• Question: how does the brain work? how does it know how to how to make things the rigfht size?

    Asked by iluvwilmas to Adam, Joanna, Louise S, Louise W, Marcus on 20 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Paige

      Adam Paige answered on 20 Nov 2012:

      Wow, that is a very tough question.

      Some things we understand. The brain is made of nerve cells called neurons. They are like electrical wires, and they carry an electrical signal (caused by sodium and potassium ions inside them) along them from one end to the other. When the signal reaches the end of the neuron it causes the neuron to secrete chemicals called neurotransmitters (you may have heard of adrenaline? Or dopamine, which is missing in people with Parkinson Disease). Neurotransmitters spread out until they stick to a receptor protein in another nearby neuron. This causes electrical signals to flow along that neuron too. Eventually the signals might travel along these nerves to a muscle and then the nerve can release chemicals to make the muscle move.

      THe brain has millions of neurons which connect and interact with each other allowing complex electrical signalling. Although we now know which parts of the brain are involved in different functions (controlling muscle, vision, speaking, remembering words, etc) we still do not know how the brain stores our memories and can remember them again, or how the brain comes up with ideas and thoughts.

      Still lots of things needing scientific investigation there if anyone is looking for a good science career…?!

    • Photo: Joanna Giles

      Joanna Giles answered on 21 Nov 2012:

      Wow indeed! The brain is actually the most complex but least understood organ in the human body. I really wish I could explain it to you in a simple way, but it is just so complex and there is so much we don’t know.

      As Adam says it is a lot of electrical transmissions through nerves to allow communication from the brain to the rest of the body to allow for the mundane yet essential things (like regulating blood sugar level and core body temperature) and also the complex things like emotions and thinking (my brain certainly hurts trying to answer this!).

      It is so complex that people with brain injuries have extremely unpredictable outcomes and we don’t really understand a lot of brain conditions. For example no-one really understands how amnesia works (partial or complete loss of memory), and there is another brain disorder called Blocqs disease, where the person always feels like they are about to fall – so they look like they are drunk all the time trying not to fall over!

      So, yes, if you’re interested maybe you could be the next brain scientist to help us understand more? 🙂

Comments