Human Brain Is a Unique

Human brain is a unique creation - it is wonderfully made to enable us to think, plan, move, see, speak, hear, taste, smell and imagine. It is the central organ of sensation, thought and the true seat of intelligence. The brain is responsible for the major functions of the body in order to survive. It is the one in charged of controlling the body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. The human brain accepts and processes information through our senses - seeing, smelling, hearing, touching, and tasting. Even our capacity to handle physical motion when we do our daily activities is controlled by our brain. It dictates the parameter the way we talk, walk, sit, run, and perform other locomotors. It also has coordinating and regulating functions that allow us to use our logic, provide reasoning, experience emotions, and even to dream.

Specifically, the functions of the human brain include the Limbic System, Sensory System (Visual System, Olfactory System, Gustatory System, Auditory System, and Somatosensory System), Motor System, and Associative System. According to the Discovery Channel, it is the "genes that dictate the basic structure of the brain's network" (September, 2007).

The average human brain weighs about three pounds. At birth, the human brain weighs less than a pound. Studies show that the human brain is composed of roughly around 100 billion neurons, which are linked to as many as 10,000 other neurons. The Neuroglia, which is also known as the "nerve glue," is a type of brain cells that "guide neurons during fetal development" (Enchanted Learning). As a child grows, the number of cell remains relatively stable, but the cells grow in size and the number of connections increases. The same thing with our capacity for learning - it is greatest when we are young, and as we grow older, it diminishes. The human brain reaches its full size at about 6 years of age.

The human brain, just like the brain of all animals, is composed of different parts such as the brain stem, cerebellum, hypothalamus and pituitary gland, and the cerebrum. These are further classified into major internal and major external parts. The major internal parts of the human brain are Cingulate Sulcus, Corpus Callosum, Diencephalon, Anterior Commissure, Temporal Lobe, Midbrain, Pons, Medulla, and Cerebellum. On the other hand, the major external parts of the human brain are Frontal Lobe, Pareital Lobe, temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, Brain Stem, and Cerebellum.

Of the many complex functions of the human brain that we have mentioned above, have you ever imagine, how our brain looks like? A fresh, living human brain is actually very soft, jelly-like and deep red. It does not become firm and grey until it has been preserved with various chemicals. It is about the size of a small head of cauliflower. The human brain takes up 1% of the body weight. Almost 20% of the oxygen in the body and 20% of the blood flow is consumed by our brain. It begins to die in 3-5 minutes if it is not able to get enough oxygen. To nourish our brain, the blood vessels such as arteries, capillaries, and veins play important roles in providing the necessary supply of oxygen and in taking away the wastes.

In most animals, the brain is considered as the control center of the central control system which is responsible for behavior. Unlike humans, animals have simple nervous systems made up of nothing but reflex pathways. Flatworms and invertebrates do not have a centralized brain. They just have simple "brains" that consist of localized loose collections of neuronal cell bodies called ganglia. The sensory and motor functions are controlled by each ganglion in its segment through reflex pathways. The ganglia are linked together to form a simple nervous system. As nervous system evolved, chains of ganglia evolved into more centralized simple brains. The human brain, as compared to the brain of a fish, has a bigger cortex which takes up a larger portion of the total brain and becomes folded. The enlarged cortex is responsible in information processing, speech, thought and memory. Aside from fish, lower animals such as amphibians, reptiles, and birds do not do much "thinking," but instead concern themselves with the everyday business of gathering their food, eating, drinking, sleeping, reproducing, and defending themselves. Their brains reflect the major centers that control these functions. The human brain is over and above those animals, such as advanced cognitive skills.

What about the mathematical and scientific abilities of the geniuses? Do their unsurpassed talents have something to do with their brain development? Some studies say that the capacity of learning is greatest when we are young, and as we grow older, it diminishes. Various results of studies suggest that the mathematical abilities result from the integration of two non-numerical circuits in the brain. It is said that the left frontal lobe of the brain controls the linguistic representations of exact numerical values. The other involves the parietal lobes, which is responsible in the control of visuospatial representations of approximate quantities. These lobes are part of the neural circuit that also controls hand shapes and finger movements. There is a possibility that these brain regions contribute to finger counting and finger calculation as the universal stage in the learning of exact arithmetic. On the other hand, do the teaching methods in school have in some way affect our mathematical prowess?

In a way, the brain functions while doing mathematics may have implications for how mathematics is taught, leading to a new and improved ways of teaching arithmetic to those who struggle with numbers. Most mathematicians say that they rely more on mental images than words to arrive at new insights. Research findings suggest that understanding relationships among numbers involves some sort of spatial tool such as visualizing a number line, which are important sources of mathematical intuition.

Another main function of the human brain is its ability to store, retain, and subsequently retrieve information. In other words, it has a capacity to store up memory. but, have you ever imagined yourself when you were a student? The more you studied your lessons, the more you retained nothing new? Our brains have the capability to detect our interest on the subject matter. There are also other factors that might affect the human memory such as insufficient sleep, excessive consumption of alcohol and tobacco. When we feel tensed, the capacity used by the memory manager is limited, either when we are awake or sleeping. It is also good to consider the age factor in assessing the brain's capacity to restore memory. In Gloria Lau's Keep Your Brain Active, it was mentioned that "as people age, their brains shrink."