Homework 1

How do i brush my teeth ??

Have you ever wondered, how us human beings are able to perform certain everyday tasks (such as adding numbers, typing messages, tying shoelaces, bathing, brushing our teeth etc.) with utmost ease and comfort?? To us grown up and literate adults, these tasks look to be comfortably doable and easy but if we try to perform these tasks with a 2 year old child or an illiterate person or someone who has not been trained to do these tasks, he/she will not be able to do so. Now this raises a very important question as to why is the case so different among different sets of people and how are we able to perform these tasks seemingly unknowingly. Let us try to explore and answer these questions using the example of brushing of teeth (through my everyday experience).

The Everyday Process :-

My day usually starts at around 7:30 am with the brushing of my teeth. I wake up from my bed; go to the shelf; pick up the toothbrush and the toothpaste; apply the toothpaste onto the toothbrush; go to the washroom and start brushing for about 5 minutes after which I return back to my room. A very interesting aspect about this task is that everything happens with me being half asleep and sometimes even without opening my eyes!!

The Explanation :-

The pre and post brushing operation (Motor Learning) :-

The above figure shows the layout of my room and my wing.

The reason why I am able to pick up my brush, go to the washroom and come back with even my eyes closed is because in my case Motor Learning has taken place. After a few days of doing the same task, the Central Nervous System (CNS) trains itself to perform the task more efficiently and almost unconsciously. In my case it takes me 2 steps to go from my bed to the shelf containing the toothbrush and another 7 steps from the shelf to the washroom (assuming the door is open). Now, this data is stored in the Procedural Memory and is available during subconscious recall (i.e. when I wake up).

The brushing operation (Motor Control) :-

When we start brushing, the toothbrush touches/hits the muscular area near our teeth (which contains sensory nerves). These nerves transmit signals to our CNS which in turn sends signals to the muscles in our hands directing it towards the teeth which have not been touched/affected by the toothbrush yet thereby performing the brushing exercise.