The Living computer - By Nihla Ayubkhan
In this modern world of computers and smartphones have we ever stopped to realize that we humans have an amazing and a better computer than any other?An incomparable one?Well yes,our brains!
Our amazing brains locked up safely inside our skull is known to be the most complex organ in the living world , a computer better,faster than any other.This god-made perfection has made scientists,neurologists, physicians all over the world scratch their heads trying to solve the mysteries surrounding it for centuries.This spectacular organ weighs about 1.4 to 1.5 kg and is made up of over 100 million neurons each making up to 10 000 connections and constantly changing.The brain,as we know,is the functional center of our body controlling all functions including breathing and heartbeat.
The brain is wrinkled ,resembles a walnut and is as big as both the fists.Arteries feed the brain with oxygen and nutrients while veins carry out waste from the brain.
Surely this fascinating and vital organ doesn’t come without protection.The skull made up of 22 bones protect this soft organ.It is worthy to that the only substance that matches the strength and the lightness of a bone are some materials used in making race cars and jets.The brain also has a blood brain barrier — a tightly woven network of cells designed to prevent potentially harmful chemicals from entering the brain.Talk about anti virus software…we have better!
At Work
The brain despite working all day long doesn’t sleep! Electroencephalogram (EEG) waves show that it works at night as much as it does during the day.The brain controls heartbeat,breathing,digestion,sorts out the days events and stores memories.This is why experts recommend students to sleep before exams even it it is for a few hours.
An insiders look
The brain has different areas for different functions.Impulses relative to a specific area is transmitted to that particular area to be sorted out.The area called the pre-frontal cortex is involved with personality,thinking,understanding and learning while the pre motor cortex controls skilled movements like riding a bike or skating. The motor cortex tells the skeletal muscles to produce body movements; the area active during a wrestling or a karate fight. The sensory cortex processes messages involving touch,pain,heat etc. while the area behind it identifies skin sensations and the shape of the object being felt. Sounds are processed by the auditory cortex while the auditory association cortex analyzes signals to identify sounds.The area active during a table topic session is the Broca’s area controlling speaking.The cerebellum sitting below the cerebrum controls movement and balance.The cerebrum is wrinkled on the surface allowing more information to be squeezed in.So the next time you complain about studying for exams, remember that your brain comes equipped with the mechanism to hold a vast amount of information.
An area of the brain grows large with constant use in contrast to machines or any other equipment that deteriorates with use.This explains why musicians often have a larger auditory(hearing) cortex.After the death of Albert Einstein,scientists found that he had a very large and unusual pre frontal cortex (involves learning and understanding)which explains his unusual intellect and brilliant theories!
The areas of the brain being explained,there is a rare condition that 1 in 2000 people face called synesthesia. People with this condition smell colours and taste shapes!This occurs when the signals to and from the brain get mixed up.Thank god its rare!
Brain:The mystery no detective could fully solve
The process of learning,memory and its retrieval not being fully understood and with scientists,despite two centuries of research,still understanding the brain to find a permanent cure to brain diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimer's ,our remarkable brain stands out as one unsolved mystery.
Still there is place for hope. Our brain has a miraculous ability to adjust to changes in the body as well as the brain itself.people who have had hemispherectomy(a procedure where one of the hemispheres of the brain is removed or destroyed due to a rare neurodegenerative disease called epilepsy),had similar patterns of resting state brain activity to those who processed all brain matter!Even more mind-blowing,people who had hemispherectomies showed a lot more connection between brain networks than those possessive of both brain hemispheres!This is the brains amazing way of adopting to changes.
Jon Palfreman,in his book about parkinson’s disease called “Brain Storms” writes that in an attempt to relieve Parkinson patients from the inability to move,the basal ganglia responsible for movement was removed;the operation worked! patients moved pretty well after having the basal ganglia removed! He quotes“How can we explain the fact that you can completely interrupt the output from the motor circuitry of the basal ganglia and restore movement and function?” Defies logic doesn’t it?
Amputees often complain of phantom sensations and excruciating pain in their missing limbs.Yes,their missing,imaginary limbs.The simplest way of explaining this phenomenon is,as Stephen kong an amputee says, “The commander(brain) has the map of the whole body.when the map doesn’t match the body,the commander panics and you feel the pain”.Kong recommends the amputees to perform mirror therapy,a therapy in which a mirror is placed against the existing leg hence the reflection making it look like both legs exist.The success of this therapy puzzles scientists and doctors alike,yet is a super effective therapy.
A 900 worded article could never do justice to the incredible miracles of the brain but it is vital to have an insight of our brain’s multiple and often bizarre capabilities in order to use it the best we can!
