10 fun facts about your brain

The brain is a complex organ responsible for most of our body's functions. Check out these 10 fun facts about how the brain works.

1. The average adult human brain weighs three pounds and has a texture like firm jelly.

2. Every time your heart beats, your arteries carry 20 to 25 percent of your blood to the brain.

3. Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you create a connection in the brain.

4. There are 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) in the brain, but they make up only 10 percent of the brain. These neurons branch out to 100 trillion-plus trigger points, forming what experts call a “neuron forest.”

5. Size doesn’t matter in the brain. There is no evidence that a larger brain is smarter than a smaller brain.

6. There are 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain. The distance around the world at the equator is 24,900 miles.

7. Did you know that it is normal for your mind to wander? A joint study by Harvard University, Dartmouth College and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland found the parts of the brain that control “task-unrelated thought” (such as daydreaming) are almost always active when the brain is at rest.

8. According to a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, adults who participated in mind-challenging activities were 63 percent less likely to develop dementia.

9. Research has shown women who are highly physically fit are 90 percent less likely to develop dementia than women who are moderately physically fit.

10. The harder you think, the more oxygen and fuel your brain will use from your blood – up to 50 percent.

Maintain your good health: Schedule an appointment with a Piedmont primary care physician online.

Sources:

American Academy of Neurology

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Alzheimer's Association



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