di Factfile
- Humans have the largest brain in the animal world in relation to body size.
- The human brain weighs about 1,4 kg.
- The brain is very soft – like raw egg. It is called grey matter.
- Everyday the brain consumes about 20-30% of the body’s calories.
- There are more connections in a brain than there are stars in the universe.
Left brain, right brain
The left side of the brain
This is the cognitive centre. It controls rational thought, language, and the consciousness of self.
The right side of the brain
This is the centre of creatività, intuition, imagination and movement.
The corpus callosum
This is like a telephone exchange. It carries millions of messages between the two sides of the brain.
Einsteins brain
Einstein’s brain was inique. A group of American reserachers found out that a particular region of his brain was 15% bigger than normal- It was the part that controls mathematical reasoning and the mental manipulation of images. They also found that there was a greater integration in his brain between the two sides. However, his overall brain size was average.
How the brain works
The human brain consisté of three layers.
The “reptilian” brain
This is instinctive. It controls movement, wakefulness and decisione about safety.
The “mammalian” brain
This is non-verbal, and non-logical. It is in charge of emotions and long term memories.
The “human” brain
This is logical, linear, abstract and creative. It has two hemispheres – the left side and the right side.
