All in your mind

Did you know although the brain registers pain from the rest of the body it can’t feel pain itself. There are no pain sensors inside the brain.

Weighty matters

1,35 kg:
Age 75
Brain weight is declining but many cognitive abilities remain as good as ever.

Question and Answers
Q: Do smart parents have smart kids?
A: Although there is a strong link between genes and intelligence, the changes in brain structure are not necessarily genetically predestined. The brain’s development is intimately linked to interactions with its environment.

Q: Do people with highter IQs have larger brains?
A: No, but their brains develop differently because the pruning of unused cells and connections leads to an increase in the brain’s efficiency.

Quote:
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness
Dalai Lama

Fact:
A "happy" brain can help fight off infections. The body's immune system responds directly to changes in the brain. Within four days of a sad event, such as the death of a loved one, there can be a measurable reduction in the number of infection-fighting blood cells.

Did you know?
The brain can alter almost any body function. If you imagine you’re warm you can increase the temperature in your fingers by more than 1°C!

Anyone home?

The following factors may impede or limit development of the frontal lobes, the seat of reason:

• A lack of sensory stimulation, lack of movement and lack of touch.
• Exposure to electromagnetic fields, TV, computers and video games (which causes desensitisation to violence, decreased imaginative development and less interactive communication).
• Nutritional factors such as inadequate amounts of protein, lack of essential amino acids and fatty acids, high carbohydrate and sugar diets and inadequate water consumption.
• Rigid educational systems, inappropriate curricula and inattention to unique learning styles can also be blamed for limited development.

 YOU Pulse Summer 2007/8