1.Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast as 170 miles per
hour. It’s due to the super-speedy movement of nerve impulses from your
brain to the rest of your body and vice versa you react to impulses
around you.
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 morebrain powerthan, 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.
