Brain Facts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The human brain is like a powerful computer that stores our memory and controls how we as humans think and react. It has evolved over time and features some incredibly intricate parts that scientists still struggle to understand.

• The brain is the center of the human nervous system, controlling our thoughts, movements, memories and decisions.
  
• With evolution, the human brain has become more and more complicated, many of its interesting properties are still not well understood by scientists.
  
• The brain contains billions of nerve cells that send and receive information around the body.
  
• The human brain is over three times as big as the brain of other mammals that are of similar body size.
  
• Each side of the brain interacts largely with just one half of the body, but for reasons that are not yet fully understood, the interaction is with opposite sides, the right side of the brain interacts with the left side of the body, and vice versa.
  
• The largest part of the human brain is called the cerebrum. Other important parts include corpus callosum, cerebral cortex, thalamus, cerebellum, hypothalamus, hippocampus and brain stem.
  
• The human brain is protected by the skull (cranium), a protective casing made up of 22 bones that are joined together.
  
• The brain of an adult human weighs around 3 pounds (1.5 kg). Although it makes up just 2% of the body's weight, it uses around 20% of its energy.
  
• The brain is suspended in Cerebrospinal fluid, effectively floating in liquid that acts as both a cushion to physical impact and a barrier to infections.
  
• Diseases of the brain include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. Diseases such as these can limit the normal function of the human brain.
  
• Most strokes result from a blood clot in the brain that blocks the local blood supply, this causes the damage or destruction of nearby brain tissue and a wide range of stroke symptoms.