The brain is the most important organ in your body. It has a number of functions without which we would either die or be extremely limited in what we could think or do. It is our control centre and is responsible for how we think, act or recall amongst many other functions. For something which is so important, the organ itself appears at first glance to be quite unremarkable. But it’s not. It is the most complex structure we know of.
- The average adult human brain only weighs between 1.2 to 1.4 kilogrammes. This equates to only about 2% of total body weight.
- Approximately 60% of the brain is made up of fats.
- The brain’s overall density is only just above that of water.
- It consists of over 70% water. This compares to the rest of the body which consists of 60% water.
- The brain contains approximately 1 litre of water.
- Although the volume decreases with age, the average volume of the adult brain varies between 1300 to 1500 cm3.
- Although the body’s pain centre is located within the brain, there are no pain receptors in the brain and therefore some surgical operations take place with the patient fully conscious.
- The brain consists of about 160 billion cells. Half of these are nerve cells called neurons. It is the transmission of electrical signals along these neural pathways that is the basis of how the brain operates.
- Approximately 60% of the brain is made up of what is called White Matter, whilst the remaining 40% is termed Grey Matter.
- The brain consists of two hemispheres, the left and the right. Although some functions only exist in one of the hemispheres, most mental tasks use both sides at the same time.
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John Pullen 