5 interesting questions about the brain and its work

Why it is not enough just to have a big brain?

Elephants and whales some brain even more than we do. blue whale brain weighs as much as eight kilograms. But then, the whale itself weighs 100 tonnes. The larger the body, the more the brain. Then what about the gorilla, which is two to three times more than we do - their brains are bigger than ours, too?

In fact, the opposite is true. Our brain is two to three times more brain gorillas. Only whales and elephants, that is, the largest animals on land and in the water, our brains more. But in relation to the body size of the human brain it is still the greatest.

Blue whale does not help in the brain eight kilograms in weight, because IQ is not measured in kilograms. Two equal size brain do not have the same number of neurons and the same ability to complex reasoning.

A classic example - Albert Einstein. The brain is the author of the theory of relativity and the holder of the Nobel Prize in Physics was 20% less than the average. We know the exact Einstein's brain weight due to medical fraud. Einstein wanted to be cremated after death, and dispelled the dust in some quiet place, to avoid idolatry. This will was not fulfilled, as the doctor who conducted the autopsy, extracted the brain scientist and kidnapped him.

Brains of different animals are not equally arranged. In primates, ie, humans and monkeys, the size of the nerve cells themselves remain unchanged, regardless of whether the brain weighs 80 or 100 grams. Thus, if the nerve cells in ten times more, and the brain is ten times more, so simple and easy.

In rodents, otherwise: the larger the brain, the more nerve cells themselves. And that their brain has become ten times more cells, he should be forty times more. Therefore, in the primate brain will always be more nerve cells than in the brain of a rodent of the same size. The larger the (hypothetical) will become the two equal-sized brain, the greater will be the difference between them in the number of nerve cells.

If in the rat brain was the same number of cells in the human brain, he would have weighed 35 kilograms.

Thus, our brain is not only the largest in relation to the body. We have the brain of a primate, in which nerve cells per gram of brain much more than in a gram rodent brain.

Although the brain of primates and rodents are very different, the basic principles of the structure is still the same. The cells interact with each other in the same way. Therefore, rats and mice are often used in experiments studying the functioning of their brain to learn more about our own brain.

How better to remember?

When you understand how the memory, it's easier to lure her to his side. It is important not to focus only when you need to remember new information. No less important to get enough sleep.

Strong lack of sleep, as well as stress, greatly reduces the ability to remember. If you cheat yourself and overly worried before an exam or presentation, you may not have the concentration of reserves in order to learn something new.

If you are one of those people for whom speech - a lot of stress, you is especially important to prepare for it in advance. If you are immersed in the material under study, you will be able to tie him to perceive, remember better. The more senses involved in remembering, the better the information is stored. When you read aloud, the information comes through and through visual and auditory system.

You remember better, even if you only read aloud the most important words or sentences. Then you should review the material, practice to get it out of the memory at the right moment and correct wherever you remembered correctly.

If you want to remember some important information that you will need a sober, do not get carried away by alcohol. When we remember the information in a state of intoxication, then we are sober it probably will not remember. A drunk - remember.

Recalls would be better if the circumstances in recall are the same as they were when memorizing. May play a role, and the language in which the question is given. Americans of Russian origin, who know both languages, remember the details of his childhood best if they are asked in Russian. we also remember better color images than black-and-white. You will take the test in a quiet room, so prepare for it, too, should be in silence.

If you want something hard to remember, prioritize, read the material aloud, or ask someone to listen to you. Check yourself, go over the exam questions or let friends you ask around in the text.

Learn how to take knowledge from memory - it is much more efficient than repeatedly reading material. Your memory will be useful to actively work with the material. Remember that quality should not only remembering, but also extraction.

However, there are people with very unique memory. There are people whose brain is able to remember the smallest details of a short flight over the city, or even the entire phone book. At the same time, they can be completely adapted to life. Due to some brain damage its owners live in their, exceptional world. Scientists do not know exactly why, but there are many different theories.

One of them refers to the effects of traumatic brain injury or disease affecting the left hemisphere, that is the place that helps to filter the environmental information. People who possess the superpowers, but suffer from developmental disorders, including autism, called Savant.

In the house where I grew up, out of the window in the kitchen was visible tree where the birds usually galdeli raznoporye. This tree has helped me to learn to distinguish between a bullfinch, titmouse, sparrows and jays. I remember particularly well jay, because she has beautiful blue feathers on the wings. In addition to Jay is often remembered when discussing memory. It hides food in the winter in hundreds of places - in the branches, under the roots of trees and in numerous crevices and cracks. This bird has a particular mind, but observations have shown that it remembers the location of a few hundred of their mini-stocks.

When we were in elementary school, the thought that the smartest in the class - those who remember the greatest number capitals of the world. The truth is that you are able to memorize a lot, but can never dozubritsya to mind. Kim Peek could for an hour to read a thick book and remember everything to the letter, but could not fasten the buttons of his shirt.

Can we remember the nose?

Have you ever noticed how some heard the sound or smell makes you certain memories? Field of the cerebral cortex associated with memory, and olfactory cortex are adjacent to each other. They are connected both functionally and anatomically.

The familiar smell of tempting us to the memory of some event of our lives. This relationship is called the phenomenon of Proust.

All information received by the hippocampus, first traveled to other areas of the cerebral cortex - in areas, associating this information with existing and interpret it. With the smell of it is different. The smell goes directly to the hippocampus of the cortical centers of smell, not wandering in a roundabout way of associative areas of the cortex.

Olfactory information is not even goes to the thalamus, in contrast to the sensory information received from the other senses. And it is good - because olfactory information we recognize the slowest. The reason is that the appendages (axons) olfactory neurons do not have the insulating myelin sheath. When an electric current runs through the uninsulated wire, low speed can compensate for the larger diameter wires, however, have a diameter axons of olfactory neurons, unfortunately small.

As soon as you feel the familiar smell, you awaken old memories, and this is not only because of the close links between neural cortical centers of smell and the hippocampus. These centers are also closely linked to the amygdala, which is important for our senses.

In almost all cases, when the smell of tempting us to remembrance, it inevitably entails some feelings. Memories evoked by scents seem to be so strong, real and important, because they are emotionally charged.

Olfactory nerves - the only bared nerve fibers in our central nervous system. They are located in the mucosa of the upper nasal passage. Olfactory nerves catch a lot of smells that we immediately raspoznaom, even those that we find it difficult to describe in words.

How would you, for example, described the smell of strawberries a person who has never breathed it? Could you describe it so that the man was able to learn the smell, the first time smelling strawberries? At the very least, just one thing: once saved in the memory of the smell will not be forgotten. Olfactory memory is remarkably stable.

Men find their way more easily than women?

Not. The results of research in this area vary widely, so with the same success it is possible to give a diametrically opposite answer. The only thing we can say with confidence - women and men of different orientation strategies.

Study design is different, so fluctuations in the results are quite natural. The simulations guide and in video games, according to the study, men showed the best results. This is due to the fact that the average experience of computer games in men more than in women.

Apparently, women are more likely than men to rely on specific guidelines, such as a hill, church steeples and other notable elements of the landscape. Men are more likely than women to use the direction of the light side.

Therefore, men and women in different ways to explain the way. A typical explanation of women: "Turn left at the supermarket, and then go straight to the turn." In explaining the men would often featured east, west, north and south. Since women are more in topographical landmarks, many studies show that women easier than men to find their way back from an unknown location.

The conclusions of all these studies are based on averaged data. Of course, there are women with much better results than the average men, but also women, whose results are far below the average for women.

I myself do not reach the average data. Unfortunately, I can not write off all to the fact that I was "a born". Of course, we have laid some ability at birth, but as you know, the human brain is plastic.

Downhill skiing can be improved by training. And if you're thinking all the time, "I will not work", "I get lost", "The one I can not come in time," then end up in the trap of self-fulfilling prophecy.

Women tend less to trust your sense of orientation. Maybe because the myth of the superiority of men in this regard so tenacious? Self-confidence is very important to achieve a result.

The study, published in the journal Science in 2006, found that women who were told that men have more aptitude for mathematics, performed worse math testsThan women who said that men and women of equal ability.

How to improve the ability to navigate?

Taxi drivers in London have to keep in mind a city map and calculate the shortest route between two points. If they suddenly forgot everything and began to use the navigator, it is unlikely the scientists found to have the increased hippocampus.

When we do not just follow the instructions of the navigator, and using topographical landmarks to determine the route, create a mind map, which means that our brains active.

When you go to work the same way as always, your brain is passive, and if you choose a new path - it becomes active. Neural pathways, which are not weakening. If we, for example, we go only straight 200 meters and then turn to the right, because the GPS asks us about it, it does not strengthen the neural connections in the hippocampus.

Using the navigation in an unfamiliar area, we will arrive at your destination without remembering any guidance on the way. We stared at the screen of the smartphone, and have not noticed any of the old church, nor a beautiful park. Thus, trying to save time, we're staying is partly geographical and cultural context, which is not It would happen if we used a traditional paper map or strained gyrus and bearings themselves.

In many cases, GPS-navigator is able to save time, but do not forget that you have a built-in browser, which is not so bad.

If there is no one who could have told you the way, better to use paper or electronic card, not a navigator - Train to navigate the terrain.

The size of the GPS-navigator screen is too small, and not always visible at the same time, where we are now and where we want. Veronica Boboto neuroscientist argues that the frequent use of GPS-navigator makes the brain passive, atrophies ability to create mental maps, and increases the risk of developing dementia altsgeymerskogo type.

Example taxi drivers shows that as a result of the active use of the hippocampus increased in size. Bobotov studies suggest that the use of GPS can actually reduce the size of the hippocampus. Alzheimer's disease affects the neurons of the hippocampus in the early stages. Healthy and trained the hippocampus may be able to resist the disease longer and delay the time of the appearance of serious symptoms.

We should be glad that we do not depend on the level of charging the mobile and able to find their way on their own. GPS-system in the brain allows us to navigate the world with the help of the innate sense of direction. It is necessary to plot a route through unfamiliar terrain, and just to make the night to find the refrigerator. Without a sense of direction, we would have wandered endlessly in circles, unable to decide which path to choose.

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The rest of the mysteries of the brain Kaya Nordengen describes in detail in his book "The brain is the all-powerful." From it you will learn why it is important to be able to forget, in which brain region is hidden compass, where are false memories that stores emotions, whether you can affect your mood and even about why we eat brain.

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