15 curiosities about the brain (that you should know)

This fascinating set of organs is full of surprises.

The brain is the set of organs that is at the basis of thoughts and emotions; without it, the human mind simply would not exist.

However, despite the fact that everything we consciously experience is experienced firsthand by the brain, we know very little about this structure of the human body. Its complexity and the speed with which it does its work make it almost impossible to know in detail what is happening in it at any given moment. This is partly why it is one of the most mysterious anatomical structures.

In this article we will see several curiosities about the brain that help us to get an idea of how surprising it can be this point of union between psychology and biology.

The most impressive curiosities about the brain

Here are some of the reasons why neuroscience is a fascinating field of study.

1. There's a part of the brain dedicated to recognizing faces

Instant face recognition is one of the most defining characteristics of human beings, and it facilitates social relationships in a species as gregarious as ours. It is an ability we enjoy thanks to a part of the cerebral cortex dedicated to face recognition. a part of the cerebral cortex called the fusiform gyrus, which is also activated when we see shapes and forms.which is also activated when we see face-like shapes in what are known as pareidolias.

2. The brain could be the union of two nervous systems

There is a theory according to which the central nervous system is the product of the union of two nervous systems that developed over time. two nervous systems that developed separately over millions of years. of Biological evolution: one dedicated to capturing stimuli from the environment, and the other dedicated to moving parts of the organism. For example, it has been shown that in mollusks such as octopuses there are only a few points of connection between the brain and the neurons that activate the tentacles.

3. 60% of this is fat

Incredible as it may seem, most of the brain is mainly fat. To be more precise, most of the fat is accumulated in what are known as myelin sheaths, which cover a part of the tentacles.which cover a part of the neurons known as the axon so that the electrical impulse that these cells transmit goes faster.

4. It never stops working

The brain literally never stops being activated. It does not stop being on even when we sleep or when we lose consciousness due to a stroke or an illness. because of a stroke or an illness. One of the curiosities of the brain is that its work rhythm adapts to the needs of the moment, but the only time it stops doing so is when it dies.

5. It has no pain receptors

The brain is full of nerve fibers, but it is insensitive to pain unless is insensitive to pain unless this "signal" comes from other parts of the body.. This makes that, following certain procedures, it is possible to leave it uncovered in operations while the person is conscious; in these cases, it is possible to cut a little of the cerebral cortex, and the patient does not have to notice anything.

6. The number of neurons in the brain is incredible

There are about 80 billion neurons in the brain. In addition, different parts of the brain have a higher concentration of neurons. For example, the cerebellum is known to have a high density of neurons.

7. It can adapt to the disappearance of one of its parts.

The brain is a set of organs that has a great capacity to adapt to lesions, considering the importance of the functions it performs.It has a great capacity to adapt to injuries, taking into account the importance of the functions it performs. This means that in some cases certain people have lost practically half of their brain, and in spite of that they have survived. When something like this happens, the remaining healthy parts "learn" to perform many of the tasks that were previously performed by the parts that have died or have been removed.

8. The most numerous nerve cells are not neurons.

There are two fundamental types of nerve cells: neurons and glial cells. The latter are much more numerous than the former, since they make up 85% of the brain.

9. We lose neuronal connections

When we are born, each of our neurons is, on average, more connected to its partners than when we are adults. This means that over time there are interconnections that are lost.probably due to lack of use, and those that are most useful have been preserved.

10. Each memory has two copies

Recent research has shown that, when something is memorized, this information is stored in two different places at the same time: the prefrontal cortex and a part of the brain known as the subiculum, below the hippocampus. In the first moments, the memory used is the one stored in the subiculum, but over time this "copy" disappears and the one from the prefrontal cortex is used, which is in charge of the memory.which is in charge of long-term memory.

11. Brain lesions modify our personality

It has been proven that certain lesions in the brain cause us to change from having one type of personality to having another. For example, damages in some parts of the frontal lobe, propitiate disinhibition and aggressiveness.

12. The brain is in suspension

The human brain is "floating" in a liquid that surrounds it and carries its inner ventricles: cerebrospinal fluid. This substance provides the brain with extra protection against shocks, so that as far as possible it does not rebound against the hard parts inside the skull.

13. The vital areas for survival are in its depths.

Biological evolution has made the structures of the brain that are most important for the survival of the individual are "buried" in other structures of lesser importance.. Thus, a lesion in the thalamus is usually fatal, while one in the superficial part of the frontal lobe is less so.

14. The folds of the brain allow it to hold more gray matter.

The gray matter of the brain is the accumulation of neuronal somas, i.e., the bodies of neurons, where their nuclei are located. The white matter, on the other hand, is composed mainly of axons and myelin sheaths, the structures of the neurons that have the shape of a tube or extension.

Well, if there are such characteristic folds on the outer surface of the brain, it is because in this way a greater surface is given to the layer of gray matter that covers the brain, while the white matter is below them, in the deepest zone.

15. Brain activation is influenced by exposure to light.

The human brain is sensitive to the amount of light to which we are exposed, and uses this type of stimulus to regulate the biological clock, whereby at certain times of the day, at certain times of the day, we are exposed to light. which makes us more active at certain times of the day than at others. Specifically, it secretes greater amounts of a substance called melatonin when we have been exposed to less light for hours, and this molecule is linked to the desire to sleep.