As a child I used to think that the inside of our brains was hollow. I remember one time, I couldn’t have been more than four or five, during one of those silly outdoor games, I got hit by a stone on the head. The bleeding that followed made me form an image of a gaping hole on my head from which this red fluid was coming from.

But my first real encounter with a human brain was during the second trimester of my first year in campus, with a cadaver we had named Bob, for reasons I am yet to recall. We watched in disbelief as our very able anatomy lab tech mercilessly drilled Bob’s head open and removed a white slimy mass from it. Behold! An actual human brain. Seriously???  I have to say I was a bit disappointed. In my head I had pictured something hollower.

The brain is comprises of:-

  1. The cerebral cortex – involved in memory, language, voluntary movement and attention
  2. The basal ganglia- with various functions such as voluntary movement, behavior, eye movement and cognitive and emotional functions
  3. The cerebellum – which plays a role in movement and balance, language, attention, as well as pleasure and fear
  4. The thalamus – which relays motor and sensory signals to the cortex and is involved in sleep, alertness and consciousness
  5. The hypothalamus – which allows for coordination between the nervous system and the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

 

MEASUREMENT OF BRAIN PERFORMANCE (IQ)

I’ve always loved watching The Big Bang Theory. My all-time favorite character, Sheldon Cooper, is said to have an IQ of 187, which would explain his annoying yet enviable brilliance. But what really is IQ?  And why are we so impressed when we hear of a figure like 187?

IQ is an abbreviation that was coined by William Stern from the German term Intelligent-quotient. It is a measure of a person’s intelligence as indicated by the score from a series of standardized tests. There are various IQ tests, some visual, some verbal, and they vary from abstract reasoning problems, to arithmetic, vocabulary or general knowledge.

Many brain anatomy factors have been correlated with intelligence in humans; from the size and shape of the frontal lobes, the amount of blood and chemical activity in the frontal lobes, the amount of gray matter in the brain, to the overall thickness of the cortex and the glucose metabolic rate.

Approximately 66% of the population scores between IQ 85 and IQ 115, which is considered average. The most commonly used individual IQ series is the Wechster intelligence scale.

IQ scores have been used in military selection, to assess intellectual disability and evaluating educational placement and job applicants.

 

 STORAGE AND ACCESS TO MEMORIES.

And this has happened to me not once or twice but on several exam situations where, I can’t seem to remember that one little detail. In my mind I can see the general outlook of the page or slide it was in, I can even remember highlighting it, but I just can’t seem to remember.  How exactly does the brain make, store and recall memories?

There are three functions that turn information into memory:-

  1. Acquisition – you learn something new or have a new experience
  2. Consolidation – the memory of the new information gets lodged into the brain
  3. Recall – you can access the memory of that knew information in the future.

The two main types of memory are short term memory and long term memory

  1. Short term memory: - all memories start as short term memory. This is a temporary process that sets off firing patterns of neurons in the prefrontal lobe, and when this same firing pattern is repeated, the brain will then store the information as long term memory.
  2. Long term memory however is the one that you retain for longer. Both emotional connections to the information and repetition help create long term memory. The hippocampus plays a role in turning short to long term memory.

Other forms of memory include:-

  1. Working memory – which includes visual and verbal information. It is sometimes used interchangeably with short term memory, it is essential for learning.
  2. Immediate memory – it is only stored for a few seconds and includes a short number sequence (an example is when you memorize a mobile number for a short while before finding a piece of paper to write it on)
  3. Explicit memory – this is information based on fact. For example when you were born, the capital city of your country, the president of the United States etc.
  4. Implicit memory –this is based on experience. It is information you retrieve without thinking, especially behaviors. An example is riding a bicycle.
  5. Conscious memory –this is what your brain is able to retrieve when you need it. What you are aware of.
  6. Subconscious memory –this is what exists but is unavailable for your instant retrieval.

The process of recalling can be very selective, and the brain makes a decision about whether it is necessary to remember something or someone (ouch!) or not.

 

BRAIN MYTH BUSTERS 

There are so many myths about our brains flying around, I thought I’d help debunk some of them.

  1. Myth –we only use 10% of our brain. Fact –Brain scans show that every part of the brain is active almost all the time, no matter what we are doing. In fact no one is sure who came up with this 10% idea, but it is amazing how widely it is accepted, with people writing books and selling products that claim to tap into the remaining 90%.
  2. Myth –your brain is grey. Fact –a living brain found inside the skull isn’t just plain grey. It is also white, black and red. Red color is due to the many blood vessels supplying it, white is due to nerve fibers, black is due to a substance known as neuromelanin and of course grey due to the gray matter.
  3. Myth –you can learn through subliminal messages. Fact –flashing messages such as “eat popcorn” or “call now” for milliseconds have no effect on viewers.
  4. Myth –your brain remains active for a while after decapitation. Fact –there is nothing more final than having your head cut off. Movements seen after decapitation are reflexive twitching of muscles and not deliberate movements.
  5. Myth –the human brain is the biggest brain. Fact- A sperm whale has a 17 pound (7.8kg) brain, as compared to the human 3pound (1.4kg) brain. Humans however have a large cerebral cortex relative to the size of their brains, hence are smarter.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE BRAIN

  1. There are no pain receptors in the brain.
  2. If your brain loses blood supply for 10 seconds, you lose consciousness.
  3. Reading out aloud to a young child and talking to them often, promotes brain development.
  4. New brain connections are created every time you form a new memory.
  5. Lack of oxygen for 5 to 10 minutes results in permanent brain damage.
  6. Long term mobile use significantly increases the risk of brain tumors.
  7. Your brain uses 20% of the total percentage of oxygen and blood in the body.
  8. Oxytocin is the hormone responsible for triggering feelings of love in the brain.
  9. 60% of your brain is fat.
  10. The brain releases so much dopamine during an orgasm, producing brain scans resembling that of someone on heroin.
  11. You cannot tickle yourself; the brain distinguishes between unexpected external touch, and your own touch.

 

 

DISEASES THAT AFFECT THE BRAIN

  1. Meningitis –this is the inflammation of the lining around the brain due to an infection.
  2. Epilepsy –this is a disease characterized by recurring seizures caused by abnormal excessive electrical activity in the brain.
  3. Brain tumor –this is an abnormal tissue growth inside the brain, whether malignant or benign.
  4. Stroke –this is a condition that occurs when blood flow and oxygen are suddenly interrupted to an area of brain tissue which then dies, and the part of the body controlled by this area of the brain may have impaired function.
  5. Hydrocephalus –this is where we have abnormally high amounts of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull.
  6. Cerebral edema –this is the swelling of brain tissue
  7. Multiple sclerosis –this occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s nerves.
  8. Vasculitis –an inflammation of blood vessels of the brain.
  9. Encephalitis –this is inflammation of brain tissue due to a viral infection.