• Question: What is a brain? How does your brain communicate with your body? Are human brains different from other animals? How does our brain cope with stress?

    Asked by eggy169 to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: . This question was also asked by abdominals4life, adamrussell, cherylcole.
    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hi guys! Well the brain is the ‘power station’ of the human body. The brain has two sides or ‘hemispheres’ which are involved in different types of processing like language (left brain) or spatial awareness (right brain). The brain sends messages around the body to activate certain hormones (so you know that you are hungry for example) or activate groups of muscles (so you can move). If the brain is stressed people may get confused or can’t concentrate properly – the brain needs lots of rest.

      All human brains have a surface with grooves (called sulci) and ridges (called gyri) which give the brain a sponge like look – these features play a role in things like laughter and self-awareness. But some animal brains don’t have these features and are smooth – like in mice for example. One of the biggest differences between the human and animal brain is language. Human brains are very specialised for language but animal brains are more limited in this respect.

    • Photo: Michelle Murphy

      Michelle Murphy answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      your brain is the center of your nervous system it is the bodys message centre (allows us to know what different parts of our bodies are doing) by sending electrical and chemical signals to cell all over our bodys. (I have answered the human animal already look through my answered questions). In times of stress the brain sends signals to release adrenaline (to keep you alert and on your toes) and stress hormones which keep your blood sugar levels up and increase your breathing so you have lots of oxygen. This gives you lots of energy so you can run away if you need to.

    • Photo: William Davies

      William Davies answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Wow, loads of questions! A brain is a collection of cells which communicate with one another (neurons) and cells which nourish the neurons and remove their waste products (glia). Your brain communicates with your body by sending neurons along the spinal cord, which then interact with other neurons in your various body bits. This communication is electrical (along the neurons) and chemical (various so-called neurotransmitters get released where neurons speak to one another at the synapse). Human brains are much bigger than most other animals (relative to body size), and have a much larger cortex (which is responsible for most things that humans are really good at, like speaking, planning etc.) Our brain copes with stress by releasing various proteins known as hormones into the bloodstream which cause our other organs (e.g. our skin and adrenal glands) to react (e.g. by sweating and by releasing adrenaline).

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      The brain is the control centre for our bodies where all our actions and behaviours are controlled. The brain communicates with the body through a complex wiring system of nerve cells that connect to each other and also to muscles to allow us to move. Human brains work in the same way as other animal brains in how they communicate with the body, but the wiring system of the human brain is much more complex than other animals. Stress causes the release of hormones that alter brain activity to allow it to cope with the stress.

    • Photo: Jane Henry

      Jane Henry answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      A brain is a collection of cells. These communicate with each other electrically and chemically. The brain communicates with your body via nerves. If the nerves are cut, say when someone breaks their back, the link is cut and people maybe paralysed because the brain can no longer direct the movement of the limbs. Human brains have many similarities with other animals but they are larger relative to body size, more complex and have a much bigger frontal cortex, which helps us reason, solve problems and plan for future. If you are stressed the body releases hormones like adrenline, the brain directs this.

Comments

  • Photo: Keith

    Keith commented on :

    Hi, just popping by from another zone; I work on peripheral autonomic function, so could help glancing at this one! Agree with most of the comments here, but:
    – I wouldn’t go for the the brain being the “Power station” given that energy is generated in cells peripherally, and that nervous signal from the brain can even switch this activity off (for example, parasympathetic innervation of the heart).
    – Just pointing out that the main signaling from the brain to the adrenal medulla (for the adrenaline) is through nerves (cholinergic ones); its hormonal from the pituitary to the outer layer of the adrenal gland, the cortex, but that’s for the steroid hormones.
    – Quite a lot of signaling between different areas in the body doesn’t involve the brain – plenty of reflex pathways and processing in the spinal cord when the brain doesn’t need to be bothered.