Human Brain
Athira AP
The human brain is the command center of the human nervous system. The human brain receives signals from the body’s sensory organs. It weighs up to 1.4 kilograms and makes upto 2% of total body weight. On average, male brain is about 10% larger than the female brain. The main part of the brain is called Cerebrum, is located in the front area of the skull and makes upto 85% of the total brain’s weight.
Human brain contains about 86 billion neurons(nerve cells) called grey matter. The brain also has about the same number of non-neuronal cells, such as the oligodendrocytes that insulate neuronal axons with a myelin sheath. This gives axons a white appearance, and so these axons are called the brain’s “white matter.”
Fun facts about Human brain
- 60% of the human brain is made of fat.
- Brain’s storage capacity is considered virtually unlimited.
- Human brains are not fully formed until the age of 25
- The spinal cord is the main source of communication between the body and the brain.
- The human brain weighs 3 pounds.
- We use 100% of the brain and not just 10% of it.
- The human brain can generate about 23 watts of power.
Anatomy of Human Brain
The largest part of the human brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres. Each hemisphere consists of four lobes,they are the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital. The rippled surface of the cerebrum is known as the cortex. Underneath the cerebrum lies the brainstem, and behind that lies the cerebellum.
The frontal lobes are the largest lobes in the human brain and they are also the most common region of injury in traumatic brain injury. The frontal lobes are important for voluntary movement, expressive language and for managing higher level executive functions.
The temporal lobes sit behind the ears and are the second largest lobe. They are most commonly associated with processing auditory information and with the encoding of memory.
The parietal lobes are responsible for processing somatosensory information from the body; this includes touch, pain, temperature, and the sense of limb position. Like the temporal lobes, the parietal lobes are also involved in integrating information from different modalities.
The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain. It is associated with visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.
Difference between left and right brain
The human brain is divided into two hemispheres, left and right. Left and right hemispheres are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. The hemispheres are not entirely symmetrical. Generally, the left brain controls the muscles on the right side of the body, and the right brain controls the left side of the body. One hemisphere may be slightly dominant, that is left-handedness or right-handedness.
The left brain handles reading, writing, and calculations.The left brain contains regions that are associated with language production and comprehension and is also associated with mathematical calculation and fact retrieval. Some call it the logical side of the brain. The right brain is more visual and deals in images more than words. It plays a major role in visual and auditory processing, spatial skills and artistic ability.
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Check your knowledge
The main part of the brain is called Cerebrum and it is located in the front area of the skull.
The frontal lobes are the largest lobes in the human brain and they are also the most common region of injury in traumatic brain injury. The frontal lobes are important for voluntary movement, expressive language and for managing higher level executive functions.
The brain consists of non-neuronal cells, such as the oligodendrocytes that insulate neuronal axons with a myelin sheath. This gives axons a white appearance, and so these axons are called the brain’s “white matter.”