It's obvious that many things can temporarily or permanently disable our working brain. Folks can over-respond to minor challenges or ignore major ones. Folks can be so concerned about what might happen that they ignore what is happening. Folks can become disabled by events that trigger powerful emotional memories. Folks can have difficulty attending to rapidly moving high contrast information. Folks can't disengage from a problem and so obsess over it. Folks can be easily distracted. Folks can't focus for an extended period on a single important task...

The causes and proposed cures are varied, and often ill understood. Chemical interventions (drugs) often work if the problem involves the over/under production and distribution of key brain chemicals. Behavioral interventions often work if the problem involves neuronal pathways that aren't robustly developed. Many working brain problems involve multiple causes and treatments. One shouldn't expect such a complex key cognitive system to continuously function without problems, or expect that a simple solution will solve all problems.

Next month's column will thus discuss what scientists know about working brain dysfunction, proposed interventions, and the roles parents and educators can play in helping children with working brain problems.