Q How much does a human brain typically weigh?
— Mae Larson, Poynette, Wis.
A Claudia Reardon, psychiatrist specializing in sports psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison:
The average human brain weighs about 3 pounds, representing about 2 percent of our body weight.
The human heart pumps blood to the entire body, but actually pumps about 20 percent of its total blood output to the brain. So the brain receives 20 percent of the blood pumped through our heart, a fact that is a testament to how important and remarkable this organ really is.
The human brain includes 100 billion neurons, or brain cells, and is an ever-changing organ. A number of factors can cause brain cells to die or regenerate.
People are also reading…
For example, if people have significant untreated depression, they can lose brain cells. But when depression is successfully treated, those cells grow back.
The front part of the brain is called the frontal lobe. The frontal lobe is important for things like focus and concentration, self-control and planning and executing multi-step activities. If someone has ADHD, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, there seems to be something awry with the frontal lobes that make it difficult to focus and concentrate.
Next is the parietal lobe. The parietal lobe is linked to sensation, the ability to feel things, as well as hearing and language.
The temporal lobe is the area over by our ears on either side of the head and is involved in memory — thanks to the hippocampus — and also has a role in language.
The back part of the brain is the occipital lobe. When you think of the occipital lobe, you should think of vision because this part of the brain is mainly involved in visual processing.
Blue Sky Science is a collaboration of the Wisconsin State Journal and the Morgridge Institute for Research.
