It is a vital organ, populated by tens of billions of neurons. Learn, memorize, understand ... The brain is involved in functions essential to our organism. But, safe under our cranial box, it still houses many mysteries ... Here are 9 things you do not know about him!
The brain continues to grow with age
Hard to believe, but our brain is constantly growing . According to the French neuroscientist Pierre-Marie Lledo, he is home to " a real nursery with neurons ". Including in adulthood.
Far from declining with the number of years, the organ is constantly remodeling . A study published in Science has shown that adults recognize faces better than children. In fact, the body seems to evolve its specialties over time.
At around 45-50 years , for example, stress regulation and vocabulary understanding are at their peak. It is at this age that the brain is doing its spring cleaning. All the neurons of the hippocampus, which play a key role in the memory , are then renewed.
It is possible to live with one hemisphere
Cameron Mott, a young American epileptic, lives with only one hemisphere. It is the result of a surgery performed when she was 6 years old. The purpose of the operation was to treat the girl's severe epilepsy . Up to ten times a day , crises occurred.
This surgery - called hemispherectomy - is rarely performed, and is reserved for the most resistant cases of epilepsy, such as Cameron Mott's Rasmussen syndrome. If it is quite possible to live with one less hemisphere, the consequences of the operation are heavy .
The removal of a hemisphere often causes a loss of movement , even sensation, on the opposite side of the body. Physiotherapy and speech therapy sessions are therefore required, as well as ongoing monitoring. This is why the operation remains relatively rare.
The brain moves in space
Traveling in space is a bit of a child's dream . But the adventure is not without risk. 34 astronauts who stayed in orbit,In weightlessness, the brain does not occupy the same place in the cranial box . This can be problematic.
The absence of gravity does not allow the brain to stay down the skull. This could explain why, on their return to Earth, a large proportion of astronauts suffer from migraines and eye problems .
But that's not all. The very structure of the brain is changing in space. Some regions occupy a different volume in space stations. This is the case of the central groove, which narrows slightly, and cerebrospinal fluid, which occupies less space.
Women's brains rest less
To take care of the children, of the house, while managing her professional life ... It seems that women never rest . Received idea ? Not quite. Because the female brain is not activated in the same way as that of men. And it tends to less lounging .
This conclusion comes from a study of men and women in good health, or with schizophrenia. By comparing the images of their brains , researchers at the University of Montreal (Canada) found that activated areas vary greatly by gender.
Specifically, the neurons of these ladies are less at rest , which could explain their ability to perform several tasks at the same time. In case of schizophrenia, however, this feature is not observed. The level of testosterone , increased in female patients, could explain this.
The brain ages differently according to gender
Our brains do not age the same way, depending on whether you are a man or a woman. This may seem surprising, but this is what CNRS researchers observed , with 3,000 MRIs supporting it. Achieved at different ages, from a few months to 90 years, they reveal real differences between the sexes .
Overall, the volume of gray matter increases to 30-40 years and then begins to regress. But women reach maturity sooner than their male counterparts. And they remain advantageous after 80 years . After this age, atrophy accelerates more in men. A result that may seem paradoxical, as Alzheimer's disease affects more women.
The "wiring" of the brain itself would be different . Where these gentlemen have more white matter - which connects especially regions of the brain - these ladies are better endowed with gray matter. The links are also variable according to sex. Feminine brains favor connections between the hemispheres , while men favor links back and forth .
30 neurons are responsible for regulating pain
The number seems ridiculous in view of the task they assume. And yet, alone, 30 neurons are responsible for the management of pain . All located in the hypothalamus, they coordinate the production of oxytocin , the hormone that helps to suffer less.
This mini " control center " was discovered by CNRS researchers . For example, when you pinch yourself, the information is sent back to the brain by the peripheral nerves and neurons of the spinal cord.
The 30 neurons described by the French team interpret the message and activate other neurons . These are the ones that trigger the release of oxytocin that soothes peripheral neurons.
The brain has nearly 100 billion neurons
About 100 billion neurons make up the brain. They are able to establish up to 10,000 connections each. But these cells do not represent anything next to the glial cells. They are 10 to 50 times more numerous .
These cells play a vital role in the functioning of the brain. Located in the nervous system, they provide nutrients to neurons and eliminate their waste . They are also necessary for the production of myelin , which isolates nerve fibers and promotes the transmission of electrical signals.
But glial cells also make connections. They could therefore participate in the speed of reflection . For example, we learned that Einstein's brain contained many of them. In other words, our organ is well protected ...
Neurons are the longest cells in the human body
A cell is necessarily small. One might think so by remembering his first courses in biology. But some cells can be very long . This is the case of neurons, the longest cells of the human body. Between the brain and the spinal cord, 90 cm can be traveled .
This does not have anything to chance. The axon , which is an extension of the neuron, can travel long distances to convey its message. Toenail movement, for example, is controlled by neurons from the spinal cord to the tip of the foot. A long way.
This journey is essential to many functions of the organization. Axons play, in a way, the role of power line . They thus make it possible to carry out the transmission and the interpretation of the various messages in the form of electrical signals.
The alcohol takes 6 minutes to go up to the head
For some, they are bubbles, for others the strong alcohols . Everyone claims to know a drink that "goes to the head" faster than others. In fact, alcoholic substances take exactly 6 minutes to reach the brain.
This is revealed by a small study in Germany. Its researchers gave 15 volunteers a specific quantity of alcohol, with straw. They ingested the equivalent of three glasses of beer or two glasses of wine ( a blood alcohol level of 0.05% ). The brain cells take 6 minutes to react to this alcoholic intake.
From then on, some changes occur. Neurons, in particular, are more vulnerable to attack . Effects that are, however, reversible.
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