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What do you know about the human brain?
Do you have a fun fact that you can toss into the conversation (like the brain generating enough electricity to keep a lightbulb glowing), or would you say your knowledge is not that great?
Well, let’s learn a bit more about the brain together!
The study of the brain is called neuroscience. Researchers constantly search for new information about the brain because, despite thousands of previous studies, there is still a lot of unknown information about our gray matter.
The brain transmits messages through it by giving signals from one neuron to another. This action requires that charged particles move through in waves to generate an electrical voltage. Sodium is the main type of charged particle that produces an action potential which simply means there are ions flowing along neurons.
A recent study from Germany and Greece discovered that calcium also creates action potential, specifically in the outer cortical cells of the brain. This is an amazing finding because it means that individual neurons have another way to function—even without sodium.
To test their theory, the researchers used brain samples from individuals with epilepsy and brain tumors. After noticing the calcium movement in the sample, scientists blocked the sodium channels to see if the cells could still transmit messages.
It worked! The calcium allowed the action potential to continue.
Researchers have not seen the same calcium action in animal studies, so it is unique to humans. With such exciting news, it will be interesting to see what else researchers discover about calcium usage in our brains.
The calcium finding only came about in early 2020—that is a very recent study! It shows just how little we actually know about our brains and the amount we can still learn.
The more we learn about neuroscience, the better we can use our brain capabilities. Knowledge is power, and with every bit of new information, we can alter our thinking and how we use our brains so that we get the most out of it.
Here is a quick look at some five things that neuroscientists learned about the brain in the last five years.
Rosehip neurons are a newly discovered type of brain cell that has the shape of a rose without petals. They contain many processes, and it’s another finding that so far has only been found in humans.
Neuroscientists have been testing whether people can really hear as they pass away. A recent study showed that the brain has electrical activity in areas required for listening in the participant’s final movement and even in individuals who were unresponsive.
People are born with many neurons, and some more form as you become an adult. Recently, researchers found that neurogenesis (formation of new neurons) does occur throughout life. There was even proof of neurogenesis in participants that were older than 90!
For individuals with mobility impairments, the road ahead is also looking better. Two separate studies found that a neuroprosthesis implanted in the brain could bypass and provide electrical stimulation to help paralyzed patients walk.
Many studies have found that sugar is bad for your health. A recent study found that sugar can become addictive within only 12 days. It changes the brain’s opioid and dopamine systems which means you are looking for pleasure from sugar instead of deriving it from internal sources.
We only looked at five brain findings, but there are so many more we could discuss! Learning about brain research can seem like rocket science if you don’t have a background in neuroscience.
Luckily, there are still many ways you can apply this research in your own life. Watch the video below to see how you can start the process of using your brain’s hidden potential.
When you learn about the brain, you empower yourself to use it to its full potential. It can help you to think differently and more clearly so that you can achieve your dreams and goals faster.
If you would like to get some better insight into using your brain more easily, then join our Facebook group. It is a space for inspiring messages that speak directly to your mind and help you to improve your life.
What do you believe about the brain?
Do you take it as the truth, or do you question everything you hear about it?
There are a bunch of mental myths floating around because people do not understand the brain properly. Some of these myths have been busted as new research is made available which is why learning about the brain is so important.
Take a look at a couple of these myths. They might just change your mind about what you have been believing all along!
Truth: Although we don’t use the full potential of our brains, we do use a lot more than 10%. Brain scans have shown activity in many different areas of the brain, and even as brain cells die, the remaining gray matter continues to function.
Truth: Logical fallacies and cognitive biases change how we remember events. Memories are imperfect, so we cannot trust them to be 100% accurate. We add on tidbits of information as we learn about how other people experienced or remember the same event.
Truth: The extent of brain damage and its location affects how long brain damage may last. There are cases where trauma results in permanent brain damage, but there is still a chance that a person can recover fully from it when given enough time and mental stimulation.
Truth: The brain is neuroplastic which means it can change. You have already started to do this if you followed the instructions in the video above. Continue doing the Innercise™ techniques so that you can rewire and change your brain.
Truth: Although one side of the brain may dominate your thoughts and actions more than the other, you are still using both sides of your brain. You have to be able to use your whole brain for daily activities, and it actually helps you to think and act in a better way.
The only way to overcome mental myths is to learn more about the brain. Neuroscientists are constantly studying the brain, so it will be fascinating to see what new research emerges in the coming years!
Without your brain, you cannot do anything. You have to feed it and take care of it to use it optimally. Make it a priority to find out about the latest research and its findings. Think about how the research applies to your life and how you can use it to improve your brain.
Brain research occurs on a daily basis, as it is the focus of many neuroscientists and researchers. The more they understand the brain, the more they can share this information with doctors, life coaches, therapists, educators, and the general public.
In the future, we can look forward to more data about conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, stroke, and epilepsy. With this information available, it is possible to treat these conditions (and many others) in a way that adds value to the lives of patients.
Understanding the brain and how it learns can help educators and therapists to tailor their teaching styles and therapeutic endeavors in a manner that suits individuals. It makes it possible for us to learn more efficiently so that we can use more of our brains.
So why should you care about brain research?
Well, your brain is the most powerful tool in your arsenal. You might not have any condition affecting your brain, but you still need to use it for everyday tasks like working, relaxing, and showing emotion.
Take a moment to think about your life. What do you want from it—happiness, a new job, to be healthier? Name what you want and write it down (there is even a research study about using pen and paper).
You have just used your brain for all these thoughts, and you will need it to make them become a reality. When you review research about the brain, you make it possible to change your thought patterns and learn new strategies so that you can tap into your brain’s hidden potential.’
You don’t have to search for the latest brain studies or findings on your own. We are doing that for you already! What’s even better is that we translate the scientific jargon into language that is easier to understand.
Access all of this research and learn how to use it to your benefit when you join our Facebook group.
