The Most Amazing Machine: Brain Injuries
When a brain injury occurs, the deficits that follow depend on which parts of the brain are injured and the degree of damage. Matt Dykas was an 18-year-old high school senior when he suffered a paralyzing stroke after running track. In this segmen...
The Most Amazing Machine: Neural Communication
The neuron is the fundamental unit or cell in the brain. Neurons interact with each other by generating small blips of electricity which zap down an axon at rates up to 250 miles per hour. Each neuron is networked with about 10,000 other neurons...
The Most Amazing Machine: Lower Level Brain Structures
The brain stem, which some refer to as the old reptilian brain, exists in all mammals. It is engaged in activities that regulate the body and its basic survival responses. The limbic areas are involved in generating emotion, motivation and socia...
The Most Amazing Machine: Control Center, The
The brain is the command center that organizes and coordinates all body processes. The central nervous system comprises the brain and spinal cord and therefore has access to control all vital organs.
The Most Amazing Machine: Splitting the Brain
Connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain is a large bridge of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. Little was known about this section of the brain until neurosurgeon Joseph Bogen cut the corpus callosum to relieve patients with ...
The Most Amazing Machine: Tools of Discovery
Methods for studying the brain have evolved with the technology. The development of the electroencephalogram (EEG) allows researchers to measure electrical activity in the brain. Positron emission tomography, or PET, uses radioactive isotopes...
Alzheimer's Disease and Genetics
Dr. Andrew Leuchter, Director of Adult Psychiatry at UCLA, explains that, "...it's clear that there are genetic predispositions to development of Alzheimer's disease late in life..." Dr. Leuchter adds that some of those who develop Alzheimer's disea...