Transcript Brain Health - AdvEnglish11

Brain Health
MARY ASGILL
Brain Facts – Dimensions & Sizes
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Average dimensions of the adult brain:
◦ Width = 5.5 in, Length = 6.5 in, Height = 3.6
in.
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Weight:
◦ At birth our brains weigh and average of 4/5
lbs.
◦ As adults the brain averages about 3 lbs.
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If Stretched out the cerebral cortex
would be (2.5sq.ft), the area of a night
table.
Brain Facts - Composition
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The brain is = 77-78% water, 10-12% lipids, 8% protein, 1% carbs, 2%
soluble organics, 1% inorganic salt.
The cerebellum contains half of all the neurons in the brain but comprises
only 10% of the brain.
The cerebral cortex is about 85% of the brain.
There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, the same number
of stars in our galaxy.
The left hemisphere of the brain has 186 million more neurons than the
right hemisphere.
750-1000ml of blood flow through the brain every minute or about 3 full
soda cans.
In that minute the brain will consume 1/5 cups of oxygen from that blood.
Of that oxygen consumed, 6% will be used by the brain's white matter
(body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure) and 94% by the grey
matter (regions of the brain that involve muscle control, sensory
perceptions, emotions, and speech).
Brain Facts - Times
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The brain can stay alive for 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen. After
that cells begin die.
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The slowest speed at which information travels between neurons is
260 mph, that’s as "slow" as today’s supercar's top speed (the
Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron clocked at 253 mph).
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10 seconds is the amount of time until unconsciousness after the
loss of blood supply to the brain.
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Time until reflex loss after loss of blood supply to the brain, 40-110
seconds.
During early pregnancy the rate of neuron
growth is 250,000 neurons a minute.
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Other Brain Facts
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Results from cognitive tests show 30% of 80-year-olds perform as
well as young adults.
Your brain is about 2% of your total body weight but uses 20% of
your body's energy.
The energy used by the brain is enough to light a 25 watt
bulb.
More electrical impulses are generated in one day by a single
human brain than by all the telephones in the world.
It is estimated that the human brain produces 70,000 thoughts on
an average day.
After age 30, the brain shrinks a quarter of a percent (0.25%) in
mass each year.
Albert Einstein’s brain weighed 2.71 lbs., significantly less than the
human average of 3 lbs.
89.06 is the percentage of people who report normally writing with
their right hand, 10.6% with their left and 0.34% with either hand.
Central Questions
What are the functions of the brain?
 What constitutes a healthy brain?
 What is an unhealthy brain?
 Why should we care about the health of
the brain as opposed to any other part of
the body?
 How can we keep the brain healthy?
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How Does the Brain Work?
Brain Health
Mary Asgill
Why Brain Health?
My mother
 My students
 Myself
 My children
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Tip #1
The task:Add some
dark chocolate to
your diet.
The reason:When
you eat chocolate
you activate the
systems in your
brain that pump
dopamine, an
important brain
chemical. These
systems enable
learning and
memory, and help
keep your brain
sharp and fit.
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Your brain, your spinal cord, and all of your nerves make up
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your “nervous system.”
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Everything your body does is controlled by this system of electrical and chemical connections.
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Somehow, your brain can remember what you wore on your first day of school. Your brain can
remember
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people’s faces and names.
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brains are divided into sections or areas that handle different
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tasks. The cerebellum controls movement. The cerebrum stores memories. The medulla oblongata
takes
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care of your basic functions like your heart’s pumping and your lungs’ breathing.
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we can grow new brain cells throughout our lives. What do we do with them?
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Big Ideas:
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The brain, spinal cord, and nervous system control the entire body.
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The brain understands, sorts, and stores information.
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Did You Know That?
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The left side of your brain controls the right side of your body?
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The right side of your brain controls the left side of your body?
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Your brain has at least 20 billion, maybe even 200 billion neurons?
Theories
Social learning theory
 Consistency theory
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