Eight things you didn't know about the brain

The brain is an organ that has more functions than you can imagine. We could not live without it. It is the origin of everything, thoughts, feelings, decisions, and the most basic functions that make us human, so we must appreciate everything this organ does in our lives.

For this reason, Mrs. Atziri Arroyo Ruiz, Professor of the Faculty of Psychology at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG), gives us 8 facts that we did not know about the brain.

Secrets you didn't know about the brain

The brain weighs between 1.2 and 1.4 kilograms; it is made up of fat and water; however, it consumes more than 20% of the energy we require per day.

The brain consumes 20% of the oxygen we breathe and most of our blood passes through it.

Contrary to popular belief, the brain discards 5,000 to 10,000 neurons daily, which are then regenerated.

The brain is the organ with the most neurons. Recent studies have discovered that we have neurons in other parts of the body, such as the pancreas, intestines, and even the heart. However, the brain has the most, an average adult has more than 86 billion neurons, while children are born with 100 billion neurons.

To have a healthy brain, you need a healthy diet, good sleep, and a positive attitude, faith and laughter are elements that help you stay "young".

Sodium and alcohol in excess are the worst enemies of the brain, they age it and could cause degenerative diseases.

This organ is not a computer, as we have been led to believe; the brain stores information in different ways, "it can be programmed", but it learns, makes decisions, and other actions through emotions that are transformed into memories. It is a living "system", moldable and flexible, changing to external and internal stimuli, unlike a computer, which does not change or learn without the operation of a user.

One of the most common neuromyths is that being divided into two hemispheres, right and left, each of these is responsible for a function, recent studies have shown that this is not so. The brain uses every ounce of its mass and both hemispheres work together 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for us and our survival.

Source: UDG Press Bulletin