How brain works (I)

Physiologically, the function of the brain is to exert centralized control over the other organs of the body either by generating patterns of muscle activity or by driving secretion of chemicals called hormones.

The brain is made of three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain. The forebrain consists of the cerebrum, thalamus and hypothalamus (part of the limbic system).

 

The cerebrum or cerebral cortex is the largest part of the human brain, associated with higher brain function such as thought and action. Its wavy structure enables the brain to function more efficiently,  because it can increase its surface area and the amount of neurons within it - estimated to contain 15–33 billion neurons each connected by synapses to several thousand other neurons.

Frontal Lobe- associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions and problem solving.  A damage can lead to changes in sexual habits, socialization and attention as well as increased risk-taking.

Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition, perception of stimuli.  A damage can result in problems with verbal memory, an impaired ability to control eye gaze and problems with language.

Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing.  A damage can lead to problems with memory, speech perception and language skills.

Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory stimuli, memory and speech. A damage can cause visual problems such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to identify colors and trouble recognizing words.

Brain damaging habits

+  People who skip breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration. It also causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power. 

+  Smoking causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease. 

+  Excessive sugar consumption interrupts the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development. 

+  The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in its efficiency. 

+  Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term sleep deprivation accelerates the death of brain cells.

+  Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decreases concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects. 

+  Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness and damage the brain. 

+  Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage. 

+  Intellectual conversations do promote the efficiency of the brain and vice versa if talk rarely.

Differences of two sexes’ brains

In 2001, researchers from Harvard found that certain parts of the brain were differently sized in males and females, which may help balance out the overall size difference. The study found -

+ Parts of the frontal lobe, responsible for problem-solving and decision-making, and regulating emotions, were larger in women. 

+ In men, the parietal cortex, which is involved in space perception, and the amygdala, which regulates sexual and social behavior, were larger.

 

+ Men seem to think with their grey matter where nerve cells make up this surface of the cerebrum, filled with active neurons. Women think with the white matter, where fibers underneath carry signals between the neurons and other parts of the brain and body. In this way, a woman’s brain is a bit more complicated in setup, but those connections may allow a woman’s brain to work faster than a man’s. Some women even have as many as 12% more neurons than men do.

Knowing about the differences in male and female brains could open up tremendous opportunity in diagnosing and treating brain disorders. For example, depression and chronic anxiety occur more often in women as one study conducted showed that women produce only about half as much serotonin (a neurotransmitter linked to depression) as men and have fewer transporters to recycle it. Another plausible explanation is the female brain being more responsive to emotions and pain. On the contrary, men are more likely to be diagnosed with autism, Tourette’s syndrome, dyslexia and schizophrenia.