The brain is the main controlling organ of the central nervous system (CNS); a large number of specialists in various fields, such as psychiatry, medicine, psychology and neurophysiology, have been working on the study of its structure and functions for more than 100 years. Despite a good study of its structure and components, there are still many questions about the work and processes that take place every second.
The brain belongs to the central nervous system and is located in the cavity of the cranium. Outside it is reliably protected by the bones of the skull, and inside it is enclosed in 3 shells: soft, arachnoid and hard. Between these membranes, cerebrospinal fluid circulates - cerebrospinal fluid, which serves as a shock absorber and prevents shaking of this organ in case of minor injuries.
The human brain is a system consisting of interconnected sections, each part of which is responsible for performing specific tasks.
To understand its functioning, it is not enough to briefly describe the brain; therefore, to understand how it works, you first need to study its structure in detail.
What is the brain responsible for?
This organ, like the spinal cord, belongs to the central nervous system and plays the role of an intermediary between the environment and the human body. With its help, self-control, reproduction and memorization of information, imaginative and associative thinking, and other cognitive psychological processes are carried out.
According to the teachings of Academician Pavlov, the formation of thoughts is a function of the brain, namely the cerebral cortex, which is the highest organs of nervous activity. The cerebellum, limbic system and some areas of the cerebral cortex are responsible for different types of memory, but since memory varies, it is impossible to single out a specific area responsible for this function.
It is responsible for managing the vegetative vital functions of the body: breathing, digestion, endocrine and excretory systems, control of body temperature.
To answer the question of what function the brain performs, first we should roughly divide it into sections.
Experts distinguish 3 main parts of the brain: the anterior, middle and rhomboid (posterior) sections.
- The anterior one performs higher psychiatric functions, such as the ability to cognition, the emotional component of a person’s character, his temperament and complex reflex processes.
- The middle one is responsible for sensory functions and processing incoming information from the organs of hearing, vision and touch. The centers located in it are able to regulate the degree of pain, since the gray matter, under certain conditions, is capable of producing endogenous opiates that increase or decrease the pain threshold. It also plays the role of a conductor between the cortex and the underlying sections. This part controls the body through various innate reflexes.
- The rhomboid or posterior section is responsible for muscle tone and coordination of the body in space. Through it, targeted movement of various muscle groups is carried out.
The structure of the brain cannot be simply briefly described, since each of its parts includes several sections, each of which performs specific functions.
What does the human brain look like?
Brain anatomy is a relatively young science, as it was banned for a long time due to laws prohibiting the dissection and examination of human organs and the head.
The study of the topographic anatomy of the brain in the head area is necessary for accurate diagnosis and successful treatment of various topographic anatomical disorders, for example: skull injuries, vascular and oncological diseases. To imagine what a human GM looks like, you first need to study their appearance.
In appearance, the GM is a yellowish gelatinous mass enclosed in a protective shell, like all organs of the human body, they consist of 80% water.
The large hemispheres occupy almost the volume of this organ. They are covered with gray matter or cortex - the highest organ of human neuropsychic activity, and inside - with white matter, consisting of processes of nerve endings. The surface of the hemispheres has a complex pattern, due to convolutions going in different directions and ridges between them. Based on these convolutions, it is customary to divide them into several sections. It is known that each of the parts performs specific tasks.
In order to understand what a person's brain looks like, it is not enough to examine its appearance. There are several study methods that help to study the brain from the inside in section.
- Sagittal section. It is a longitudinal incision that passes through the center of a person’s head and divides it into 2 parts. It is the most informative research method; it is used to diagnose various diseases of this organ.
- The frontal section of the brain looks like a cross section of the large lobes and allows you to see the fornix, hippocampus and corpus callosum, as well as the hypothalamus and thalamus, which control the vital functions of the body.
- Horizontal section. Allows you to examine the structure of this organ in the horizontal plane.
The anatomy of the brain, as well as the anatomy of the human head and neck, is a rather difficult subject to study for a number of reasons, including the fact that their description requires studying a large amount of material and having good clinical training.
How does the human brain work?
Scientists all over the world study the brain, its structure and the functions it performs. Over the past few years, many important discoveries have been made, however, this part of the body remains incompletely studied. This phenomenon is explained by the difficulty of studying the structure and functions of the brain separately from the skull.
In turn, the structure of the brain structures determines the functions that its departments perform.
It is known that this organ consists of nerve cells (neurons) connected to each other by bundles of filamentous processes, but how their interaction occurs simultaneously as a single system is still unclear.
A diagram of the structure of the brain, based on the study of a sagittal section of the skull, will help to study the sections and membranes. In this figure you can see the cortex, the medial surface of the cerebral hemispheres, the structure of the trunk, cerebellum and corpus callosum, which consists of the splenium, trunk, genu and beak.
The brain is reliably protected externally by the bones of the skull, and internally by 3 meninges: the hard arachnoid and the soft. Each of them has its own device and performs specific tasks.
- The deep soft membrane covers both the spinal cord and the brain, while it extends into all the cracks and grooves of the cerebral hemispheres, and in its thickness there are blood vessels that feed this organ.
- The arachnoid membrane is separated from the first by a subarachnoid space filled with cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid), which also contains blood vessels. This shell consists of connective tissue, from which thread-like branching processes (cords) extend; they are woven into the soft shell and their number increases with age, thereby strengthening the connection. Between them. Villous outgrowths of the arachnoid membrane protrude into the lumen of the sinuses of the dura mater.
- The hard shell, or pachymeninx, consists of connective tissue and has 2 surfaces: the upper one, saturated with blood vessels, and the inner one, which is smooth and shiny. This side of the pachymeninx is adjacent to the medulla, and the outer side is adjacent to the cranium. Between the dura mater and the arachnoid membrane there is a narrow space filled with a small amount of liquid.
About 20% of the total blood volume circulates in the brain of a healthy person, which enters through the posterior cerebral arteries.
The brain can be visually divided into 3 main parts: 2 cerebral hemispheres, brainstem and cerebellum.
Gray matter forms the cortex and covers the surface of the cerebral hemispheres, and a small amount of it in the form of nuclei is located in the medulla oblongata.
In all parts of the brain there are ventricles, in the cavities of which the cerebrospinal fluid that is formed in them moves. In this case, fluid from the 4th ventricle enters the subarachnoid space and washes it.
Brain development begins while the fetus is in utero, and it is finally formed by the age of 25.
Main parts of the brain
What the brain is made of and you can study the composition of the brain of an ordinary person using pictures. The structure of the human brain can be viewed in several ways.
The first divides it into the components that make up the brain:
- The terminal one is represented by 2 cerebral hemispheres, united by the corpus callosum;
- intermediate;
- average;
- oblong;
- the posterior one borders on the medulla oblongata, and the cerebellum and pons extend from it.
It is also possible to distinguish the basic composition of the human brain, namely, it includes 3 large structures that begin to develop during embryonic development:
- diamond-shaped;
- average;
- forebrain.
In some textbooks, the cerebral cortex is usually divided into sections, so that each of them plays a specific role in the higher nervous system. Accordingly, the following parts of the forebrain are distinguished: frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital zones.
Large hemispheres
First, let's look at the structure of the cerebral hemispheres.
The human telencephalon controls all vital processes and is divided by a central sulcus into 2 cerebral hemispheres, covered on the outside with cortex or gray matter, and on the inside consisting of white matter. Between themselves, in the depths of the central gyrus, they are united by the corpus callosum, which serves as a connecting and transmitting link between other departments.
The structure of gray matter is complex and, depending on the area, consists of 3 or 6 layers of cells.
Each lobe is responsible for performing certain functions and coordinating the movement of the limbs on its part, for example, the right part processes non-verbal information and is responsible for spatial orientation, while the left one specializes in mental activity.
In each hemisphere, experts distinguish 4 zones: frontal, occipital, parietal and temporal, they perform certain tasks. In particular, the parietal cortex of the cerebral hemispheres is responsible for visual function.
The science that studies the detailed structure of the cerebral cortex is called architectonics.
Medulla
This section is part of the brain stem and serves as a link between the spinal cord and the terminal pons. Since it is a transitional element, it combines the features of the spinal cord and the structural features of the brain. The white matter of this section is represented by nerve fibers, and the gray matter in the form of nuclei:
- The olive nucleus, a complementary element of the cerebellum, is responsible for balance;
- The reticular formation connects all sense organs with the medulla oblongata and is partially responsible for the functioning of some parts of the nervous system;
- The nuclei of the nerves of the skull, these include: glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory, hypoglossal nerves;
- The nuclei of respiration and circulation, which are connected with the nuclei of the vagus nerve.
This internal structure is due to the functions of the brain stem.
It is responsible for the body's defense reactions and regulates vital processes such as heartbeat and blood circulation, so damage to this component leads to instant death.
Pons
The brain includes the pons, which serves as a link between the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the spinal cord. It consists of nerve fibers and gray matter, in addition, the bridge serves as a conductor for the main artery that supplies the brain.
Midbrain
This part has a complex structure and consists of the roof, the midbrain part of the tegmentum, the Sylvian aqueduct and the legs. In the lower part it borders on the posterior section, namely the pons and cerebellum, and at the top there is the diencephalon, connected to the telencephalon.
The roof consists of 4 hills, inside of which nuclei are located; they serve as centers for the perception of information received from the eyes and organs of hearing. Thus, this part is part of the area responsible for receiving information and belongs to the ancient structures that make up the structure of the human brain.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum occupies almost the entire back part and repeats the basic principles of the structure of the human brain, that is, it consists of 2 hemispheres and an unpaired formation connecting them. The surface of the cerebellar lobules is covered with gray matter, and inside they consist of white matter; in addition, the gray matter in the thickness of the hemispheres forms 2 nuclei. The white matter, with the help of three pairs of legs, connects the cerebellum with the brain stem and spinal cord.
This brain center is responsible for coordinating and regulating the motor activity of human muscles. It also helps to maintain a certain posture in the surrounding space. Responsible for muscle memory.
Bark
The structure of the cerebral cortex has been studied quite well. Thus, it is a complex layered structure 3-5 mm thick, which covers the white matter of the cerebral hemispheres.
The cortex is formed by neurons with bundles of filamentous processes, afferent and efferent nerve fibers, and glia (provide impulse transmission). It contains 6 layers, different in structure:
- grainy;
- molecular;
- external pyramidal;
- internal granular;
- internal pyramidal;
- the last layer consists of spindle-shaped cells.
It occupies about half the volume of the hemispheres, and its area in a healthy person is about 2200 square meters. cm. The surface of the bark is dotted with grooves, in the depths of which a third of its entire area lies. The size and shape of the grooves in both hemispheres are strictly individual.
The cortex was formed relatively recently, but is the center of the entire higher nervous system. Experts identify several parts in its composition:
- neocortex (new) main part covers more than 95%;
- archicortex (old) – about 2%;
- paleocortex (ancient) – 0.6%;
- intermediate cortex, occupies 1.6% of the total cortex.
It is known that the localization of functions in the cortex depends on the location of nerve cells that capture one of the types of signals. Therefore, there are 3 main areas of perception:
- Sensory.
- Motor.
- Associative.
The last region occupies more than 70% of the cortex, and its central purpose is to coordinate the activity of the first two zones. It is also responsible for receiving and processing data from the sensory area, and purposeful behavior caused by this information.
Between the cerebral cortex and the medulla oblongata there is the subcortex, or in other words, subcortical structures. It includes the visual thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system and other nerve nodes.
Main functions of brain parts
The main functions of the brain are to process data received from the environment, as well as control the movements of the human body and his mental activity. Each part of the brain is responsible for performing specific tasks.
The medulla oblongata controls the body's protective functions, such as blinking, sneezing, coughing and vomiting. It also controls other vital reflex processes - breathing, secretion of saliva and gastric juice, swallowing.
With the help of the Varoliev bridge, coordinated movement of the eyes and facial wrinkles is carried out.
The cerebellum controls the motor and coordination activity of the body.
The midbrain is represented by the peduncle and quadrigeminal (two auditory and two visual hillocks). With its help, orientation in space, hearing and clarity of vision are achieved, and is responsible for the muscles of the eyes. Responsible for the reflexive turn of the head towards the stimulus.
The diencephalon consists of several parts:
- The thalamus is responsible for the formation of feelings, such as pain or taste. In addition, he is in charge of tactile, auditory, olfactory sensations and rhythms of human life;
- The epithalamus consists of the pineal gland, which controls circadian biological rhythms, dividing daylight into the time of wakefulness and the time of healthy sleep. Has the ability to detect light waves through the bones of the skull, depending on their intensity, produces the appropriate hormones and controls metabolic processes in the human body;
- The hypothalamus is responsible for the functioning of the heart muscles, normalizing body temperature and blood pressure. With its help, a signal is given to release stress hormones. Responsible for feelings of hunger, thirst, pleasure and sexuality.
The posterior lobe of the pituitary gland is located in the hypothalamus and is responsible for the production of hormones on which puberty and the functioning of the human reproductive system depend.
Each hemisphere is responsible for performing its own specific tasks. For example, the right cerebral hemisphere accumulates data about the environment and experience of communicating with it. Controls the movement of the limbs on the right side.
The left cerebral hemisphere contains the speech center, which is responsible for human speech; it also controls analytical and computational activities, and abstract thinking is formed in its cortex. Similarly, the right side controls the movement of the limbs on its part.
The structure and function of the cerebral cortex directly depend on each other, so the gyri conditionally divide it into several parts, each of which performs certain operations:
- temporal lobe, controls hearing and charisma;
- the occipital part regulates vision;
- touch and taste are formed in the parietal;
- The frontal parts are responsible for speech, movement and complex thought processes.
The limbic system consists of the olfactory centers and the hippocampus, which is responsible for adapting the body to changes and regulating the emotional component of the body. It creates lasting memories by associating sounds and smells with a specific period of time during which sensory shocks occurred.
In addition, it controls restful sleep, storage of data in short-term and long-term memory, intellectual activity, control of the endocrine and autonomic nervous system, and participates in the formation of the reproductive instinct.
How does the human brain work?
The work of the human brain does not stop even in sleep; it is known that people in a coma also have some parts functioning, as evidenced by their stories.
The main work of this organ is carried out with the help of the cerebral hemispheres, each of which is responsible for a specific ability. It has been noted that the hemispheres are unequal in size and function - the right side is responsible for visualization and creative thinking, usually larger than the left side, responsible for logic and technical thinking.
It is known that men have a larger brain mass than women, but this feature does not affect mental abilities. For example, Einstein's figure was below average, but his parietal area, which is responsible for cognition and the creation of images, was large, which allowed the scientist to develop the theory of relativity.
Some people are endowed with super abilities, this is also the merit of this organ. These features manifest themselves in high speed of writing or reading, photographic memory and other anomalies.
One way or another, the activity of this organ is of great importance in the conscious control of the human body, and the presence of the cortex distinguishes humans from other mammals.
What, according to scientists, constantly arises in the human brain
Experts who study the psychological capabilities of the brain believe that the performance of cognitive and mental functions occurs as a result of biochemical currents, however, this theory is currently being questioned because this organ is a biological object and the principle of mechanical action does not allow us to fully understand its nature.
The brain is a kind of steering wheel of the whole organism, performing a huge number of tasks every day.
The anatomical and physiological features of the structure of the brain have been the subject of study for many decades. It is known that this organ occupies a special place in the structure of the human central nervous system (CNS), and its characteristics are different for each person, so it is impossible to find 2 people who think absolutely alike.
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Incredible facts
The brain is one of the most amazing organs in the human body. It controls our central nervous system, helping us walk, talk, breathe and think. In addition, this is an incredibly complex system consisting of 100 billion neurons.
There is so much going on in the brain that several fields of medicine and science are dedicated to studying and treating it, including neurology, psychology and psychiatry.
Although people have studied the brain since ancient times, many aspects of the brain remain a mystery. It's no surprise that we tend to simplify information about how the brain works in order to better understand it. This has led to many misconceptions about our brain.
1. Brain Color: Our brain is gray
Have you ever thought about the color of your own brain? Most likely not, unless you work in the medical field. If you had the opportunity to see the brain preserved in a jar, it usually had a white or gray with a yellowish tint. However, the living, pulsating brain in our skull is not so dull in appearance. It contains white, black and red component.
Although most of the brain is gray, the so-called Gray matter, which represents different types of cells, it contains and white matter, containing nerve fibers attached to the gray matter.
The brain also has substantia nigra (Substantia nigra), which is black due to neuromelanin, a special type of pigment that colors skin and hair and is part of the basal ganglia.
And finally, Red color appears due to the many blood vessels in the brain. So why is the brain so dull in color? This is all thanks to formaldehyde, which preserves the brain in the jar.
2. Mozart effect: listening to classical music makes us smarter
Many parents buy DVDs, videos and other classical music, art and poetry products for their children, believing that they are good for child's mental development. There are even classical music collections designed for the unborn children in the mother's womb. This idea became so popular that it was called the “Mozart effect.”
Where did this myth come from? In the 1950s, an otolaryngologist Albert Tomatis(Albert Tomatis) stated that Listening to Mozart's music helped people with speech and hearing impairments.
In the 1960s, 36 students participated in a University of California study, listening to 10 minutes of a Mozart sonata before taking an IQ test. According to psychologist Dr. Gordon Shaw(Gordon Shaw), students' IQ scores increased by an average of 8 points and thus was born " Mozart effect".
However, as it turns out, the researcher who conducted this experiment never claimed that music could make someone smarter, but only showed that it improves the performance of certain spatio-temporal tasks. Other researchers have failed to replicate the results, and there is currently no evidence that listening to Mozart or other classical music can make you smarter.
The only thing that is known is that learning to play musical instruments improves concentration, self-confidence and coordination.
3. Brain folds: We develop new folds in the brain when we learn something new.
When we imagine what the brain looks like, we picture a rounded gray mass of two lobes with many “wrinkles” or grooves.
As we evolved, the brain became larger to accommodate all the higher functions that distinguish us from other animals. But in order for the brain to fit into the skull, it must be in a certain proportion to the rest of the body, and my brain started to wrinkle.
If all the wrinkles and grooves could be smoothed out, the brain would become the size of a pillow. There are different types of gyri and sulci with their own names, and they differ from person to person.
However, this “wrinkled” appearance does not appear immediately. The fetus at an early stage of development has a very smooth small brain. As the fetus grows, neurons grow and move to different areas of the brain, creating cavities and grooves. After 40 weeks, his brain is as folded (but smaller) as an adult's brain.
Thus new folds do not appear as we learn, and all the folds with which we are born remain for life, unless of course we are healthy.
During learning, our brain does change, but not in terms of convolutions and sulci. By studying the brains of animals, scientists have found that synapses - the connections between neurons and the blood cells that support neurons - grow and their number increases. This phenomenon is called neuroplasticity.
4. The brain can perform several functions at the same time
5. Frame 25: We can learn by influencing the subconscious
The 25th frame is a message enclosed in a picture or sound that was made for the purpose of introduce it into the subconscious and influence human behavior.
The first person to coin this term was James Vickery(James Vicary), who said he planted the messages during a film screening in New Jersey. The message flashed on the screen for 1/3000 of a second, telling viewers to "drink Coca-Cola" or "eat popcorn."
According to Vaikerie, Cinema cola sales increased by 18 percent and popcorn sales by 57 percent., which confirmed the effectiveness of the 25th frame. The results of this experiment were used in television advertising to persuade consumers to purchase certain products.
But did frame 25 actually work? As it turned out, Vaikerie fabricated research results. Subsequent studies, such as the "Call Now" message shown on Canadian television, had no effect on viewers. However, many people still believe that music and advertising contain hidden messages.
And while listening to self-hypnosis tapes may not hurt, it is unlikely to help you quit smoking.
6. Brain Size: Humans have the largest brain
Many animals use their brains to do the same things humans do, such as finding a solution to a problem, using tools, and showing empathy. And although scientists do not agree on what makes a person smart, most do agree that man is the smartest creature on earth. Perhaps for this reason, many come to the conclusion that we have the largest brains among animals.
But it is not so. Average the weight of the human brain is 1361 grams. Dolphins are very intelligent animals; their brains have, on average, the same weight. While the sperm whale, which is considered not as smart as the dolphin, has a brain that weighs about 7,800 grams.
On the other hand, the brain of a beagle dog weighs about 72 grams, and the brain of an orangutan weighs 370 grams. Both dogs and orangutans are considered intelligent animals, but they have small brains. And in birds, such as the pigeon, the brain weight is only 1 gram.
At the same time, the body weight of a dolphin is on average 158.8 kg, and a sperm whale is 13 tons. Typically, the larger the animal, the larger its skull and, accordingly, its brain. Beagles are relatively small dogs, weighing up to 11.3 kg, and therefore have smaller brains. In other words, it is not the size of the brain that matters, but ratio of brain weight to total body weight. In humans, the ratio is 1 to 50, and the brain bears more weight than in other animals. For most mammals, the ratio is 1 to 220.
Intelligence is also associated with different parts of the brain. In mammals the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for higher functions, is more developed, such as memory, communication and thinking, unlike birds, fish and reptiles. Humans have the largest cerebral cortex in relation to brain size.
7. The Brain Remains Active After Decapitation
At one time, beheading was considered one of the most common methods of execution, thanks in part to the guillotine. Although many countries have abandoned this method of execution, it is still used among terrorists and other groups. In this case, the guillotine was chosen as a quick and relatively humane death. But how fast does it happen?
The idea that After cutting off your head, you are conscious for some time, appeared during the French Revolution, when the guillotine was created. In 1793, a French woman Charlotte Corday was executed by guillotine for the murder of a radical journalist, politician and revolutionary Jean Paul Marat.
After cutting off the woman's head, one of the assistants lifted her head and hit her on the cheek. According to witnesses, Corday's eyes looked at the deputy and she had a look of indignation on her face. After this incident, people who were beheaded were asked to blink after the execution, and some witnesses claimed that eyes continued to blink for another 30 seconds.
Another example was the case described by the French physician Dr. Gabriel Bury(Gabriel Beaurieux), who watched the beheading of a man named Longuil. The doctor claimed that he saw the victim's eyelids and lips clench rhythmically for 5-6 seconds, and when he called his name, the victim's eyelids slowly lifted and his pupils focused.
All these cases may lead us to believe that after beheading a person can remain conscious even for a few seconds. However, most modern doctors believe that such a reaction is nothing more than reflex muscle twitching.
The brain, cut off from the heart, immediately falls into a coma and begins to die, and consciousness is lost within 2-3 seconds, due to a rapid decrease in intracranial blood flow. As for the painlessness of the guillotine, the separation of the brain and spinal cord after cutting the surrounding tissue causes sharp and very severe pain. For this reason, beheading is not practiced in many countries.
8. Brain injury is irreversible
Our brain is a very fragile organ that susceptible to a variety of injuries. Brain damage can cause anything from infections to a car accident, and often leads to the death of brain cells. Many people associate brain injury with images of people in a vegetative state or with permanent physical or mental impairment.
But it is not always the case. There are different types of brain injury and how it will affect a person. depends on the location and severity of the damage. For mild brain injury, such as concussion, the brain bounces inside the skull, which can cause bleeding and ruptures, but the brain can recover well. When a brain injury is severe, surgery is sometimes required to clear the blood pool or relieve pressure. In this case, the consequences are usually irreversible.
However, some people with brain injury can partially recover from damage. If neurons have been damaged or lost, they cannot grow back, but synapses - the connections between them - can.
Often the brain makes new connections, and some areas of the brain take on new functions and learn to do things again. This is how stroke patients regain speech or motor skills.
9. Effects of Drugs: Using drugs creates holes in the brain.
How drugs affect the brain is still a matter of debate. Some believe that only through drug abuse can long-term consequences appear, others believe that these consequences appear immediately after the first use.
One study found that Marijuana consumption results in only mild memory loss, and another that long and frequent use can shrink parts of the brain. Some people even believe that using drugs like cocaine and ecstasy can cause holes in the brain.
In fact, the only thing that can perforate your brain is physical trauma.
However, drugs of abuse do cause short-term and long-term effects in the brain. They can reduce the effects of neurotransmitters - nerve impulse transmitters, such as dopamine. This explains why drug addicts need to consume more and more drugs to achieve the same sensations. It can also lead to problems in neuronal function.
A 2008 study found that long-term use of certain drugs can cause certain brain structures to grow. This is why it can be so difficult for drug addicts to change their behavior.
10. Alcohol kills brain cells
Just looking at a drunk person can convince us that alcohol directly affects the brain. Among the consequences of excessive alcohol consumption are confusion of speech, impaired motor skills and judgment. Also, a person often suffers from headaches, nausea and an unpleasant side effect - a hangover. But can another glass kill brain cells? What about binge drinking or constant drinking?
In fact, even among alcoholics, Alcohol consumption does not cause brain cell death. However, it does damage the endings of neurons, called dendrites. This causes problems in transmitting messages between neurons, although such damage is reversible.
Alcoholics may develop a neurological disorder called Gaye-Wernicke syndrome, in which there is loss of neurons in certain parts of the brain. This syndrome also causes memory problems, confusion, eye paralysis, lack of muscle coordination and amnesia. In addition, it can lead to death.
The disorder itself is not caused by alcohol, but by a lack of thiamine or vitamin B1. The fact is that alcoholics often eat poorly, and alcohol abuse interferes with the absorption of thiamine.
And although alcohol does not kill brain cells, in large quantities it still damages the brain.
Bonus: What percentage of the brain does a person use?
You've probably often heard that we only use 10 percent of our brain. Examples are even given of quotes from famous people such as Albert Einstein and Margaret Mead.
The source of this myth was an American psychologist William James who once said that “the average person rarely achieves only a small fraction of his potential.” Somehow this phrase has been turned into "10 percent of our brains."
At first glance this seems counterintuitive. Why do we need such a big brain if we don't use it completely? There were even books that promised to teach people how to use the other 90 percent of their brains.
But, as one might have already guessed, this opinion is wrong. In addition to 100 billion neurons, the brain contains different types of cells that we use constantly. A person can become disabled even if a small area of the brain is damaged, depending on where it is located, and therefore we cannot exist on only 10 percent of the brain.
Brain scans showed that, no matter what we do, our brain always remains active. Some areas are more active than others, but there is no part that is not working at all.
So, for example, if you are sitting at a table eating a sandwich, you are not using your legs. You are focused on bringing the sandwich to your mouth, chewing and swallowing it. But that doesn't mean your legs don't work. They retain activity, such as blood flow, even if you don't move them.
In other words, we have no hidden additional potential, which could be used. But scientists still continue to study the brain.
The human body is an incredibly complex and intricate system that still baffles doctors and researchers, despite thousands of years of medical knowledge. As a result, bizarre and sometimes incredible facts our body.
The brain is the most complex and least understood part of the human anatomy. We may not know much about him, but here are some very interesting facts about which known.
Facts about the speed of impulses in the brain
Nerve impulses travel through the brain at a speed 273 km per hour.
Have you ever wondered why you react so quickly to what is happening around you? Why does a wounded finger hurt immediately? This is due to the extremely rapid movement of nerve impulses from the brain to parts of your body and vice versa. As a result, the reaction speed of nerve impulses is comparable to the speed of a powerful luxury sports car.
Brain Energy Facts
The brain produces energy equivalent to a light bulb 10 Watt. Cartoons where characters have a light bulb hanging over their heads while they are thinking are not too far from the truth. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb, even When you sleep.
Meanwhile, the brain is the organ with the highest energy consumption. It takes about 20% energy, it accounts for 2% of the total body weight. Much of this energy is spent exchanging information between neurons and between neurons and astrocytes (a type of cell).
Facts about brain memory
Human brain cells can store 5 times more information than the British or other encyclopedias.
Scientists have yet to know the final numbers, but the estimated brain capacity in electronic terms is about 1000 terabytes.
For example, the UK National Archive, containing historical records for 900 years, occupies only 70 terabytes. This makes human memory impressively capacious.
Facts about oxygen in the brain
Your brain uses 20% oxygen, which you breathe. Despite the small mass of the brain, it consumes more oxygen than any other organ in the human body.
This makes the brain very sensitive to damage associated with oxygen deprivation. That's why he likes it when you breathe deeply.
If the flow of oxygen to the brain is increased, then those areas of the brain that did not function during weak blood flow will begin to activate and the process of aging and cell death will slow down.
Interesting fact! The carotid arteries branch into tiny vessels inside the skull, forming an intricate and amazing network of capillaries. These are very thin blood tunnels that provide blood access to the smallest areas of the brain, providing the necessary amount neurons and oxygen.
Facts about brain function during sleep
The brain is more active at night, than during the day. Logically, we can assume that we carry out thought processes, complex calculations and tasks during the working day, which would require more brain activity than, say, lying in bed.
It turns out the opposite is also true. As soon as you fall asleep, the brain continues to work. Scientists do not yet fully know why this is so, but for all dreams We should be grateful to this organ.
Interesting fact! In early childhood there is no difference between sleep and wakefulness. This is explained by the place of thinking in the brain. It is in childhood that almost all thought processes occur in the right hemisphere. A child experiences the world through images. Therefore, a child’s memories are similar to dreams in their structure.
A mature child is taught ready-made and definite concepts, which “clog” our brain. Therefore, asymmetry of our brain occurs. The left hemisphere is overloaded during daytime work. The situation seems to level out during sleep, when the left hemisphere “falls asleep” and the right hemisphere begins to actively act, immersing us in the world of imaginative thinking.
Facts about brain function during daydreaming
Scientists say that the higher the I.Q. a person, the more he dreams.
This of course may be true, but do not take such a statement as a lack of thoughts if you cannot remember your dreams. Most of us don't remember many dreams. After all, the time of most of the dreams that we think about is 2-3 seconds, and this is barely enough for the brain to register them.
Interesting fact! Scientists conducted an experiment that found that the brain is much more active in humans, when he dreams rather than focusing on monotonous work.
At the moment the dreaming process begins, most parts of the brain begin to work intensely. Therefore, we can conclude that dreams help in resolving all important problems.
Facts about the number of neurons in the brain
The number of neurons in the brain continues to grow throughout human life.
For many years, scientists and doctors believed that brain and nerve tissue could not grow or repair themselves. But it turned out that the brain works in the same way as the tissues of many other parts of the body. Therefore the number of neurons can grow constantly.
For your information! Neurons are the basis any nervous system. These are special cells in which tree-like processes diverge in all directions, coming into contact with neighboring cells that have the same processes. All this forms a huge chemical and electrical network, which is our brain.
It is neurons that allow the brain to perform various actions much more efficiently and quickly than any created machine.
Pain Facts: The Brain Doesn't Feel Pain!
The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain is the center for processing pain, when you cut your finger or get burned, it has no pain receptors and doesn't feel pain.
However, the brain is surrounded by many tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are very susceptible to pain and can give you headaches.
However, headaches come in many varieties, and the exact causes of many remain unclear.
Human brain and water
80% the brain consists of water. Your brain is not the solid gray mass you see on TV. It is soft and pink due to the blood pulsing there and the high water content.
So, when you feel thirsty, it is also because brain requires water.
Interesting fact! The average human brain weighs 1.4 kg and is extremely sensitive to water loss. If the brain is dehydrated for a long time, its proper existence will cease.
You may have seen in movies or heard that the human brain is only used on 10%. By the way, this statement is even attributed Albert Einstein, which pointed to the supposedly small activity of our brain. But in fact, this is not true (if Einstein had known that they were slandering him, he would probably have been very surprised).
Now, if this figure were 100%, then people would have superpowers. So we are assured by rumors that came from out of nowhere.
Why does this myth live for so long and continue to spread?
Myths and misconceptions people have about the brain
Research results show that 65% of people surveyed believe this myth is true; and 5% think this number is increasing due to their belief in evolution.
Even the TV show MythBusters a few years ago wrongly corrected the myth of 10% of the brain being used by 35%.
Like most legends, the origins of this fiction are unclear, although there is some speculation. The origins come from a neuroscientist Sam Wang(Sam Van) of Princeton, author of "Welcome to Your Brain."
Perhaps it was William James(William James), who was considered one of the most influential thinkers in psychology at the beginning of the 20th century. He said: “People have untapped intellectual potential.”
This quite reasonable statement was later revived in distorted form by the writer Lowell Thomas(Lowell Thomas) in 1936 in his introduction to the book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
“Professor William James of Harvard said that the average person develops only 10 percent of his latent psychic ability,” writes Thomas. It looks like he or someone else at one time just mentioned a number he liked.
Specifying 10% explicitly is false for several reasons.
At what percentage does the human brain work?
Everyone knows that one fact that's all the brain is active all the time. The brain is an organ. Its living neurons and cells, which in turn are supported by these neurons, Always cause activity. Have you ever heard that the spleen is only 10% used? Surely not.
This is how Joe Ice, a professor of neurology and psychology at New York University, explains how the human brain works. Let's say you are watching a video image in a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.
Some areas of the brain involved in hearing or visualization, for example, are now more active than other areas. Their activities will be depicted as colored spots.
These bundles of meaningful activity tend to occupy small parts of the brain, even less than 10%. Therefore, it may seem to an unaware person that the rest of the brain is running at idle.
However, Joe Ice argues that the brain, with small actions of certain functions, still works at 100%.
In fact, the “only a certain part of the brain” statement is false. When our brain works to process information coming from the eyes, ears, and olfactory organs, it first thinks about which area to process this information.
All this suggests that the brain has many areas responsible for a certain specialization. These areas can also work simultaneously, which may well account for up to 100% of the brain’s work. The brain is a complex, multi-tasking network of tissue.
Talk about how only one part of the brain is constantly working, and the rest is a stagnant jelly mass, stupid.
Cheating Facts: The brain can be tricked!
Would you like to change your view of the world or experience hallucinations? People tend to associate such phenomena with taking drugs such as LSD. However, there are ways to expand your perceptions without resorting to illegal substances. All you need is to understand how our brain works.
Our mind is not a mirror of what is happening around us. Much of what we see in the external world comes from within and is a byproduct of how the brain processes sensations. In recent years, scientists have found several ways to reveal the deceptiveness of our senses, and here are some of them.
1. Ganzfeld procedure
At first glance, this may seem like a bad prank. The Ganzfeld procedure is a gentle sensory isolation technique that was first proposed in experimental psychology in the 1930s. For this experiment, you need to tune the radio to interference, lie down on the sofa and use an adhesive plaster to attach half of the table tennis balls to your eyes. Within a minute the person begins to experience hallucinations. Some people see horses running in the clouds, others hear the voice of a deceased relative.
The whole point is that our the mind is dependent on sensations and when there are very few of them, our brain begins to invent its own.
2. Reduce pain
If you suddenly get slightly injured, look at the damaged part with upside down binoculars. In this case, the pain should decrease.
Scientists at the University of Oxford have demonstrated in an experiment that viewing a wounded arm through the far end of binoculars visually reduces the size of the arm, as well as pain and swelling.
This suggests that even basic sensations such as pain depend on our vision.
3. Pinocchio Illusion
This experience requires two chairs and a blindfold. The person with the blindfold sits in the back seat, looking in the direction of the person sitting in front. The blindfolded person then reaches out his hand and places it on the nose of the person sitting in front.
At the same time, he touches his nose with his other hand and begins to lightly stroke both noses. After about a minute, more than 50 percent of people say their nose lengthens. This is called the Pinocchio effect or proprioception.
4. Thinking trick
Raise your right leg a few centimeters from the floor and begin to move it in a clockwise direction. While you're doing this, use your right index finger to draw the number 6 in the air. Your leg will start to turn counterclockwise and you won't be able to do anything about it.
The left half of the brain, which controls the right side of the body, is responsible for rhythm and timing. She cannot cope with the work of two opposite movements at the same time and combines them into one movement.
5. Hearing deception
This trick can be done with three people, one of whom will be the test subject, and the other two will be observers. You will also need headphones attached to two plastic tubes on both sides. Ask the subject to sit on a chair equidistant between the two observers. Each observer takes turns speaking into the receiver from the appropriate side. In this case, the listener correctly determines the direction of the sound.
If we exchange handsets and start talking, then the listener will become confused and will point in the opposite direction from the sound.
Auditory localization is the ability of a person to determine the direction of a sound source. The human auditory system has a limited ability to determine the distance of a sound source, and is based on inter-sound time differences. When you change tubes, the perception of neurons on the opposite side of the brain is activated and the person cannot determine the source of the sound.
6. Rubber hand illusion
More than ten years ago, psychologists discovered an illusion that can convince a person that a rubber hand is his own. For this experiment you need a rubber hand or an inflated rubber glove, a piece of cardboard and two brushes. Place the rubber hand on the table in front of you and hide your hand behind the cardboard. Have someone stroke the real hand and the rubber hand at the same time, using the same brush strokes.
In a few minutes you you will feel as if the artificial hand has become your flesh. If you ask another person to hit a rubber hand, the person will feel anxiety and pain because the brain is convinced that the rubber hand is real.
7. The sound that is heard by those under 20
This sound is sine wave with a frequency of 18,000 Hertz heard by those who are not yet 20 years old. It is used by some teenagers as a cell phone ringtone to prevent other people from hearing whether the phone is ringing.
As a person gets older, they lose the ability to hear higher pitched sounds and therefore only young people under 20 are able to grasp it.
8. Purkinje effect
Jan Purkinje, the founder of modern neuroscience, discovered an interesting hallucination while still a child. He closed his eyes, turned his head towards the sun and began to quickly move his hand back and forth in front of his closed eyes.
After a few minutes, Purkinje noticed multi-colored figures that became more and more intricate.
Subsequently, scientists created special glasses on which light came on at a certain frequency. This stimulation short-circuits the brain's visual cortex, causing cells to light up in unpredictable ways, resulting in imaginary images.
9. Deception of light perception
Look at the center point (plus sign) of the black and white image for at least 30 seconds, then look away at the wall and you will see a bright spot. Blink your eyes a few times. What do you see?
Look at the red parrot's eye as you slowly count to 20, and then quickly look at one spot in the empty cage. A hazy image of a blue-green bird in a cage should appear before your eyes. The same can be done with a green cardinal and a vague silhouette of a purple bird will appear in the cage.
When we look at an image for some time and then replace it with a white background, an afterimage appears. This is explained by the fact that the photoreceptors (rods and cones) of the eyes get tired, an imbalance of information occurs and an afterimage appears.
10. Rotating Silhouette Illusion
Look at the spinning silhouette of the girl. Do you see it spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? Typically, if you see a silhouette rotating in one direction, say counterclockwise, you will have a hard time seeing it in the opposite direction.
The human nervous system (including the brain) is a regulator of the functions of a living organism. Thanks to it, he can react to events and make certain decisions. The brain plays an important role in all this.
Its functions and structure are still being studied by doctors, so in the article the numbers will very often be indicated only in an approximate range. Still, let's find out what the brain is.
general information
When talking about what the brain is, it is difficult to ignore neurons. Their exact number has not been established, and various counting models suggest that there are from 25 to 86 billion (the second number is the most recent data). Gray matter is formed from neurons. The brain itself is covered with three membranes:
- soft;
- hard;
- arachnoid (it contains brain fluid, which acts as a shock absorber that protects the gray matter from shock).
Speaking of weight, it should be noted that there are differences. So, in men, the average brain mass is approximately 1375 g, while in women it is 1245 g. But, by the way, this does not determine the level of mental development, strange as it may seem at first glance.
For the intellectual power of the brain, the number of connections that neurons create is more important than its weight. After all, if we compare us with other animals, then there are many creatures on the planet that can boast a much larger mass of the named organ.
But let's go back to humans and talk about the brain of newborns. It is interesting that initially its weight is approximately 1/8 of the baby’s body weight (conventionally, about 400 grams). The grooves and large convolutions are well defined (although they cannot boast of depth and height). And during the first few years of a child's life, the brain takes on the characteristics of an adult.
Neurons and nerves
Brain cells that generate and transmit impulses are called neurons, and glia perform additional functions. The gray matter contains cavities called ventricles. From it, twelve pairs of cranial nerves extend to the rest of the human body.
Neurons and nerves create different sections with their own unique functions. The capabilities of the entire organism depend entirely on their activities. Each neuron can potentially have up to 10 thousand contacts through which it connects to other components of the brain.
White matter is also important. This is the name of the nerve fibers that are used by the body to connect the hemispheres, different cortical areas and with underlying formations. located between the cerebral cortex and the basal ganglia. There are four parts in it, the classification of which is carried out depending on their location.
Structure
Conventionally, the main brain is divided into three parts:
- Large hemispheres
- Cerebellum.
- Brain stem.
It also has five departments:
- Final (which accounts for approximately 80% of the total mass).
- Posterior (this includes the cerebellum and pons).
- Intermediate.
- Oblong.
- Average.
In addition, experts distinguish three types of cortex in the brain:
- Ancient.
- Old.
- New.
What is the cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is the superficial layer, approximately 3 mm thick, covering the human hemispheres. Mainly to create it, the body uses vertically oriented processes that have processes. Although it should be noted that her study also found efferent and afferent fibers, as well as neuroglia.
Three types of bark are arranged in six layers. They all have different densities, widths, sizes and shapes of neurons. The cerebral cortex boasts an area of 2200 square meters. cm. This is achieved due to its vertical striations. It also contains approximately 10 billion human neurons.
Functions of the cortex
The cerebral cortex performs several specific tasks. Each of its areas is responsible for something specific. So, thanks to us we can process air (sound) and respond to odors. The 3occipital helps us work with visual information. The parietal part of the cortex allows you to feel the space around and determine the taste of everything. The frontal region is responsible for movement, complex thinking and speech.
Equally important from a functional point of view are the basal ganglia, which are used to transmit information.
Brain parts
He controls all important processes for humans, and also influences our intellectual abilities.
The diencephalon consists of a dorsal (upper) and ventral (lower) part. In the first, the thalamus plays a major role. It acts as an intermediary that directs all received irritations to the hemispheres. Thanks to it, the body can quickly adapt to the external environment when changes occur.
The ventral part is considered the hypothalamus. This is the name of the subcortical center, where the regulation of autonomic functions occurs. The nervous system, endocrine glands, metabolism and many other important processes for the body fall under its influence. Thanks to it, a person’s level of wakefulness and sleep, as well as his eating and drinking behavior, is regulated.
Below the hypothalamus is the pituitary gland, which is responsible for body temperature. It also regulates the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
Continuing to find out what the brain is, we move on to the posterior section - it is necessary for the high-quality functioning of the conduction function. Externally, this area looks like a bridge with the cerebellum located behind it. Despite its low weight (about 120-150 grams), the functional value of this component is high. So, the coordination of our movement depends on the cerebellum. The lower part of its surface is in contact with the medulla oblongata. It connects the brain and spinal cord of a person. Both white and gray matter can be found here.
Our coordination, balance, metabolism, blood circulation and breathing largely depend on the medulla oblongata. Even when we cough and sneeze, it is he who works. The midbrain is responsible for our hidden vision. The center of the orienting reflex is also located in it, which ensures a sharp turn of the body towards a loud noise (or other unexpected stimulus). Thanks to it, people have a brain reflex, which manifests itself in the fact that a person can dodge things or blows flying towards him.
Who studies the brain and where?
Special research centers are being created around the world to study the brain. Thus, in the Russian Federation there is the Brain Institute in St. Petersburg, which is considered an integral part of the Academy of Sciences. This allows us to concentrate specialists with a high level of training and high-quality, latest equipment in one place.
Given the complexity of the object being studied, even despite the large amount of attention paid to it, scientists have not been able to fully understand how it works. And this despite the fact that the brain institute is not alone in the whole world and they have been functioning for a long time. But, nevertheless, research is ongoing, and soon even brain damage will not be a difficult problem.
How to diagnose the current state of affairs
To diagnose the condition of such an important organ, a special study is used - an encephalogram of the brain. Thanks to it, you can obtain highly accurate data. Nowadays, this is the most advanced technique that is widely used throughout the world. How is everything going?
A brain encephalogram is a special curve that occurs under the influence of recording vibrations that occur in the human brain. Vibrations are detected through the skin thanks to the attachment of special sensors. Thus, diagnosticians get a picture of brain activity. If a person is healthy, then it will be harmonious. The ongoing nervous processes in this case are well expressed. With pathologies, various deviations can be observed.
Using an encephalogram of the brain, you can track how the central nervous system works. Thus, the consistency and rhythm of ongoing processes can easily be observed. Based on this data, you can build a diagram of a specific person and identify the location of a potential violation.
The novelty of the equipment and the experience of the diagnostician reflect positively on the accuracy of the results obtained. Thanks to the most modern equipment, it is possible to quickly identify damage that is hidden in the very depths of the structure. And research can be carried out throughout the whole day to identify the true cause of the violations that have arisen. The state of the brain will be measured both day and night. Then doctors will have a more complete picture of what is happening to the patient.
Conclusion
So, we have found out what the brain is, how it works, what functions it performs, how it works, as well as where and who studies it. Of course, the information provided is too little to say that everything is known about him. But everything big starts from small things. Therefore, if you have an interest in this topic, you can easily find a lot of different information that can significantly supplement your knowledge base. Moreover, for these purposes it would be best to use specialized medical literature, where specialists will tell you everything.
The human brain is the most important and complex organ of the central nervous system, controlling all processes of the life of the human body and the existence of a human being. The human brain consists of a huge number of neurons, measured in billions, which are connected by an even larger number of synaptic connections. The brain consists of different segments, each of which performs separate functions (or several of them). Damage or degradation of individual parts of the brain leads to disruption of important human functions, even death. To be honest, we know virtually nothing about the exact workings of the brain in its finest detail, despite years of study. There are powerful billion-dollar initiatives underway (the Blue Brain Project) that will make it possible to digitally recreate the brain for further study.
Did you know that mosquitoes don't have a brain? Perhaps knowledge of this fact will completely satisfy those who are not satisfied with mosquito behavior during the warm period. Despite the absence of a brain, insects have some semblance of a thinking apparatus - a cluster of so-called ganglia that regulate the behavior of a mosquito depending on the trajectory of a sneaker flying at it. However, if the work of the ganglia is currently fully studied, then the work of our brain remains a mysterious and poorly understood process. So what actually happens in the brain when a thought is born?
Yes, you read that right. Scientists have actually grown little brains, which are cellular structures that emit brain waves. To capture neural activity, they were even sent into space. And in one of the experiments they placed it in an arachnid robot. These little brains are tiny cellular structures that perform specialized functions. They are called organelles. Organelles include ribosomes, chromosomes, mitochondria and other components of cells. In a laboratory at the University of California, scientists turned human skin cells into stem cells and then ensured that the organoids developed like brain cells in embryos. Has the future really arrived?
