Six Strange Things About The Brain You Probably Do Not Know

Experience six strange things about the brain that you probably do not know!

For a long time, the brain was thought to be responsible for our entire body, including memory and emotions. Philosophers believed that the brain possessed a soul. But over time, some interesting discoveries have been made. In this article, you can read about some of these weird things about the brain that you probably do not know.

We all know that the brain is the most important organ in the human nervous system as it controls most activities and is able to process a lot of information. This is also where our emotions and cognitive abilities reside, including long-term and short-term memory, memories and decision making.

Some strange things about the brain

From the first moment the brain is mentioned (which was in ancient Egypt in medical documents, known as the  Edwin Smith Papyrus discovered in the 19th century), to today, our understanding of the brain has increased. But there are still many mysteries and strange things about the brain that are still waiting to be discovered.

The size

The size of the brain varies a lot depending on age, gender and body size. However, some studies suggest that the male brain weighs about 1,336 grams, while the female brain weighs 1,198 grams.

When we talk about dimensions, the human brain is not the largest. The sperm whale has the largest known brain in all mammals. When you consider that this mammal weighs about 35 to 45 tons, then it is a little difficult to compare the human brain with it.

But the human brain is the one that has the most neurons, which are the cells that store and transmit information through electrical and chemical signals.

Function

The human brain is divided into three areas:

• The brainstem, which connects the rest of the brain to the spine.
• The cerebellum, which is located in the back of the brain and plays a role in regulating movements, coordination and balance.
• The cerebrum fills most of the skull as it is the largest part of the brain. It contains the cerebral cortex and other smaller structures that stand for the conscious thinking, decision making, memory, learning, communication and stimulation of perception.

Strange things about the brain: Consumption of energy

Although the brain is not a very large organ, it does require a lot of energy. It actually requires 25% of all the energy that the body needs to function. However, the brain makes up only 2% of your weight.

But why does our brain require so much energy to function properly? Some researchers believe that most of the energy is used to sustain both the processes of thinking and the body. Some of this energy is probably used to keep the cells of the brain in good condition.

But according to other researchers, the brain uses a lot of energy even at rest. James Kozloski explains that the inactive networks are still active even under anesthesia. These areas have a high metabolism that increases the brain’s “energy consumption”, even if they do not seem to do anything.

But Kozloski’s hypothesis states that the brain does not use a lot of energy for no reason, but that it maps where all experiences and information are stored instead. It is this mapping that we are looking for when we have to make a decision.

How much of your brain do you actually use?

People used to say that humans only used 10% of their brain capacity. The same myth believed that if we were able to use the remaining 90%, we could unlock completely unusual abilities.

In fact, you use most of your brain all the time. Scans of the brain have shown that humans use almost the entire brain most of the time, even when we are sleeping. Nevertheless, the active areas may be different depending on what it needs or what phase of sleep we are in.

The neurologist, Krish Sathian, also claims that even though you are busy with a task, your brain is in full swing doing other things.

You can therefore think of a solution to a problem after you have finished thinking about it or after a good night’s sleep, because your brain never stops working on a particular problem, even if you are no longer yourself. focus on it.

The dominant half

People often talk about the dominant half and how it affects our personality. It is actually one of the most well-known facts about the brain. In general, people with a dominant left half will be better at coping with mathematical and analytical tasks, while people with a dominant right half are more creative.

But that’s actually not entirely true. On the other hand, it is true that both halves have slightly different functions, but there is no “dominant” half in the brain that can define one’s personality.

Instead, researchers have revealed that people often use both halves equally. But it  is true that the left half focuses more on language. The other side stands for the non-verbal communication.

Changes that come with age

As you get older, you lose neurons in the brain. The frontal lobe and hippocampus, two key areas of the cognitive process, including memory and rehabilitation, begin to have impaired function when we turn 60 to 70 years old.

But new research states that the adult brain can also generate new cells that can increase the chances of brain plasticity.

Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are formed in the adult’s brain. Experts suggest that the average brain produces 700 new neurons every day in the hippocampus alone.

There are still many strange things about the brain that we need to find out

Although there have been many scientific breakthroughs, there are still many unanswered questions. For example, we still cannot understand how the brain transforms complex information.

Among other things, man does not fully understand his consciousness, what part of the personality comes from the brain, why we sleep or dream or how we store and access memories. We can conclude by stating that new discoveries also like to lead to new questions.