by Todd Christian

Created on: February 09, 2008

Anyone educated enough to type "brain facts" into a search engine is probably already aware of the point-by-point basics of the human brain: it's in your head, it's attached to your spine, it controls your thoughts, senses, emotions, and actions.

Those by-the-numbers details that might be less widely memorized seem somewhat unimportant, like how much it weighs (an average of about three pounds). Any study of the human brain should go beyond the what, how much, and wheres of the brain and into the fascinating complexities, since the brain is not just the most integral part of our survival, but also our identity and individuality.

The answers to those questions are the ones that inspire a sense of awe. How does the brain work? How does it develop? Why can I recall Troy Aikman's quarterback stats season-by-season, but I can't remember where I put my cell phone four minutes ago? Just how powerful is this tricky little mass of white and grey matter in my skull?

HUMAN BRAIN FACTS: HOW THE BRAIN WORKS
Your brain is a complex network of high-speed highways called "synapses," which connect trillions of nerve cells, called "neurons." The synapse highway system, if illustrated, would make a Texas road map look simple. In fact, if one were to count the number of synaptic connections that your brain could create, the figure would be the number one, followed by a string of zeroes that would stretch 10.5 million kilometers.

Traveling along this vast network of synapses are powerful and complex pulses of chemistry and electricity that power our thoughts, feelings and actions. They do so by powering certain modules of the brain, each of which controls specific voluntary and involuntary functions - like kicking in the sensation of hunger, initiating reflexes, coordinating your arm muscles as you write, powering your heart, creating the emotion of sadness and the tear response, and revving up your sex drive.

The power used by your brain to constantly keep these functions going is enough to constantly power a 10-watt light bulb.

HUMAN BRAIN FACTS: HOW DO WE GET SMARTER?
Every time we learn a new skill, experience something new, or are stimulated in a different way, the brain begins an intricate re-wiring job on itself. As part of that process, it creates new synapses - making an even more complex network of cells. We don't get smarter by having a larger brain, but by having a more complex highway system connecting thoughts, ideas, experiences, and skills.

The best news is that synapses

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