The brain

The brain is just the most fascinating thing in the world, at least it is to me. Carl Sagan famously said that humans are a way for the universe to know itself and I take this view even further to say that each individual is in their own universe.

“The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.”

― Carl Sagan

At first that view will challenge you but think about it for a second and you will accept that no one else can ever have quite the same perspective of the world as you because you alone occupy the physical space and time that you do. Even twins cannot occupy the same space, have the same children or life partner so, no matter what, you have a unique perspective and your consciousness is yours alone.

That is heavy stuff but it is also true and has a profound effect on the way I see and understand our brains because you can also take this logic further and see that the way that you view the world influences your understanding of it. This is the basis of the study of perception and learning about this topic fundamentally changed the way I understood my relationship to the world around me.

Further reading

In time I will explore this topic and expand on the many insights I have stumbled across but for now I will link to the many articles strewn across this blog that relate to the brain and its amazing abilities.

• Brainfacts.org is a treasure trove of research and articles about the brain. including
  • Neurogenesis: An Overview Neurogenisis is the study of growing new cells and it turns out that the brain is creating new cells throughout life.
  • Exercise May Protect the Aging Brain by Dialing Down Inflammation
  • A primer on the brain and nervous system
  • A 3D interactive brain!!! This is a beautiful example of a brain model you can explore
  • The brain is not symmetrical Despite looking the same both hempispheres are used for distinctly different tasks.
• Any regular physical activity at any age linked to better brain function in later life: Any regular leisure time physical activity at any age is linked to better brain function in later life, but maintaining an exercise routine throughout adulthood seems to be best for preserving mental acuity and memory, suggests a long term study published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.
• Electricity flow in the human brain can be predicted using the simple maths of networks, new study reveals
• Scientists Discover How To Generate New Neurons in the Adult Brain
• The First-Ever Complete Map of an Insect Brain Is Truly Mesmerizing
• Social sponges: Gendered brain development comes from society, not biology: After debunking many myths around male and female brains, Gina Rippon’s research interests now include gender gaps in science and why they persist, even in allegedly gender-equal societies
• Brains also have supply chain issues – blood flows where it can, and neurons must make do with what they get
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• You can grow new brain cells. Here’s how Sandrine Thuret in a TED talk explains research and practical advice on how we can help our brains better perform neurogenesis
• Thought Power: Altering Tactile Perception With the Power of Imagination
• World Leading Physicians View On ADHD: Gabor Mat: The neurologist Gabor mate shares his views on ADHD
  • A really good analysis from an expert and great informed interviewer 
  • There is no research that medications help adhd they just reduce symptoms for short term. 
• Have we got the brain all wrong? Study shows its shape is more important than its wiring: Patterns of activity in our neurons are more influenced by the shape of the brain – its grooves, contours, and folds.
• “Cytoelectric Coupling”: A Groundbreaking Hypothesis on How Our Brains Function A new study proposes a hypothesis called “Cytoelectric Coupling,” arguing that the brain’s electrical fields, created by neural network activity, can influence the physical configuration of neurons’ sub-cellular components to optimize network stability and efficiency
• Brain shape matters more than connectivity This study of Brain function shows that electricity waves across the brain are more important than specific neural connections showing the importance of bio electricity.
• Brain electrical fields, psychosis and consciousness Two different drugs induced similar wave patterns across the brain implying that consciousness and psychoses may realting to electrical wave patterns in the brain.
• The brain and electricity Glial cells are part of the thinking structure of the brain. New research suggests.
• White Matter Wonders: Re-imagining the Brain’s Silent Majority The brains white matter as important as its grey matter. 
• New Brain Maps Advance Understanding, With Limitations
• Brain Protein Recycling Unveiled Researchers have identified the crucial mechanism behind the brain’s ability to recycle older proteins, a key factor in maintaining cognitive health. The study shows that a specific pathway allows for the efficient transport and recycling of proteins, ensuring neuronal integrity and function.
  • This mechanism is pivotal for preventing neuron degradation and maintaining cognitive function over time.
• Aerobic glycolysis is the predominant means of glucose metabolism in neuronal somata, which protects against oxidative damage Here, we demonstrated that neuronal somata perform higher levels of aerobic glycolysis and lower levels of OXPHOS than terminals, both during basal and activated states
• Scientists discover a framework in the brain for organizing the order of things
  • Related topics: Brain. Consciousness. Perception. 
  • Scientists at NTNU’s Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience in Norway have discovered a pattern of activity in the brain that serves as a template for building sequential experiences
  • This highly structured activity overlaps with the timescale of events that we encode into our memories and provides the perfect template for building the sequential structure that forms the basis of episodic memories.
• New Cell Atlases Reveal Untold Variety in the Brain and Beyond
  • Recent efforts to map every cell in the human body have researchers floored by unfathomable diversity, with many thousands of subtly different types of cells in the human brain alone.
  • The genome is a parts list,” Quake said. “There’s no way to predict which cell types come out of a given genome.”
  • Using a powerful set of single-cell genomics tools, scientists can read these expression patterns to fingerprint a cell. These tools have matured over the past few years so that scientists can now quickly and efficiently look at tens of thousands or even millions of cells in a single experiment.
  • The first version of the human cell atlas is tantalizingly close to its big reveal: It should be done in around two years, Vento-Tormo said. It is unlikely to include profiles of all human cell types. Like the first geographic atlases, or the first published human genome, the first human cell atlas will be incomplete at its release, but with plans to revise it repeatedly. “We are at the beginning,” Vento-Tormo said
• Human intelligence: It’s how your brain is wired rather than size that matters
• What Your Brain Is Doing When You’re Not Doing Anything
• The Brain Region That Controls Movement Also Guides Feelings
• The brain is the most complicated object in the universe. This is the story of scientists’ quest to decode it – and read people’s minds For the first time, the thoughts and impressions of people unable to communicate with the outside world were translated into continuous natural language, using a combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and brain imaging technology
• Our brains take rhythmic snapshots of the world as we walk – and we never knew  the rhythmic movement of walking changes how sensitive we are to the surrounding environment. With every step we take, our perception cycles through “good” and “bad” phases.
• Mental fatigue has psychological triggers − new research suggests challenging goals can head it off
  • For over a century, psychologists have been trying to determine whether mental fatigue is fundamentally similar to physical fatigue or whether it is governed by different processes.
  • Our research suggests mental fatigue is in large part a psychological phenomenon – but one that can be modified by setting goals.
• New Horizons scientists were masters of the long haul – here’s how people stick with extremely long-term goals Being good at a job involving long time horizons is not just about being good at waiting; it’s about finding sources of motivation in the present you’re living as well as the future you’re envisioning, with advanced skills of self-awareness and self-regulation thrown into the mix.
• Harvard Medical Researchers Discover Surprising Protective Properties of Pain New research in mice illuminates how pain neurons shield the gut from damage.
• New Tool Maps Brain Signals with Unprecedented Clarity
• Consciousness Could Hinge on How Your Brain Handles Metals, Scientists Say
• Electricity creates consciousness | Nick Lane
  • The electric sense of self 
  • Electricity creates consciousness.. 
  • Bio electricity 
• Nanoscopic motor proteins in the brain build the physical structures of memory