Facts About Human Brain

1.  Avearge weight of human brain at the time of the birth is about 350-400g (about 4/5 lbs), while in adults the average weight of the brain is 1300-1400g (about 3 lbs).
2. Average dimensions of the adult brain: Width = 140 mm/5.5 in, Length = 167 mm/6.5 in, Height = 93 mm/3.6 in.
3.  A living brain is so soft you could cut it with a table knife. There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain can feel no pain.
4. Total surface area of the cerebral cortex is 2,500 sq. cm or 2.69 sq.ft.
5. The composition of the brain is  77-78% water, 10-12% lipids, 8% protein, 1% carbs, 2% soluble organics, 1% inorganic salt.
6. The breakdown of intracranial contents by volume (1,700 ml, 100%): brain = 1,400 ml (80%); blood = 150 ml (10%); cerebrospinal fluid = 150 ml (10%).
7. The cerebellum contains half of all the neurons in the brain but comprises only 10% of the brain.
8. The cerebral cortex is about 85% of the brain.
9. Percentage of total cerebral cortex volume = frontal lobe 41%, temporal lobe 22%, parietal lobe 19%, occipital lobe 18%.
10. There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain, the same number of stars in our galaxy.
11. It  is not he number of neurons that determines inteligence but the number of connections between the neurons. These connections are called synapses. As you use more of the brain the number of synapses increases i.e. number of connections of neurons increases. Humans continue to make new neurons throughout life in response to mental activity. Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you are creating a new connection in your brain.
12. The left hemisphere of the brain has 186 million more neurons than the right hemisphere.
13. There are about 100,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain. 750-1000ml of blood flow through the brain every minute. In that minute the brain will consume 46cm3 (1/5 cups) of oxygen from that blood. Thus the brain uses 25% of the body oxygen and blood supply, but is only 3% of body weight. Of that oxygen consumed, 6% will be used by the brain's white matter and 94% by the grey matter.
14. While awake, the energy used by the brain is enough to light a 25 watt bulb.
15. The brain can stay alive for 4 to 6 minutes without oxygen. After that cells begin die. No oxygen for 5 to 10 minutes will result in permanent brain damage.
16. The slowest speed at which information travels between neurons is 416 km/h or 260 mph, thats as "slow" as todays supercar's top speed (the Bugatti EB 16.4 Veyron clocked at 253 mph).
17. 10 seconds is the amount of time until unconsciousness after the loss of blood supply to the brain.
18. Time until reflex loss after loss of blood supply to the brain, 40-110 seconds.
19. During early pregnancy the rate of neuron growth is 250,000 neurons a minute.
20. More electrical impulses are generated in one day by a single human brain than by all the telephones in the world.
21. The brain is a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger and bigger it gets.  Researchers at the institute of neurology at University College London scanned the brains of 18 London cab (Taxi) drivers. They discovered that the part of the brain that stores mental maps of the capital had grown in size. The longer the cabbie had been driving the bigger the increase in the brain size.
22. How much does human brain think? 70,000 is the number of thoughts that it is estimated the human brain produces on an average day.
23. After age 30, the brain shrinks a quarter of a percent (0.25%) in mass each year.
24. Alcohol interferes with brain processes by weakening connections between neurons.
25. Differences in brain weight and size do not equal differences in mental ability. Albert Einsteins brain weighed 1,230 grams (2.71 lbs), significantly lesss than the human average of 1,300g to 1,400g (3 lbs).
26. 89.06 is the percentage of people who report normally writing with their right hand, 10.6% with their left hand  0.34% with either hand.
27.  The Hypothalamus part of the brain regulates body temperature much like a thermostat. The hypothalamus knows what temperature your body should be (about 98.6 Fahrenheit or 37 Celsius), and if your body is too hot, the hypothalamus tells it to sweat. If you’re too cold, the hypothalamus makes you start shivering. Shivering and sweating helps get your body’s temperature back to normal.
28.  There are two different schools of thought as to why we dream: the physiological school, and the psychological school. While many theories have been proposed, not single consensus has emerged as to why we dream. Some researchers suggest that dreams serve no real purpose, while other believe that dreaming is essential to mental, emotional and physical well-being. One theory for dreaming suggests dreams serve to clean up clutter from the mind.
29.  Memories triggered by scent have a stronger emotional connection, therefore appear more intense than other memory triggers.
30.  Each time we blink, our brain kicks in and keeps things illuminated so the whole world doesn’t go dark each time we blink (about 20,000 times a day).
31. Laughing at a joke is no simple task as it requires activity in five different areas of the brain.
32.  Altitude makes the brain see strange visions – Many religions involve special visions that occurred at great heights. Similar phenomena are reported by mountain climbers, but they don’t think it’s very mystical. Many of the effects are attributable to the reduced supply of oxygen to the brain. At 8,000ft or higher, some mountaineers report perceiving unseen companions, seeing light emanating from themselves or others, seeing a second body like their own, and suddenly feeling emotions such as fear. Oxygen deprivation is likely to interfere with brain regions active in visual and face processing, and in emotional events.
33. Reading aloud and talking often to a young child promotes brain development.
34. The capacity for such emotions as joy, happiness, fear, and shyness are already developed at birth. The specific type of nurturing a child receives shapes how these emotions are developed.
35. The left side of your brain (left hemisphere) controls the right side of your body; and, the right side of your brain (right hemisphere) controls the left side of your body.
36. Children who learn two languages before the age of five alters the brain structure and adults have a much denser gray matter.
37. A study of one million students in New York showed that students who ate lunches that did not include artificial flavors, preservatives, and dyes did 14% better on IQ tests than students who ate lunches with these additives.
38. For years, scientists believed that tinnitus was due to a function within the mechanics of the ear, but newer evidence shows that it is actually a function of the brain.