what protects the human brain?
147641
the most obvious protection of the brain is the skull.  also, there is connective tissue from the skull that can help protect it.  there are three meninges, too, which kinda help to protect it.  they are the dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater.  the cerebral fluid which the one person mentioned in contained between the meninges in the subarachnoid space.
502208
chemicals in the brain
230369
The brain controls "lower" or involuntary activities such as heartbeat, respiration, and digestion - these are known as autonomic functions. The brain also controls "higher" order, conscious activities, such as thought, reasoning, and abstraction. The human brain is generally regarded as more capable of these higher order activities than any other species.\n\nThe human brain is thought to be the source of the conscious, cognitive mind. The mind is the set of cognitive processes related to perception, interpretation, imagination, and memories, of which a person may or may not be aware. Beyond cognitive functions, the brain regulates autonomic processes related to essential body functions such as respiration and heartbeat.\n\nExtended neocortical capacity allows humans some control over emotional behavior, but neural pathways between emotive centers of the brain stem and cerebral motor control areas are shorter than those connecting complex cognitive areas in the neocortex with incoming sensory information from the brain stem. Powerful emotional pathways can modulate spontaneous emotive expression regardless of attempts at cerebral self-control. Emotive stability in humans is associated with planning, experience, and an environment that is both stable and stimulating, especially during early developmental years.\n\nThe 19th century discovery of the primary motor cortex mapped to correspond with regions of the body led to popular belief that the brain was organized around a homunculus. A distorted figure drawn to represent the body's motor map in the prefrontal cortex was popularly recognized as the brain's homunculus, but function of the human brain is far more complex.\n\nThe human brain appears to have no localized center of conscious control. The brain seems to derive consciousness from interaction among numerous systems within the brain. Executive functions rely on cerebral activities, especially those of the frontal lobes, but redundant and complementary processes within the brain result in a diffuse assignment of executive control that can be difficult to attribute to any single locale.\n\nMidbrain functions include routing, selecting, mapping, and cataloguing information, including information perceived from the environment and information that is remembered and processed throughout the cerebral cortex. Endocrine functions housed in the midbrain play a leading role in modulating arousal of the cortex and of autonomic systems.\n\nNerves from the brain stem complex where autonomic functions are modulated join nerves routing messages to and from the cerebrum in a bundle that passes through the spinal column to related parts of a body. Twelve pairs of cranial nerves, including some that innervate parts of the head, follow pathways from the medulla oblongata outside the spinal cord.\n\nA definite description of the biological basis for consciousness so far eludes the best efforts of the current generation of researchers. But reasonable assumptions based on observable behaviors and on related internal responses have provided the basis for general classification of elements of consciousness and of likely neural regions associated with those elements. Researchers know people lose consciousness and regain it, they have identified partial losses of consciousness associated with particular neuropathologies and they know that certain conscious activities are impossible without particular neural structures.
744208
its A] it forms a protective layer on the olfactory tract.
488147
You had better believe it....If we treat our machines like we treat our bodies, we would be considered as being reckless. Improving brain cells can be accomplished by (basically) the following points.\n\nSTAYING MENTALLY ACTIVE: Mentally stimulating activities strengthen brain cells and the connections between them, and may even create new nerve cells.\n \n REMAINING SOCIALLY ACTIVE: Social activity not only makes physical and mental activity more enjoyable, it can reduce stress levels, which helps maintain healthy connections among brain cells.\n \nSTAY PHYSICALLY ACTIVE:Physical exercise is essential for maintaining good blood flow to the brain as well as to encourage new brain cells. It also can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes, and thereby protect against those risk factors for Alzheimer's and other dementias. \n \nADOPTING A BRAIN-HEALTHY DIET:Research suggests that high cholesterol may contribute to stroke and brain cell damage. A low fat, low cholesterol diet is advisable. And there is growing evidence that a diet rich in dark vegetables and fruits, which contain antioxidants, may help protect brain cells.
664398
The human specialty is intelligence.  We are social animals that work in teams which is added protection.  We do not need speed, bruit force or defense systems like other animals.
475825
Bird < human. The cerebrum is related to higher level processing. Humans have more cognitive abilities than birds, hence more cerebrum
53160
The human mind is associated with the brain.  The brain tends to use neurons which have previously been used over those which have never been used.  Background assumptions, beliefs, paradigms all tend to prevent new associations with old concepts.
272344
Everything but the brain.
71129
A stroke, or CVA [cerebral vascular accident], is a medical term for an event where the brain does not get enough blood flow (whether is due to a leak or a blockage).  The nervous tissue in the brain requires a constant supply of blood (because it carries oxygen).  If this supply is insufficient, the nervous tissue will die, and therefore parts of the brain tissue dies.  The brain is the center of the nervous system.
986643
The normal adult human brain typically weighs between 1 and 1.5 kg (3 lb) and has an average volume of 1,600 cm³. An average male brain has approximately 4% more cells and 100 grams more brain tissue than an average female brain. However, both sexes have similar brain weight to body weight ratios [1]. The mature brain consumes some 20% of the energy used by the body, while the developing brain of an infant consumes around 60%. Such heavy energy usage generates large quantities of heat, which must be continually removed to prevent brain damage.\nAnatomical restraints prevent the human brain from getting even bigger. At birth, an infant's skull is as large as it can be without imperiling the lives of mothers and infants during childbirth. The difficulty experienced by humans in giving birth is nearly unique in the animal kingdom, requiring the head of the emerging infant to be rotated as it passes through the birth canal. Female humans have evolved large pelvic openings to accommodate the birth of large-headed offspring, but at the cost of thinning of the pelvic bones. Bones too thin can no longer bear the mother's weight or the mechanical stresses of walking and running, and a compromised ability to flee dangers may prevent the female from coming of childbearing age. Therefore, brain size and pelvic opening size can be considered an evolutionary trade-off between the ability of females to reach and survive their childbearing and child-rearing years, and their ability to bear big-brained offspring.\nThe human brain is the source of the conscious, cognitive mind. The mind is the set of cognitive processes related to perception, interpretation, imagination, and memories, of which a person may or may not be aware. Beyond cognitive functions, the brain regulates autonomic processes related to essential body functions such as respiration and heartbeat.\n\nExtended neocortical capacity allows humans some control over emotional behavior, but neural pathways between emotive centers of the brain stem and cerebral motor control areas are shorter than those connecting complex cognitive areas in the neocortex with incoming sensory information from the brain stem. Powerful emotional pathways can modulate spontaneous emotive expression regardless of attempts at cerebral self-control. Emotive stability in humans is associated with planning, experience, and an environment that is both stable and stimulating.\nThe following are some commonly held misconceptions of the mind and brain perpetuated through urban legends, mass media, and the promotion of dubious products to consumers (Sala, 1999). A number of practitioners of pseudoscience, New Age philosophies, and mystical or occult practices are known to use some of these ideas as a part of their belief systems (also see popular psychology).\n\nThe human brain is firm and grey: The fresh/living brain is actually very soft, jelly-like and deep red. They do not become firm and grey until they have been preserved with various chemicals/resins. \nHumans use only 10% or less of their brain: Even though many mysteries of brain function persist, every part of the brain has a known function. \nThis misconception most likely arose from a misunderstanding (or misrepresentation in an advertisement) of neurological research in the late 1800s or early 1900s when researchers either discovered that only about 10% of the neurons in the brain are firing at any given time or announced that they had only mapped the functions of 10% of the brain up to that time (accounts differ on this point). \nAnother possible origin of the misconception is that only 10% of the cells in the brain are neurons; the rest are glial cells that, despite being involved in learning, do not function in the same way that neurons do. \nIf all of a person's neurons began firing at once he would not become smarter, but would instead suffer a seizure. In fact, studies have shown that the brains of more intelligent people are less ac
419710
No, once the brain is damaged it can not repair itself. However depending on the extent of damage, other parts of the brain can take over some of the functions of the damaged area.
979840
The bodies natural way to protect you from imminent danger.
956564
Anytime you learn anything new you form synaptic connections.  The brain changes as a result of experience and having more synaptic connections protects against Alzheimer's.  I listed a Web MD article that summarizes studies on the subject--including doing crossword puzzles.
1017021
The research done with mice and spinal cord injury is fascinating, yet does not touch the neural networks involved in memory and cognition, only motor function.  Much research has gone into embryonic stem cell research which could hopefully reverse the effects that the plaques have already caused on the brain.  Even more interesting work is being done in prevention.  Like many illnesses it is easier to treat if it never happens and like many illnesses it seems that exercise can help prevent the disease.  With the aging population I believe the interest in a cure and possibly vaccines for prevention may be on the way soon.
978832
This is definitely a myth.  We use all of our brain.  The origin of this myth is that only 10% of our brain is made up of actual neurons in the strictest sense.  That means that only 10% of the cells in our brain are the kind that transmit signals and make us think.  The other 90% are called glia.  These cells provide the structural support and nutrients for the neurons, as well as clear away their waste and excess neurotransmitters.  These cells are "used" just as much as the other 10% though.
486691
This is the best question I've ever seen.  Thanks so much for asking it!  You will not get the full answer, but it will be very interesting if you keep asking smart people what they think.  I really want to know the answer to this question, and I never thought to ask it myself.\n\nObviously the brain (and possibly the body as well) requires some kind of regenerative process, just like it requires a certain amount of food and water and oxygen.  You can't go too long without either, or else your body will break down.  If you "lose sleep," you suffer - no one gets away with it.  In fact, one of the ways they use to torture prisoners of war nowadays is sleep deprivation.  Even the most hardened killers begin to crack under its effects, physically and psychologically.  \n\nDo trees sleep?  You have to wonder.\n\nI'll let you in on one secret I know that most people do not.  One of the answers to your question is that the unconscious mind has about 1 million times more processing power than the conscious mind.  It would make sense if our body's natural functions require the full force of regulatory calculations that only the unconscious mind can perform.  In other words, if we only used our conscious minds to run our body and brains, we would quickly degenerate and die.  We're nowhere near as smart when awake as we are while asleep.  Unfortunately, the only way to do work (to get food & water) is to be awake, alert, receiving new data, and guiding one's movements.  Then again, we can live for decades in a coma.\n\nThis is such a great question.