Amazing Facts about the Brain!

There’s no end to what we can learn about the brain.  Check out this now basic information:

“The brain has the storage capacity of 6 million years of the Wall Street Journal” (Greg Iles, quoted in “A Better Brain at Any Age”).

An online article gives similar information: “For comparison, if your brain worked like a digital video recorder in a television, 2.5 petabytes would be enough to hold three million hours of TV shows. You would have to leave the TV running continuously for more than 300 years to use up all that storage.”

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-is-the-memory-capacity

A few other amazing facts about the amazing brain that God created:

How much does the average brain weigh?  3 lbs.

Most of the brain’s cells are formed before birth, but most of the connections among cells are made during infancy and early childhood.

When does the brain reach full size? Age 6…As a child grows, the number of cells remains stable, but the cells grow in size.

The brain is made up of about 75% water.

Your brain consists of about 100 billion neurons.

There are from 1,000 to 10,000 synapses (gaps where neurotransmitters and electricity are exchange) for each neuron.

At what age is the brain fully mature?  Age 25

There are no pain receptors in the brain.

There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.

About 70% of visits to the doctor for physical ailments are attributed to psychological factors.

Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.  The brain is always changing itself!

Stronger, more intense emotional connections are linked to memories prompted by scent.

It’s not true that humans only use 10% of their brains; each part of the brain has a purpose.

When you sleep, you’re virtually paralyzed because your brain creates a hormone to prevent you from acting out your dreams.

Sleep may be the best time for your brain to consolidate (file away) all your memories from the day.  Lack of sleep may hurt your ability to create new memories.

Memory is formed by associations, so if you want help remembering things, create associations for yourself.

Our brain generates 20-25 watts of power continually and uses 20% of the body’s total energy.

Note: I’m also amazed at what neuroscientists don’t know about the brain, e.g., how information is initially encoded; how pieces of information about single objects or specific information that is “splattered” throughout the brain “binds” together so that we see and understand things as a whole (“binding”); what produces consciousness (most neuroscientists think that the brain produces it, but Dr. Alexander who wrote “Proof of Heaven” thinks that God produces it); and how we’re able to drink a glass of water (to name a few things)!  Throughout eternity we will never plumb the depths of the wisdom and knowledge of God.  But when I see Him face to face, I hope He’ll at least answer the above questions!