Brain
The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system. It is three pound of tofu-like tissue containing 1.1 trillion cells, including 100 billion neurons and is the most complex organ in the body. Even though it’s only 2 percent of the body’s weight, the brain uses 20–25 percent of its oxygen and glucose. Like a refrigerator, it’s always humming away, performing its functions; consequently, it uses about the same amount of energy whether you’re deep asleep or thinking hard. The number of possible combinations of 100 billion neurons firing or not is approximately 10 to the millionth power, or 1 followed by a million zeros, in principle; this is the number of possible states of your brain. To put this quantity in perspective, the number of atoms in the universe is estimated to be “only” about 10 to the eightieth power.
References
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Hanson, Rick. (2009). Buddha’s Brain The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom Chapter 1. The Self-Transforming Brain (p. 15). New Harbinger Publications: Oakland, CA.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Anatomy / Neuroanatomy Status:☀️