1. Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast
as 170 miles per hour. Ever
wonder how you can react so fast to things around you or why that stubbed toe
hurts right away? It’s due to the super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from
your brain to the rest of your body and vice versa, bringing reactions at the
speed of a high powered luxury sports car.
2. The brain operates on the same amount of power as
10-watt light bulb. The
cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t
too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb
even when you’re sleeping.
3. The human brain cell can hold 5 times as much
information as the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or any other encyclopedia for that matter. Scientists have yet to
settle on a definitive amount, but the storage capacity of the brain in
electronic terms is thought to be between 3 or even 1,000 terabytes. The
National Archives of Britain, containing over 900 years of history, only takes
up 70 terabytes, making your brain’s memory power pretty darn impressive.
4. Your brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your
bloodstream.The brain
only makes up about 2% of our body mass, yet consumes more oxygen than any
other organ in the body, making it extremely susceptible to damage related to
oxygen deprivation. So breathe deep to keep your brain happy and swimming in
oxygenated cells.
5. The brain is much more active at night than during
the day.Logically, you would think that
all the moving around, complicated calculations and tasks and general
interaction we do on a daily basis during our working hours would take a lot
more brain power than, say, lying in bed. Turns out, the opposite is
true. When you turn off your brain turns on. Scientists don’t yet know why this
is but you can thank the hard work of your brain while you sleep for all those
pleasant dreams.
6. Scientists say the higher your I.Q. the more you
dream. While
this may be true, don’t take it as a sign you’re mentally lacking if you can’t
recall your dreams. Most of us don’t remember many of our dreams and the
average length of most dreams is only 2-3 seconds–barely long enough to
register.
7. Neurons continue to grow throughout human
life. For years scientists and doctors
thought that brain and neural tissue couldn’t grow or regenerate. While it
doesn’t act in the same manner as tissues in many other parts of the body,
neurons can and do grow throughout your life, adding a whole new dimension to
the study of the brain and the illnesses that affect it.
8. Information travels at different speeds within
different types of neurons. Not all
neurons are the same. There are a few different types within the body and
transmission along these different kinds can be as slow as 0.5 meters/sec or as
fast as 120 meters/sec.
9. The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be the pain center when you
cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors
and cannot feel pain. That doesn’t mean your head can’t hurt. The brain is
surrounded by loads of tissues, nerves and blood vessels that are plenty
receptive to pain and can give you a pounding headache.
10. 80% of the brain is water. Your brain isn’t the firm, gray mass you’ve seen on
TV. Living brain tissue is a squishy, pink and jelly-like organ thanks to the
loads of blood and high water content of the tissue. So the next time you’re
feeling dehydrated get a drink to keep your brain hydrated.
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