The brain is the center of the nervous system
in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals.
The adult human brain weighs on average
about 3 lb (1.5 kg).
The cerebral cortex of the human brain contains roughly 15–33 billion neurons, perhaps more, depending on gender and age, linked with up to 10,000 synaptic connections each.
Each cubic millimeter of cerebral cortex contains
roughly one billion synapses. The brains of vertebrates
are made of very soft tissue, with a texture that has
been compared to Jell-O or firm tofu.
Living brain tissue is pinkish on the outside
and mostly white on the inside, with subtle
variations in color.
A number of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression, are widely thought to be associated with brain dysfunctions, although the nature of such brain anomalies is not well understood.
Mental disorders, such as clinical depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder may involve particular patterns of neuropsychological functioning related to various aspects of mental and somatic function.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (also known as "mad cow disease") is deadly in cattle and humans and is linked
to prions. Kuru is a similar prion-borne degenerative brain disease affecting humans.
Both are linked to the ingestion of neural tissue, and may explain the tendency in human and some non-human species to avoid cannibalism.
MORE BRAIN FOOD:
Brains
the Human Brain
10 Myths about the Brain
Have you given any thought to the color of your brain?
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