Random Brain Facts

We’ve learned more about the brain in last 20 yrs than all time previous to that No two brains are identical Brain is mostly water (78%), fat (10%), and protein (8%) Living brain is so soft it can be cut w/ butter knife

Random Brain Facts The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1,300-1,400 gm) –Elephant brains = 6,000gm –Cat brains = 30 gm Brain is ~2% of body weight, but consumes ~20% of body’s energy Total surface area of cerebral cortex = ~2.5 sq ft Bigger brains are not necessarily better Einstein’s was average size

Random Brain Facts Human brain has ~100,000,000,000 neurons If all neurons were stretched end to end, would reach to moon and back Every second, brain receives 100 million messages from the senses ¾ of body’s neurons are in brain On day you are born, all brain cells are in place –They’re just immature – still developing Explains why don’t have memories until ~3-4 y.o. –Will not regenerate – this is all you get (Recent research is challenging this idea…)

Random Brain Facts ~10 trillion pieces of information in the brain There are 1,000 – 10,000 synapses for a typical neuron Human brain is capable of processing 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bits of data per second Intelligence has nothing to do with number of neurons – it has everything to do with number of dendrite connections

Random Brain Facts World record for time w/o sleep: 264 hours (11 days) – Randy Gardner, 1963 Unconsciousness occurs 8-10 sec after loss of blood supply to brain

Random Brain Facts Changing brain: 525 billion neurons in brain at 26 wks gestation 200 billion on day born 100 billion today Brain is ultimate “use it or lose it” machine –“neural sculpting” happens during REM sleep Computer/TV has huge impact on brain Recommend no TV/internet 0-2 yrs –Sesame Street?

Random Brain Facts Humans can process words/min –Talk about words/min Speaker needs to fill in gaps to avoid boredom, mind wandering Older people take longer to learn, but retain information as well as younger ppl Before age 5, brain is very plastic – can simultaneously adapt after injury –After age 5, severe, permanent damage more likely Ex – 5 y.o. boy w/ severe seizures had entire left hemisphere removed – paralyzed on right side, but scored above avg on intelligence tests, finished college & grad school – today an executive

Random Brain Facts Brain disorders cost Americans more than $600 billion a year Alcohol use in teens devastating to the pre-frontal cortex Mature neuron has myelin sheath protection, young adolescent brain does not –MN in top 5 for alcohol consumption –Also top 5 for FAS cases

WARNING: REALLY CORNY JOKES AHEAD

Bad brain jokes What does a brain do when it sees a friend across the street? –Gives a brain wave What did the hippocampus say during its retirement speech? –Thanks for the memories What did the right hemisphere say to the left hemisphere when they couldn’t agree on anything? –“let’s split”

Bad brain jokes What happens if you break the brain scanner? –You will have a CATastrophe What kind of fish performs brain operations? –A neurosturgeon What do you call a skull without 100 billion neurons? –A no brainer

Bad brain jokes When does a brain get afraid? –When it loses its nerve Why didn’t the brain want to take a bath? –It didn’t want to be brainwashed Why was the neuron sent to the principal’s office? –It had trouble controlling its impulses