The Neuroscience Center
Facts
1. A Stegosaurus once weighed a massive 2 tons, yet its brain was just 75g.
2. Aristotle thought the heart was the seat of all thought and emotions and the brain was there to cool blood.
3. Herophilus of Alexandria was the first to propose that thought and emotion originates in the brain.
4. Soldiers used to eat the brains of their enemies to gain their cunning and wisdom.
5. Trepanning used to be a common remedy for migraines and mental disease, where the patient would have the "evil spirits" relieved from their cranium.
6. The axons of nerves running between the spinal cord and big toe are up to 1 metre long!
7. A squids axon is 1 mm in width, hence the term "giant axon".
8. Cave crickets use their antennae to feel their way through the dark. (can also detect vibrations).
9. The New Zealand Kiwi bird has nostrils at the end of its long bill, low enough to sniff out its prey from tight crevices.
10. American turkey vultures are able to sniff the air to find their next meal.
11. A lizard sticking out its tongue is its way of smelling the air for potential mates, food and predators. This happens through the Jacobsons organ in the roof of their mouth.
12. The taste of food mostly relies on your sense of smell rather than the taste itself. (since being sick removes the flavour of food).
13. Spiders pick up sounds form the hairs on their legs.
14. Earwigs use the pincers on the rear of their abdomen to hear.
15. The ossicles of the North American Kangaroo-rat amplify sounds up to 100 times, enough to hear the rustling scales of a hungry snake.
16. Bats use pulses of ultrasound to locate their prey while Baleen whales use infrasounds to locate their prey and mates.
17. Elephants can make low-pitched growling noises that only other elephants can hear 10 km away. These infrasounds can travel even further through the ground of the African savanna, which are then detected by the tip of the next elephants trunk.
18. A captive frog will starve to death if it is only offered dead flies.
19. Bees see ultraviolet light. The pattern of UV rays which scatter from a flower would provide information of the quality of the flowers nectar.
20. Pit vipers are able to see infrared signals from their prey.
21. Some animals, such as cats, bushbabies, and owls, are able to see in the dark due to a large number of rods. Cats can see using 1/6 the amount of light that humans need to see.
22. Cats have a reflective layer in their eyes called the tapetum, which allows light to bounce around inside the cats eye until it escapes through the pupil, giving their eyes an eerie glow.
23. Staring at a colour for too long (~30 secs) can disable the photoreceptors responsible for that color (from constant firing), thus another type of photoreceptor would take over when looking at a new surface.
24. The brain treats upside-down human faces as objects, not human beings.
25. Spiders inherit their web-spinning skills from their parents.
26. Babies are able to swim due to the diving reflex. Their lungs are sealed off to prevent inhalation of water and their legs and arms immediately being kicking and paddling.
27. A chameleon changes color according to its mood.
28. Meerkats are the only animals to show altruistic behavior.
29. Bighorn male sheep bang their heads in a fight so the winning male can achieve greater status and more mates.
30. Using hyponosis, it is possible to separate mere pain sensation from the ‘unpleasantness’ of pain.
31. The optokinetic reflex is a combination of a saccade and smooth pursuit eye movements.
32. Because rods are more light sensitive than cones, colour blind individuals have normal light sensitivity in dim light.
33. There are 10x more neural connections going backwards in the visual system than going forward.
34. Neurologists measure sensitivity by determining the patient’s two-point threshold, the distance between two points on the skin necessary in order for the individual to distinguish two distinct stimuli from just one.
35. The capacity for such emotions as joy, happiness, fear, and shyness are already developed at birth. The specific type of nurturing a child receives shapes how these emotions are developed.
36. Laughing at a joke is no simple task as it requires activity in five different areas of the brain.
Yawns are contagious. Scientists believe this may be a response to an ancient social behavior for communication that humans still have.
If you were drinking and don’t remember what you did last night, it’s not because you forgot. While you are drunk your brain is incapable of forming memories.
Estrogen (found in both men and women) has been shown to promote better memory functions.
Insulin works to regulate blood-sugar in the body, but recently,scientists have discovered that its presence in the brain also helps promote memory.
Caffeine works to block naturally occurring adenosine in the body, creating alertness. Scientists have recently discovered this connection and learned that doing the opposite–boosting adenosine–can actually help promote more natural sleep patterns and help eliminate insomnia.
Researchers have discovered that those experiencing the blues are more willing to spend more money in an attempt to alleviate their sadness.
Frequent jet lag can impair your memory, due to the stress hormones released.
Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.
Memory is formed by associations, so if you want help remembering things, create associations for yourself.
Memories triggered by scent have a stronger emotional connection, therefore appear more intense than other memory triggers.
While you sleep at night may be the best time for your brain toconsolidate all your memories from the day.
It goes to follow, lack of sleep may actually hurt your ability to create new memories.
According to a study by Bristol-Myers Squibb, accountants have the highest incidence of on-the-job headaches, followed by librarians, then bus and truck drivers.
After his death, Lenin’s brain was studied and found to have an abnormally large and numerous neurons in a particular region that may explain his "strikingly acute and penetrating mental processes" for which he was famous.
It is thought that a yawn works to send more oxygen to the brain, therefore working to cool it down and wake it up.
Oxytocin, one of the hormones responsible for triggering feelings of love in the brain, has shown some benefits to helping control repetitive behaviors in those with autism.
Hyper-flexibility of the joints may be born with meninges that are more susceptible to tearing with relatively small degrees of force.
Numerical Facts
1. Between the ages of 20-60, the average human loses about 12,000 neurons everyday.
2. The brain is made of about 90% water.
3. Withdraw reflexes spawn about 0.03 seconds after sensation, if they wouldv'e gone through the brain, it would take 0.8 seconds. (26.6 times faster).
4. The Sciatic nerve is the largest and thickest nerve of the human body. It is continuous with the roots of the sacral plexus.
5. Human vision is so sensitive that it is possible to register a single photon.
6. Human hearing is so sensitive that an eardrum displacement of 1 atom width can be heard.
7. If a light flashes in the distance in the dark while your eye is moving, you will see it in the wrong place. (Perisaccadic mislocalizaton).
8. If you view colored objects in a room lit with "single frequency" light, all the colors disappear and everything looks gray. (Monochromatic Room).
9. The human nose can detect just 1 molecule of mercaptan diluted in 30 ppb molecules of air.
10. The eyes contain 70% of the body`s sensors.
11. We can distinguish perhaps as many as 10 million colors.
12. Using an isotropic fractionator method, it was found that the adult male human brain contains on average 86.1 billion neurons and 84.6 billion non-neuronal cells (e.g., glia). That's 170.68 billion nerve cells in total.
13. The octopus nervous system has about 500,000,000 neurons, with two-thirds of these neurons located in the arms of the octopus.
14. Volume of the brain of a locust = 6 mm^3.
15. Number of synapses in cortex = 0.15 quadrillion.
16. Total surface area of the Human cerebral cortex = 250 cm^2, Cat = 83 cm^2, African elephant = 630 cm^2.
17. EEG - beta wave frequency = 13 to 30 Hz . state of very deep relaxation; it is used in hypnosis and during REM Sleep
18. EEG - alpha wave frequency = 8 to 13 Hz. They are generated in the Thalamus (the brain within the brain). Alpha brain waves are most present in a wakeful state that is characterized by a relaxed and effortless alertness.
19. EEG - theta wave frequency = 4 to 7 Hz. Theta State is a state of very deep relaxation; it is used in hypnosis and during REM Sleep.
20. EEG - delta wave frequency = 0.5 to 4 Hz. They are generated in deepest meditation and non-REM sleep.
21. Rate of neuron growth (early pregnancy) = 250,000 neurons/minute.
22. Length of spiny terminals of a Purkinje cell = 40,700 micron.
23. Number spines on a Purkinje cell dendritic branchlet = 61,000.
24. Weight of adult cerebellum = 150 grams.
25. Number of Purkinje cells = 15-26 million.
26. Number of synapses made on a Purkinje cell = up to 200,000.
27. Weight of hypothalamus = 4 g.
28. Volume of suprachiasmatic nucleus = 0.3 mm^3.
29. Number of fibers in pyramidal tract above decussation = 1,100,000.
30. Number of fibers in corpus callosum = 250,000,000.
31. Area of the corpus callosum (midsagittal section) = 6.2 cm^2.
32. Total volume of cerebrospinal fluid (adult) = 125-150 ml.
33. Total volume of cerebrospinal fluid (infant) = 50 ml.
34. Rate of production of CSF = 0.35 ml/min (500 ml/day).
35. pH of cerebrospinal fluid = 7.33 .
36. Number of neurons in human spinal cord = 1 billion
37. Length of human spinal cord = 45 cm (male); 43 cm (female).
38. Length of human vertebral column (male) = 71 cm .
39. Length of human vertebral column (female) = 61 cm .
40. Length of cat spinal cord = 34 cm.
41. Length of rabbit spinal cord = 18 cm.
42. Length of the filum terminale = 15 cm.
43. Cross sectional area of the spinal cord (C2 level) = 110 mm^2.
44. Cross sectional area of the spinal cord (C4 level) = 122 mm^2.
45. Cross sectional area of the spinal cord (C5 level) = 78 mm^2.
46. Cross sectional area of the spinal cord (C7 level) = 85 mm^2.
47. Weight of human spinal cord = 35 g .
48. Maximal circumference of cervical enlargement = 38 mm.
49. Maximal circumference of lumbar enlargement = 35 mm.
50. Surface area of the tympanic membrane = 85 mm^2.
51. Length of the eustachian tube = 3.5 to 3.9 cm.
52. Number of hair cells in cochlea = 3,500 inner hair cells; 12,000 outer hair cells .
53. Number of fibers in auditory nerve = 30,000 .
54. Length of auditory nerve = 2.5 cm.
55. Number of neurons in cochlear nuclei = 8,800 .
56. Number of neurons in inferior colliculus = 392,000.
57. Number of neurons in medial geniculate body = 570,000.
58. Number of neurons in auditory cortex = 100,000,000.
59. Length of external auditory meatus (ear canal) = 2.7 cm.
60. Diameter of external auditory meatus (ear canal)= 0.7 cm.
61. Weight of malleus = 23 mg; length of malleus = 8-9 mm.
62. Weight of incus = 30 mg; dimensions of incus = 5 mm by 7 mm.
63. Weight of stapes = 3-4 mg; dimensions of stapes = 3.5 mm high, 3 mm long, 1.4 mm wide.
64. Length of cochlea = 35 mm, Width of cochlea = 10 mm.
65. Total number of human taste buds (tongue, palate, cheeks) = 10,000.
66 .Number of taste buds on the tongue = 9,000.
67. Number of receptors on each taste bud = 50-150 .
68. Number of human olfactory receptor cells = 12 million.
69. Length of eyeball (adult) = 24.2 mm.
70. Weight of eyeball = 7.5 g.
71. Volume of eyeball = 5.5 cm^3.
71. Number of retinal receptor cells = 5-6 million cones; 120-140 million rods.
72. Number of fibers in optic nerve = 1,200,000.
73. Number of neurons in lateral geniculate body = 570,000.
74. Number of cells in visual cortex (area 17) = 538,000,000.
75. Amount of light necessary to excite a rod = 1 photon, cone = 100 photons.
76. Intraocular pressure = 10-20 mm Hg.
77. Density of receptors on finger tips = 2,500 per cm^2.
78. Mass of a large sensory neuron = 0.001 mg
79. Diameter of neuron nucleus = 3 to 18 micron
80. Conduction velocity of action potential = 0.6-120 m/s
81. Single sodium pump maximum transport rate = 200 Na ions/sec; 130 K ions/sec
82.Total number of sodium pumps for a small neuron = 1 million
83. Membrane surface area of a typical neuron = 250,000 um^2 (of all 86.1 billion : 21,525 m^2)
84. Typical synaptic cleft distance = 20-40 nanometers across
85. % neurons stained by the Golgi method = 5%
86. Slow axoplasmic transport rate = 0.2-4 mm/day (actin, tubulin)
87. Fast axoplasmic transport rate = 200-400 mm/day (peptides, glyolipids)
88. Diameter of synaptic vesicle = 50 nanometer (small); 70-200 nanometer (large)
89. Thickness of neuronal membrane = 5 nanometer
90. Number of molecules of neurotransmitter in one synaptic vesicle = 5,000
91. Cerebral blood flow (gray matter) = 75 ml/100 g brain tissue/min
92. Cerebral blood flow (white matter) = 45 ml/100 g brain tissue/min
93. Human language probably started to develop around 100,000 years ago
94. Humans began writing in 2 places (independantly): Mesopotamia around 3200 BC and Mesoamerica around 600 BC
95. The most efficient axons can conduct action potentials at frequencies up to 1000 times per second.
96. 20 nanometre gap called the synaptic cleft
97. 1600 noradrenaline neurons in the human brain, but they send axons to all parts of the brain and spinal cord.
98. The penis has about 4,000 sensory nerve endings
99. The clitoris contains at least 8,000 sensory nerve endings. sensations can spread across a woman's pelvic area by affecting 15,000 other nerve endings
100. Here "E" is the weight of the brain, "C" is the cephalization factor and "S" is body weight and "r" is the exponential constant. The exponential constant for primates is 0.28 and either 0.56 or 0.66 for mammals in general. This is the encephalization factor.
101. CSF produced by the choroid plexus in the ventricles of the brain and the cerebral vessels, at the rate of 500 ml/day
102. Blood vessels. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain.
The human brain is the fattest organ in the body and may consists of at least 60% fat.
A newborn baby’s brain grows about 3x its size in the first year.
The first sense to develop while in utero is the sense of touch. The lips and cheeks can experience touch at about 8 weeks and the rest of the body around 12 weeks.
A stimulating environment for a child can make the difference between a 25% greater ability to learn or 25% less in an environment with little stimulation.
Your brain uses 20% of the total oxygen in your body.
As with oxygen, your brain uses 20% of the blood circulating in your body.
If your brain loses blood for 8 to 10 seconds, you will lose consciousness.
Information can be processed as slowly as 0.5 meters/sec or as fast as 120 meters/sec (about 268 miles/hr).
While awake, your brain generates between 10 and 23 watts of power.
In the March 2003 edition of Discover magazine, a report describes how people in a 7-year study who ate seafood at least one time every week had a 30% lower occurrence of dementia.
Without any words, you may be able to determine if someone is in a good mood, is feeling sad, or is angry just by reading the face. A small area in the brain called the amygdala is responsible for your ability to read someone else’s face for clues to how they are feeling.
For years, medical professionals believed that tinnitus was due to a function within the mechanics of the ear, but newer evidence shows that it is actually a function of the brain.
Boredom is brought on by a lack of change of stimulation, is largely a function of perception, and is connected to the innate curiosity found in humans.
The connection between body and mind is a strong one. One estimate is that between 50-70% of visits to the doctor for physical ailments are attributed to psychological factors.
A world champion memorizer, Ben Pridmore memorized 96 historical events in 5 minutes and memorized a single, shuffled deck of cards in 26.28 seconds.
Each time we blink, our brain kicks in and keeps things illuminated so the whole world doesn’t go dark each time we blink (about 20,000 times a day).
Those who are left-handed or ambidextrous have a corpus collosum (the part of the brain that bridges the two halves) that is about 11% larger than those who are right-handed.
Einstein’s brain was similar in size to other humans except in the region that is responsible for math and spatial perception. In that region, his brain was 35% wider than average.
Your brain is 73% water. It takes only 2% dehydration to affect your attention, memory and other cognitive skills.
90 minutes of sweating can temporarily shrink the brain as much as 1 year of aging.
25% of the body’s cholesterol resides within the brain. Cholesterol is an integral part of every brain cell. Without adequate cholesterol, brain cells die
Each neuron connects with, on average, 40,000 synapses.
Your brain generates about 12-25 watts of electricity.
The average brain has around 50,000 thoughts per day and 70% of them are believed to be negative.
More than 100,000 chemicals reactions take place in your brain every second.
In general, men’s brains are 10% bigger than women’s, even after taking into account larger body size.
Neanderthal brains were 10% larger than our homo sapiens brains.
Our brains are getting smaller. Over the past 10-20,000 years, the size of the average human brain has shrunk by the size of a tennis ball.
Your brain starts slowing down at the ripe old age of 24 but peaks for different cognitive skills at different ages. In fact at any given age, you’re likely getting better at some things and worse at others.
The brain in your head isn’t your only brain. There’s a “second brain” in your intestines that contains 100,000 neurons. Gut bacteria are responsible for making over 30 NTs including the 5HT.
Over 140 proteins in the brain are negatively impacted by exposure to electromagnetic frequencies — the kind emitted by your cell phone, electronics, and other electrical devices
