Ten Amazing Brain Facts

What part of you is only 1% to 3% of your body'ssmaller than average. There is a general correlation
mass, yet uses 20% of all the oxygen you breathe?between body size and the size of our brains.
Your brain! Here are ten more brain facts.- An elephant's brain is huge - about six times as
- Your brain needs a continuous supply of oxygen. Alarge as a human brain. However, in relation to body
10 minute loss of oxygen will usually cause significantsize, humans have the largest brain of all the animals,
neural damage. Cold can lengthen this time, which isaveraging about 2% of body weight. A cat's brain? It
why cold-water drowning victims have been revivedweighs about one ounce, a little over 1% of body
after as nuch as 40 minutes - without brain damage.weight.
- Your brain uses a fifth of all your blood. It needs it- There are about 100,000 miles of blood vessels in
to keep up with the heavy metabolic demands of itsthe brain. If they were stretched out (there's a nice
neurons. It needs not only the glucose that isthought!) they would circle the earth more than four
delivered, but of course, the oxygen.times.
- Your brain feels no pain. There are no nerves that- If you have an average sized brain, you have about
register pain within the brain itself. Because of this,100 billion neurons up there. You'll be happy about
neurosurgeons can probe the brain while a patient isthat after reading the next item.
conscious (what fun!). By doing this, they can use- Approximately 85,000 neocortical neurons are lost
feedback from the patient to identify importanteach day in your brain. Fortunately, his goes
regions, such as those used for speech, orunnoticed due to the built-in redundancies and the
visualization.fact that even after three years this loss adds up to
- The cerebellum is sometimes called the "little brain,"less than 1% of the total. Oh, and look at the next
and weighs about 150 grams (a little over fiveitem.
ounces). Found at the lower back side of your brain,- Recent research proves that your brain continues
you need your cerebellum to maintain posture, toto produce new neurons throughout your life. It also
walk, and to perform any coordinated movements. Itproves that it does so in response to stimulation (do
may also play a role in your sense of smell.those brainpower exercises). Scientists refer to this
- The human brain weighs an average of a little overas brain plasticity or neuro-plasticity. You may find this
three pounds, or 1.4 kilograms. Albert Einstein's brainone the most encouraging of these brain facts.
may have been smaller than yours, because he was