The Human Brain: Information and Research News

Author: Disabled World - Contact Details
Updated/Revised Date: 2022/04/12
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Synopsis: Information including questions answers and latest research news on the human brain and spinal cord. Scientists have learned more about the brain in the last 10 years than in all previous centuries because of the accelerating pace of research in neurological and behavioral science and the development of new research techniques. While an elephant's brain is physically larger than a human brain, the human brain is 2% of total body weight (compared to 0.15% of an elephant's brain), meaning humans have the largest brain to body size.

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Main Document

The human brain is the center of the human nervous system. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. An injury to the human brain is known as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

The human brain is one of the largest and most complex organs in the human body. It is made up of more than 100 billion nerves that communicate in trillions of connections called synapses. Our brain gives us awareness of ourselves and of our environment, processing a constant stream of sensory data. It controls our muscle movements, the secretions of our glands, and even our breathing and internal temperature. The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but has a more developed cerebral cortex than any other. Large animals such as whales and elephants have larger brains in absolute terms, but when measured using the encephalization quotient, which compensates for body size, the human brain is almost twice as large as the brain of a bottle-nose dolphin, and three times as large as the brain of a chimpanzee.

The Brain has Two Cerebral Hemispheres

The brain monitors and regulates the body's actions and reactions:

The brain can be divided into three basic units:

Complete neuron cell diagram showing dendrites, neurotransmitter and receptacle. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Complete neuron cell diagram showing dendrites, neurotransmitter, and receptacle. Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.

Studies of the Human Brain

For centuries, scientists, and philosophers have been fascinated by the brain, but until recently, they viewed the brain as nearly incomprehensible. Now, however, the brain is beginning to relinquish its secrets.

Scientists have learned more about the brain in the last 10 years than in all previous centuries because of the accelerating pace of research in neurological and behavioral science and the development of new research techniques. As a result, Congress named the 1990s the Decade of the Brain.

At the forefront of research on the brain and other elements of the nervous system is the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), which conducts and supports scientific studies in the United States and around the world.

Brain Glossary

Glossary of words used to define various parts and actions relating to the human brain. There are more named components to the human brain than you may think, as usual medical naming most of the glossary of terms used to describe parts of the brain are from Latin.

Human Brain Facts and Information

Further information

Subtopics and Associated Subjects


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