Interesting Facts about the Human Brain

Jul 16, 2024

Interesting Facts about the Human Brain

General Information

  • Brains process and understand the world around us.
  • Neuroscience and cognitive sciences have advanced knowledge about brain functions.

Colors and Perception

  • Magenta: Does not have a physical wavelength, brain processes it as not green.

Sleep and Brain Activity

  • New Environment Sleep: Brain stays half-awake to process danger.
  • Spinal Fluid during Sleep: Removes amyloid-beta proteins, linked to Alzheimer’s.

Brain and Gut Connection

  • Anxiety/Depression: Often follows stomach illness.
  • Probiotics: Directly affect the brain, indicating gut-brain health connection.

Unique Brain Stories

  • Bruce Bridgman: Gained 3D vision at 67 after watching a 3D movie.
  • Hiccups and Brain Tumor: Man’s chronic hiccups stopped after a brain tumor was removed.

Alcohol and Memory

  • Blacking Out: Alcohol affects hippocampus, preventing new memories from forming.

Emotional Responses

  • Crying from Happiness: Hypothalamus can’t distinguish strong emotions.
  • Music and Dopamine: Chills from music are due to dopamine release.

Solitary Confinement

  • Causes extreme neurological damage visible on EEG scans.

Brain Adaptation

  • Theodore Aris: Brain adapted to flipped vision in five days.
  • SmarterEveryday: Demonstrated adaptation by relearning bike riding.

Alzheimer’s Disease

  • Caused by resistance to insulin in the brain (type 3 diabetes).

Brain Power & Exercise

  • Energy Consumption: Brain requires 20 watts, much more efficient than supercomputers.
  • Exercise: Slows cognitive decline and brain aging.

Brain and Oxygen

  • Brain receives 20% of the body's oxygen supply.
  • Dehydration affects brain function due to high water content (73%).

Infant Brain Development

  • Brain of a 2-year-old is 80% fully grown.

Information Processing

  • Transfer rate equivalent to 260 miles per hour.

Yawning

  • Sends more oxygen to the brain, controlled by neurotransmitters.

Cerebellum

  • Responsible for posture, walking, and coordination. Weighs 150 grams.

Brain Anatomy

  • Brain is divided into two sides, each controlling opposite body sides.
  • Contains 150,000 miles of blood vessels.

Diet and Memory

  • Eating seafood regularly improves memory due to fatty acids.

Lifelong Development

  • Brain continues developing until late 40s.

Chemical Reactions

  • 100,000 chemical reactions occur every second in the brain.
  • Brain “prunes” neurons before birth, eliminating unused ones.

Language and Brain

  • Certain languages use cardinal directions instead of left/right.
  • Affects brain orientation capabilities.

EEGs

  • Non-invasive technique to study electrical activity in the brain.

Child Development

  • Brain size affected by social interaction; lack of it can hinder development.

Brain and Pain

  • Brain itself cannot experience pain.

Pupil Reflex

  • Used by doctors to check brain reflex pathways.

Epilepsy and Seizures

  • Affects 0.5% of population; 1 in 10 will have a seizure in their lifetime.

Scratching Itches

  • May not aid healing but triggers endorphin release.

Memory Strengthening

  • Each recall of a memory strengthens its neural pathways.

Dream Recall

  • 90% of dream is forgotten within ten minutes.

Computational Power

  • Capable of 10^16 operations per second.

Nutrition and Brain Health

  • Poor nutrition can lead to brain “eating” itself, emphasizing importance in infants.

Thought Processes

  • Humans experience about 70,000 thoughts per day.

Olfactory Sense

  • Direct link to limbic system affecting emotion and mood.

Taxi Drivers

  • Larger hippocampus observed, linked to memory usage.

Music and Brain Waves

  • Brain waves of musicians synchronize when playing duets.

Brain Weight

  • Average brain weighs 2.9 lbs (men) and 2.6 lbs (women).

Brain’s Longevity

  • Only organ that contemplates itself.

Stress Effects

  • Chronic stress kills brain cells due to hormonal overload.

Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Leading cause of disability and death in ages 1-44.

Brain Size Evolution

  • Human brain size has decreased over 5,000 years.

Deja Vu

  • Considered a neurological glitch.

Visual Reactions

  • Light flashes from head hits are jolts to brain cells.

Cerebrospinal Fluid

  • Adults and infants have varying amounts; replaced multiple times a day.