As we all know, and as the article states, it is a myth that we only use 10% of our brains. As Gordon says " they myths durability stems from people's conceptions of their own brains: they see their shortcomings as evidence of untapped gray matter." The truth, according to Gordon, is that at certain moments we may be using 10 percent of our brains even though every part of our brain is active almost all the time.
This begs one to wonder how can we tap into out brains and memories deeper in order to get over these felt "shortcomings?" As we have seen, simply thinking harder stimulates more blood flow to the brain, thus delivering more nutrients to the organ that already consumes 20% of our body's glucose energy supply. But what are we thinking harder about? Many seem to think that simply focusing harder and slowing down day to day tasks can help us tap in all our buried knowledge. However, is memory recollection even the key to intelligence? Some seem to think so (http://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/tp/memory_tips.htm). Thoughts?
Maybe by thinking harder about immunology we could imagine a novel cure for one of the many auto immunities seen in humans. I'm sure some of the brainpower we are using could be dedicated to immunological ideas. If we only used 10% of our immune systems would we be able to avoid autoimmunity or allergy? (I think we would be eaten alive).
ReplyDeleteCould it be that by thinking too hard we accidentally break down the blood brain barrier and introduce lymphocytes into the central nervous system? Why would this be bad? Well, maybe self-tolerance to CNS tissue isn't needed because normally there is a barrier that keeps the immune system out of the brain. If the barrier is compromised the immune system "sees" the brain for the first time and mounts an attack. If this is true I guess you could say the AIRE gene does not express any brain proteins? Or that maturing B cells, in the bone marrow, never have a chance of encountering "self-brain."
Or, it could be possible that the compromised barrier allows a circulating monocyte to enter the brain. But this monocyte is carrying a latent HIV particle inside of it. Once in the brain the monocyte becomes a macrophage (activated) and starts releasing viral particles. These virions cause inflammation and subsequent damage to proximal tissue. YIKES!
There are a number of diseases involving the blood brain barrier AND the immune system. Multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), Alzheimer's, HIV encephalitis, and rabies to name a few.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood-brain_barrier
In PSIO 495K discussion it seemed like the class was actually fairly confident on the "fact" that humans only use 10% of our brains. I was absolutely certain that I read somewhere that stated this was an illogical myth. Therefore I was relieved to see that someone decided to post this as their weekly post for the class.
ReplyDeleteI did think it was interesting that the article finished up by stating the composition of cells in the brain. They stated that 10 percent of the cells in our brain contain neurons while the other 90 percent contain glial cells. They then go on to say that the specialized role of these glial cells are unknown and therefore 90% of the brain's function is unknown. This statement struck me as odd since we do know that the glial cells do have a role in support and protection of the neuronal cells.
I have always thought this was fascinating. Being the nerd that I am I have always wondered what the parts of our brain that we do not use actually do. Could it be like X-Men where I have a hidden talent to read minds or make fire? Or is there some way that I can tap those parts with a magical pill and suddenly I have the IQ that surpasses most modern geniuses. I cannot wait to see what science produces in the context of more brain power and to see the day when we actually figure out what glial cells do and what the unknown parts of our brain do.
ReplyDeleteSo the reason why the article mentioned that "the specialized role of these glial cells are unknown and therefore 90% of the brain's function is unknown" is because it turns out glial do much more than just "support and protection." For example, here is a really interesting article that suggests astrocytes might actually be involved in controlling respiration rate:
ReplyDeleteGourine AV, Kasymov V, Marina N, Tang F, Figueiredo MF, Lane S, Teschemacher AG, Spyer KM, Deisseroth K, Kasparov S. 2010. Astrocytes Control Breathing Through pH-Dependent Release of ATP. Science 329: 571-575.
Something like modifying respiration rate was traditionally thought of as the sort of thing that only neurons would do. Increasingly it looks like thinking of glia as "just nerve glue" might have been a mistake.
This discussion reminded me of article I read a while ago discussing Einstein’s brain. They found similar numbers of neurons, but an increased amount of glial cells. Even more interesting is the fact that glial cells were denser in areas associated with “imagery and complex thinking.”
ReplyDeleteThis caused researchers to look deeper into what these cells do. Although future studies are not explained in this article, a connection between astrocytes and the cognitive processes of memory and learning is suggested.
Things like this really make you wonder how much we are overlooking as science progresses. It will be interesting to see what future research unfolds about these cells we wrote off as strictly protectors/supporters.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=126229305
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