St Petersburg University psychologist on a Heinrich Terahertz podcast: "We cannot separate the psyche from the brain"
In the 16th episode of the popular science podcast of St Petersburg University "Heinrich Terahertz", Daria Eremina, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology at St Petersburg University, talks about how stress affects memory and attention, what percentage of our brain we use, and debunks one of the common myths of neuropsychology.
The human brain is a complex structure that has interested researchers throughout the world. One of the topical fields of research in brain and cognitive sciences — psychophysiology — is the study of the relationship between our mental state and physiological processes of the body.
Psychophysiologists study how emotions, stress and other aspects of the human psyche affect brain activity, breathing and other organs and systems. According to Daria Eremina, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology at St Petersburg University, the human brain is constantly in use and consumes a large amount of the body’s energy; yet, it is widely believed that a person uses on average only ten percent of the brain capacity.
This is one of the common myths of neurophysiology. The thing is, different sections of our brain specialise in different functions. That is, we use every part of our brain for all sorts of activities — memorisation; information processing; motor activity; speech activity; and much more.
Daria Eremina, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology at St Petersburg University
"Our brain stays active even when we are sleeping. And importantly, everyone can improve brain efficiency through training of certain brain functions," said Daria Eremina, Associate Professor in the Department of Medical Psychology and Psychophysiology at St Petersburg University.
When talking about the impact of external stress on the brain, the researcher spoke about the biopsychosocial approach, which systematically considers the interconnection between genetic, social and psychological factors. The first factor can be represented by organic brain diseases, such as brain tissue damage; the second factor — by social trauma; and the third one — by depression susceptibility. In such a case, an increase in stress will be reflected in a higher probability of a genetic predisposition to depression. According to Daria Eremina, it is impossible to know about this pathology in advance. Hence, it is important to consult a specialist when any symptoms are detected, with most common symptoms being memory problems and absent-mindedness.
More about depression: genetic factors associated with depression; conditions related to depression; and most effective measures of its prevention — read in the article published in the St Petersburg University magazine.
Earlier, a team of St Petersburg University researchers, including Daria Eremina, patented a software application that enables medical practitioners to evaluate the cognitive state of cardiac surgery patients and improve the efficiency of post-surgical rehabilitation. For that and other works contributing to studying brain activity, Daria Eremina was awarded the Ekaterina Dashkova prize by the Government of St Petersburg.