BrainFacts-org.pdf

A Companion Publication to BrainFacts.org

A PRIMER ON THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM

A PRIMER ON THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM

A companion to BrainFacts.org

A PUBLIC INFORMATION INITIATIVE OF:

P reface

Over the past two decades, scientiic knowledge about the structure and function of the brain and

nervous system and understanding of brain-based disorders have increased exponentially. Neuroscientists

are using remarkable new tools and technologies to learn how the brain controls and responds to the body,

drives behavior, and forms the foundation for the mind. Research is also essential for the development of

therapies for more than 1,000 nervous system disorders that affect more than 1 billion people worldwide.

As these strides occur, it is crucial that scientists communicate with the general public, helping

students, teacher, parents, medical caregivers, policymakers, and others stay informed of developments in

neuroscience. In particular, students — the scientists, policymakers and scientiically literate citizens of the

future — need access to clear, easy-to-use information on this important topic.

As part of its enduring commitment to public education and outreach, the Society for Neuroscience

(SfN) is pleased to present the seventh edition of Brain Facts: A Primer on the Brain and Nervous

System . This edition has been substantially revised. Research progress has been updated throughout the

publication, and a new section on animal research added. The information also has been reorganized into

six sections to make it easier for readers to glean the “big ideas” covered, and the speciic topics that fall

under each category.

The publication of the Brain Facts seventh edition coincides with the launch of BrainFacts.org ,

a public information initiative of The Kavli Foundation, The Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and

SfN. BrainFacts.org brings to digital life the historic Brain Facts book, and augments it with hundreds

of additional, scientiically vetted public information resources available from leading neuroscience

organizations worldwide. BrainFacts.org is envisioned as a dynamic and unique online source for

authoritative public information about the progress and promise of brain research. It will be updated

frequently with the latest neuroscience information from around the globe, while the Brain Facts book will

continue to be a vital teaching and outreach tool.

We encourage you to visit BrainFacts.org frequently to supplement information found within this

companion book, and to join us in the quest for continuing revolutionary advances in understanding the

brain and mind.

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Introduction ..................................................................................................................4

Part 1: Introduction to the Brain

Chapter 1: Brain Basics ..................................................................................................6

Chapter 2: The Developing Brain ................................................................................... 13

Part 2: Sensing, Thinking, and Behaving

Chapter 3: Senses and Perception .................................................................................. 18

Chapter 4: Learning, Memory, and Language .................................................................. 25

Chapter 5: Movement................................................................................................... 29

Chapter 6: Sleep ......................................................................................................... 32

Part 3: Across the Lifespan

Chapter 7: Stress ......................................................................................................... 36

Chapter 8: Aging ........................................................................................................ 39

Part 4: Brain Research

Chapter 9: Kinds of Research ........................................................................................ 42

Part 5: Diseases and Disorders

Chapter 10: Childhood Disorders ................................................................................... 49

Chapter 11: Addiction .................................................................................................. 52

Chapter 12: Degenerative Disorders ............................................................................... 57

Chapter 13: Psychiatric Disorders................................................................................... 62

Chapter 14: Injury and Illness........................................................................................ 66

Part 6: Treating Brain Disorders

Chapter 15: Potential Therapies ..................................................................................... 73

Chapter 16: Neuroethics............................................................................................... 76

Glossary .................................................................................................................... 80

Neuroscience Resources ............................................................................................... 86

Index......................................................................................................................... 88

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The huMAN BRAIN — a spongy, three-

pound mass of tissue — is the most complex living structure

in the universe. With the capacity to create a network

of connections that far surpasses any social network and

stores more information than a supercomputer, the brain

has enabled humans to achieve breathtaking milestones —

walking on the moon, mapping the human genome, and

composing masterpieces of literature, art, and music. What’s

more, scientists still have not uncovered the extent of what

the brain can do. This single organ controls every aspect

of our body, ranging from heart rate and sexual activity to

emotion, learning, and memory. The brain controls the

immune system’s response to disease, and determines, in part,

how well people respond to medical treatments. Ultimately,

it shapes our thoughts, hopes, dreams, and imaginations. It is

the ability of the brain to perform all of these functions that

makes us human.

Neuroscientists , whose specialty is the study of the

brain and the nervous system, have the daunting task of

deciphering the mystery of how the brain commands the

body. Over the years, the ield has made enormous progress.

For example, neuroscientists now know that each person

has as many as 100 billion nerve cells called neurons , and

the communication between these cells forms the basis of all

brain function. However, scientists continue to strive for a

deeper understanding of how these cells are born, grow, and

organize themselves into effective, functional circuits that

usually remain in working order for life.

The motivation of researchers is to further our

understanding of human behavior, including how we read

and speak and why we form relationships; to discover ways

to prevent or cure many devastating disorders of the brain as

well as the body under the brain’s control; and to advance

the enduring scientiic quest to understand how the world

around us — and within us — works.

The importance of this research cannot be overstated.

More than 1,000 disorders of the brain and nervous system

result in more hospitalizations than any other disease group,

including heart disease and cancer. Neurological illnesses

affect more than 50 million Americans annually and

cost more than $500 billion to treat. In addition, mental

disorders strike 44 million adults a year at a cost of $148

billion. Advances in research could reduce these costs. For

example, discovering how to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s

disease by ive years could save $50 billion in annual health

care costs.

In the past two decades, neuroscience has made

impressive progress in many of the ield’s key areas. Now,

more than ever, neuroscience is on the cusp of major

breakthroughs.

Recently, signiicant indings have been documented in

the following areas.

Genetics Disease genes have been identiied that

are key to several disorders, including the epilepsies,

Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease , Parkinson’s disease ,

and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). These discoveries

have provided new insight into underlying disease

mechanisms and are beginning to suggest new treatments.

With the mapping of the human genome, neuroscientists

have been able to make more rapid progress in identifying

genes that either contribute to or directly cause human

neurological disease. Mapping animal genomes has aided

the search for genes that regulate and control many

complex behaviors.

Gene-environment Interactions Most major

diseases have a genetic basis strongly inluenced by the

environment. For example, identical twins, who share the

same DNA, have an increased risk of getting the same

disease compared with nonidentical siblings. However, if

one twin gets the disease, the probability the other will

also be affected is between 30 percent and 60 percent,

indicating that there are environmental factors at play

as well. Environmental inluences involve factors such as

exposure to toxic substances, diet, level of physical activity,

and stressful life events.

Brain Plasticity The brain possesses the ability

to modify neural connections to better cope with new

circumstances. Scientists have begun to uncover the

molecular basis of this process, called plasticity , revealing

how learning and memory occur and how declines might

be reversed. In addition, scientists have discovered that

the adult brain continually generates new nerve cells — a

4 B raiN f actS | introduction

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