Fascinating Facts About
Your Brain

We”ve long known that the brain is
an amazing thing, but did you specifically know that:

� Every person has more than 75km of nerves in their
body.

� Your nerves can send messages
faster than a Grand Prix car travels. � The brain is the most complex
machine in the universe - it has over 100,000,000, 000 nerve cells each with up
to 150,000 connections. Each cell is connected to 25,000 others. � If every person on the planet
simultaneously made 200,000 phone calls, there would be the same total number of
connections as in a single human brain in a day � The grey cells occupy only 5% of
our brains - 95% is taken up by the communication network that runs between the
grey cells!

� The brain weighs about 1.5 kg in
an adult human, about 1.5% of the body weight. � Damaged brain cells do not
regenerate but mental and physical functions can improve after mild or moderate
brain damage with skilful rehabilitation. � Compared to other animals, human
brains are big for the body.

If memory separates your brain from the
sheep”s brain to the right in this
photograph … then it seems important to
use more memory capacity than we tend to use. Science and brain based studies
are helping us to understand what prevents memory and how to optimise what we
know.

� The human brain is only just bigger than your two fists.

Human Brain Anatomy

On
the picture on the right: Under surface of the human brain showing the emerging
cerebral nerves.

� On average, the male brain
(approx 1.4kg) is slightly bigger than the female brain (approx 1.26kg). � Each half of the brain controls
the other half of your body. � In right-handed individuals
(which comprise 91% of people): the right side of the brain controls: musical
talent, fantasy, imagination, dreams, drawing, and painting. The left side of
the brain controls: mathematical ability, ability to solve logic problems,
controls language skills, remembers names, dates, and facts. � The grey part of the brain is
folded to fit inside the skull and, if flattened, it would cover the surface of
an office desk. � The brain contains 100 billion
brain cells of which, 100,000 are irretrievably lost each day.
� You can retain about seven facts
at any one time in short term memory, but over the long term your brain has to
forget things to make room for new memories.