaesthetic, Musical, Visual/Spatial

Generation of whose who show what others do
Doing decreased – advertising entertainment increased
Increased Response to Risk Centre – Venteromedial aspect of Prefrontal cortex
Flight, Fright, Fight
On edge risk taking generation
Risk in – finances, gambling, sex, courting danger

Underwiring of Executive Control of PGC

Executive control of dorsolateral parts of PFC diminish
Planned & Empathic pathways of Frontal Cortex diminish
Inability to pick up Phonemes in the first 3 years
Underwiring of – Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Linguistic, Logical/mathematical Tracts

Child learns Top down Regulation (wiring the executive centre of the prefrontal cortex) when he hears commands & obeys, hears directions & follows. For this mom or caring adult should give directions. If not he responds to sudden impulses with no constructive progression of management plan as in responding to digital games & cartoons (bottom up regulation – wiring the ventero-medial Risk centre of PFC – giving way to distracting impulses)

1. Child learns initiation & hears approval (mom present) – if not he applies to nothing
2. Child plans the crawl or steps – mentally marking progress plan.
3. Child considers others – empathy as he continues. ( if not No regard to other’s discomfort or damage)
4. Child avoids risks or distractions (if not takes risks)
5. Child continues with attention (if not gives up easily)
6. Child completes task – learns end goal (if not does nothing to fruition)
7. Child receives joyful reward – hug, kiss, cookie etc. – learns legitimate joy, wait until time. (if not busts life early – sex, money, gamble).

Frontal cortex of the brain plans with empathy for others, limits of force, just enough power, respect boundaries, when to stop & when to begin. When fear & stress (as in digital toy warfare) are the force, dorso lateral prefrontal cortex is inhibited. It is this dlPFC that gives top down regulation. With digital over stimulation, other part of PFC meant for balancing unpremeditated action is overwired – such as when you slip, acts without concern for survival, doesn’t regard others because you are fighting for survival in flight, fright, fight mode. Children overexposed to digital stuff over-wire their ventero lateral prefrontal cortex causing impulsivity, rudeness etc. Same happens for adult in stress & fear mode. This results in picking up a quarrel. This is a very simple description. In actual fact depending on which receptors are up regulated or down regulated symptoms of impulsivity, inattention, hyperactivity & improper social behaviour will manifest in the ADHD child. Bear in mind that choices make the brain a machine or cause it to follow the heart.

Children who are digitalised operate on stress mode via stress response pathway. Digitalise = reflexive behaviour fashioned by responding to too much cartoons & digital games. When correcting these children for behaviour or poor studies, doing it confrontationally will trigger all their stress, dopamine, adrenaline, serotonin & many toxic neuronal pathways. Please correct them softly. Appreciate them first. Teachers your field now always includes digitally over-exposed children. Parent you initiated the digital habit for your convenience. Now take much time to re-manage errors.

Digital pathogenesis of crime needs careful study. Digitalised behaviour promotes risk taking. In digitally hyperactive, impulsive children bottom up control is default mode & risk taking is common as they have preferentially wired Risk/Stress centre & pathway of Ventero-medial aspect of Prefrontal cortex. They assess height wrong – fall off steps & injure themselves. Jump off tables or chairs & class room pranks. Crossing roads – they’ll check to see if the can beat oncoming vehicle. Stretch limits – break law & get away is the mentality. Some day they will be on the other side of the road. Parents please correct in time without outrage or outburst. Similarly they will take risk with sex & gambling becomes attractive. Risky experiments with drugs & addiction follows.

Empathy is assessing others aright & acting considerately because you have assessed yourself well. This is normal top down regulatory executive plan pathway – initiating on the dorsolateral aspect of prefrontal cortex. Dyspathy is over- assessing yourself as capable of anything & others incapable – no regard for others. . The latter is risk/stress/survival behaviour when we have to be Tarzan or Superman under peril – responding reflexively – bottom up regulation. This is also what cartoons in excess & digital games do.

No more born brilliant – you train brilliant. They way to grow a child brilliant & empathic is not to make him perform in fantastic stuff but get him to simple daily chores consistently well. This will wire his normal top down regulatory executive plan pathway for incremental greatness. Start point for this is proper eating habit. Start, navigate, manage resource (food), avoid trouble, end goal achieve (finish all food) & end success reward. Eating with hand is best for hand brain eye coordination. More movements the mouth does the better the brain wiring. In the First 2 years there’s nothing more brilliant for brain wiring than proper food intake. When using fork or spoon child must handle proper shaped cutlery that promote grip & shape thought. Digital tab at that time removes concentration & disrupts intentional executive wiring of brain which is one main benefit for brain in proper food time. Digital stuff at food time is a great harm disrupting brain plan training. So begin time, navigate, right end time – are all very important for child’s habit training, attention development & resource management. Do this & you will avoid ADHD.

Any child according to age needs an initiation, navigation, end point, reward system (INER) induced or encouraged. This needs mom or an energetic loving adult who will initiate & reward. Tab, Ipad, Iphone or TV can’t do this. Children get exposed to TV because grandparents view – this digital exposure is no good for child brain. Under 5 yrs in pax of time duration of 15-20 min & then 30 min & later 40 min. if not the child would begin whatever & achieve no end goal – developing a multitasking milkshake brain – easily distracted & inattentive. Pax can be – doll, cooking on plastic cooker, doing paly school, watering garden plot, fish tank, reading, crafts, music lesson, cycling with dad, walk, beach etc. it’s not about thrills on the way but wait for best reward at the end – this trains them for safe & right sexual behaviour in time as much as for proper eating habits – not all the time, not junk in between, proper meals, seated not running etc. youth major on junior habits – get them right for your child.

When executive centre of prefrontal lobe plans executive control

1 End & beginning set 2 limits set 3 others considered – empathy 4 measured, proportionate

Digital abuse wires Risk Centre of Prefrontal cortex (PFC) overmuch & PFC is meant to act for emergencies for unplanned voluntary movements – such as when slipping or falling

1. Sudden emergency
2. Unplanned
3. No consideration for others – you may hold on to others & fall with them
4. No proportion – excessive power

Stress impairs higher-order PFC abilities such as working memory and attention regulation. Digital Stress does the same. Thus, attention regulation switches from thoughtful ‘top-down’ control by the PFC that is based on what is most relevant to the task at hand to ‘bottom-up’ control by the sensory cortices, whereby the salience of the stimulus (for example, whether it is brightly coloured, loud or moving) captures our attention. This is the problem with ADHD. Venteromedial aspect of the PFC is overwired making brain over sensitive & addicted to colour, sound & chaos. Child’s stress was digital overuse.

Multi-tasking makes brain to be a milk shake. There isn’t enough time for Default Mode Network to recover.

Thrive or survive – You may even think that we have a thrive tract that runs thru the executive part of PFC & frontal lobe for planned actions with empathy. We also have a survive tract in the brain mediated via venteromedial PFC, amygdala, reticular formation which kicks in during real or imagined danger & stress. We ought to wire up the thrive tract when we do well considering & including others & even plan for others’ welfare. When we wire up survive tract as we do with digital surplus, risks & thrills – all of life becomes risk taking, thrill seeking in fight, fright, fight mode with no consideration of others. Besides digital surplus, Maternal deprivation & paternal authoritarianism work so for children.

Humble Chores Make Great Children

Great news for parents! According to research by Marty Rossmann, professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota, giving children household chores at an early age helps to build a lasting sense of mastery, responsibility and self-reliance. (It seems the boy scouts were on to something.) “Chores also teach children how to be empathetic and responsive to others’ needs,” notes psychologist Richard Weissbourd of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

There’s going to be a lot of housekeepers out of work!

Without getting carried away, this is an important finding – that of course seems obvious. Contributing to the family, giving to others is better for our character than an extra language and other resume-padding activities. It’s time to pull back from the brink. We want our children to be givers. They won’t learn that at school or in the workplace; we need to teach them. We need to take the focus off of their accomplishments and put it back where it belongs – on the type of person they are. This isn’t easy because it is out of step with society. All their teachers and peers, all of our friends (Facebook and otherwise!) are promoting achievement, grades, Ivy League acceptances, promotions…We can caught up in the illusion. We can think it’s the best thing for our kids.

That’s why this Wall Street Journal (03/14/15) article “The Chore-Filled Path to Success” is essential reading. It takes us back to basics – not reading and mathematics but character development, who we are as human beings. It forces us to reflect on our real goals for our children – what we genuinely want versus what we’ve been co-opted to feel.

If the focus is all on grades and resumes and upwardly mobile careers, it is all too easy to become a taker, to live a life that’s all about me. No parent interviewed would honestly want that for our children yet that is the direction in which we push them. They may be happier, kinder, more fulfilled at a community college – but what will we tell our friends? We live in a world where ambition is all and material success is the mark of the man.

Jennifer Breheny Wallace, – “Being slack about chores when they compete with school sends your child the message that grades and achievement are more important than caring about others.” No sane parent conveys this intentionally – but without reflecting on what we really want for our children and how to achieve it, we adopt this as our default position.

Like all lessons for our children, it begins with us. It begins with the choices we make and the actions they see. If we model giving, they are more likely to be givers. If we model taking…you can finish the sentence. If we are clearly more concerned about their skill with a clarinet than their caring for others, they will get the message. We have to internalize it first. We have to believe it first. We have to be committed to creating a mensch – a kind and thoughtful human being who is always there for others and puts them before himself. Even if he graduates at the bottom of his class…

Health drink for your child’s emotional, intellectual & spiritual health – cheers!!

4 parts – love

3 parts – appreciation

1 part – correction

1 part – do commands study

1 part – do household chore

Balanced Diet for your child

Protein of love, essential fat of right learning, complex carbohydrates of healthy sports, minerals of mistake management, vitamins of appreciation, water of fun & laughter.

Children need a long normal child life in order to properly mature. 0-5 Good habits, 6-12 teach, train 13-18 coach. Until 18, parent you must be the greatest influence in your child’s life. Don’t make them adults fast. Six decades ago apron strings hung too long. Now they are cut far too fast. Babies are pushed to be pathetic adults & this continues thru life. Market Place needs consumers – hence the drive to make children independent to decide for consumerism. Press them to perform there is a parental deprivation that makes them orphan. Additives & addictives control them. Some modern Telemachus has to get into the digital consumerist arena & cry – Stop for God sake & posterity sake.

Presumption of or actual betrayal in love (love lost) makes us feel under threat & activates the risk taking area of our Prefrontal Cortex. Revenge, risk behaviour, sudden relationships – violated – hence violent – may make Romeo into Reckless & Ruthless in a few days. Digital over stimulation by war games, thrill games over wire the same PFC area making children or youth risk prone – including gambling & drug abuse. So carefully shepherd your child’s digital health.

45 degree right version of the × mark produces a + mark. Who can do this? Red crossed wrong marks mar a child’s math book & the heart. 30% children will find Math hard. They must not be persecuted by teacher or parent. Similar red crossed wrong marks may have indicted our life journey & dot our memory. Saviour took them all on the Cross & turned them 45 degrees to + plus

Dad son will watch you & pick your habits in his first five years. So please be around with good habits. Daughter will follow mom for habits. Son will do with clothes, cup, food what you do. Between 6 & 12 a dad needs to keep company by teaching at least one subject. That’s what son is most keen. Teach some cricket, swimming or whatever. During this time he imbibes your character. You are unconsciously teaching morals by the way you treat his mother. 13 to 18 yrs you can coach a skill. What morals you didn’t teach by 12 yrs will be heart to teach now. Subjects will be beyond your ability to teach. Dad have enough time for your son at every age.

Problem of drugs for ADHD is this – receptors down-regulate in the face of chemicals. Then dose has to be increased. Drugs changed. An already chemicalised brain is drugged. Recent research on neuroplasticity of brain promises that one can retrain brain with learning procedures skilfully designed for neuronal rewiring of needed areas – such as dorsolateral aspects of prefrontal cortex & reduce the wiring of venteromedial part of PFC (commanding threat reactions, risk taking, survival, flight, fright, fight) which is one major problem of ADHD.

Digital Bribery – Children go into stress with parents’ emphasis on performance for acceptance. When children have to cope with less parental attention they turn to survival mode with continually sad hearts – irritable & crying. Instead of heart engagement they switch to being brain machines. Digital substitutes are offered & accepted. What else can the little one do – digital bribery. Their brain wires overmuch in the ventero-medial aspect of the prefrontal cortex which promote flight, fright, fight – stress management.

Love-lost acts like threat & stress to brain & heart. Love-lost soon become toxic love – love denied, unfulfilled. This happens to the adult who feels his love was rejected, spurned or was not adequately rewarded. That judgement brings the indictment – vengeance court scenario. You are on tension guarding yourself from imaginary hurts. Children go into stress with parents’ emphasis on performance for acceptance. When children have to cope with less parental attention they turn to survival mode with continually sad hearts – irritable & crying. Instead of heart engagement they switch to being brain machines. Digital substitutes are offered & accepted. What else can the little one do – digital bribery. Their brain wires overmuch in the ventero-medial aspect of the prefrontal cortex which promote flight, fright, fight – stress management.

How to make bullies – Ironically, pressuring kids to succeed or be happy doesn’t make them any more likely to do either. Researchers point out that letting kids fail instead of protecting their happiness gives them coping strategies — that ultimately make them happier. And teaching kids to care for others helps their relationship skills, which often leads to success and overall well-being. The overwhelming majority of kids — nearly 80% — said that their parents taught them that personal happiness and high achievement were more important than caring for people. In turn, about 80% of kids said that they valued aspects of success (achievement and happiness) over concern for others.(Harvard Study)
Overstressed scenario makes body immunity to be alert as if invaded by aliens. Hyper-sensitised immunity turns on one’s own body cells producing auto immune or self attack diseases & numerous allergies.

Fear tract has its threshold. Let’s say fear stimulus is “fes”. This is comparable to fear of heights. Some fear on 4^th rung of a ladder. Another may climb to 30 & feel no fear. Each one’s fear tract has a threshold. Some kick start fear even at 3 fes units imagining innuendos, slights, wrongs, bad treatment – judging intentions of others. They have a very low sensitivity index – soon touched. We can heal this nature.

Nutritional nuances to encourage my 7 yr old grandson, Nathan to build up Nangi, Danica 3+ with words – Always speak words of truth that build both of you like protein, words of encouragement provide energy like carbohydrates, words of affirmation are like essential fatty acids that strengthen body membranes – never angry words because they scratch deep into hurt (like oxidants on intima of arteries promoting atherosclerosis – is what I didn’t say because I thought that was too much for a 7 yr old !!!)

Cartoons project the hero who uses good violence to overcome bad violence. Children play heroics. Might is right.

Life moves from plot to plot increase. Strengthen Stake & lengthen cord. Stake is gift in you. Cord is scope of that gift. Mother helps grow & gather what you have. Father spearheads or arrow shoots you into your next plot. Teaching & training you to take Next Step. Father fracture makes child or youth uncertain about future & Next Step, however much mother makes today secure. Yet God promises to be a protector to the widow & father to the fatherless in this world of man’s cruelty to man.

When you have occupied 65% of your present plot God likes to show you the next plot. This makes us grateful for what happened & humble that there is more. We are never to be masters of what we know but to be learners of what we next have – in parenting or in professions. Learning the Next Step to steward the Next Plot is the best antidote for pride.

Orphan hates it. When he receives he feels he deserves. Others should do. But he doesn’t like the inferior feeling of having to put the hand out. They need not be thankful, they think, “someone should have done it earlier”. World owes them. All these adults are guilty. Those who have are guilty. They got what I should get. They will have a love hate relationship with those who come forward to fill the parental fracture – demanding more than parents would have done. Since making orphans is what the world of “No Fathers – Fittest Survive” has done, extremely powerful orphans could perform & prove ascending the Pharaoh ladder & may come to head organisations & even become Head of State.

We are given a gift to share & foster another to improve, prosper, advance, expand. In this is tied up our advance – that’s why family & children. That’s why professions & mentoring. Providing space for others expands life’s real estate for us.

“

	Boy	Girl
Father Loss	Next step obstructed	Unprotected
Mother loss	Toughen	Morality suffers

Sweet taste is the easiest to get from the tip of the tongue & first to disappear – just like life. Bitter taste is felt in the centre of tongue a little backwards – most difficult to get rid of & most represented by receptors – so we are warned of poison. True to life. Sour is felt on the sides of the tongue – edgy in our ways!! Salty is humble & felt all over – so we may appreciate food easily & not develop hypertension!! What a Wise Designer.

If you are positioned to correct viz. parent or senior – you need to suffer with the correction – empathy & identification as Jesus on the cross. If you tell your child “sit on hot seat for 10 min” – sit by him sharing his pain. Purpose of parental justice is reformation & restoration & not retribution. Withdrawal of pleasure (of running around) & not isolation is the principle. Never more than 10 min. We bear the brunt of their error & the pleasure of their trophy. We help them practise our prescription. Understanding of error & mere counsel is not remedy adequate.

Apeksha

Song in the night ….Until dawn…

Executive Empathic Panning Pathway – Empathy vs Dyspathy

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