Balancing Act

The link between balance and attention regulation

The Archerfish

Two archerfish (genus: Toxotes)

The archerfish does not have a PhD in aeronautics. Yet it can precisely fire a jet of water at a target up to two feet away, using only its mouth. It calculates the angle between itself and its victim, and the distance, and perfectly jets water at the unsuspecting insect, disabling it and dropping it into the water.

All with a fish’s brain!

Human brains can perform similar miracles. Have you been watching the winter Olympics? How do living things make these complex calculations, without making these complex calculations?

The cerebellum!

A human brain (not an archer fish’s). The cerebellum is shaded in red. 75% of human neurons are located in this dense region.

An archer fish’s brain (not a human’s). The cerebellum, labeled, is responsible for the jets of water calculations that so dazzle us.

Cerebellum

In a recent article, I talked about how physical activity can strengthen the anti-correlation between the TPN and DMN. In this piece, let’s talk more about why.