If you understand what you’re reading now, please thank your brain!
If our brains wouldn’t have been present, then… I’ll come to that point later in this blog :). In the first place, would we be alive without the brain in our body? How is the brain different from all the other organs? Is the brain the boss in our body? Are there any techniques that can replace the brain? Let’s find out.
It is difficult to know what the brain is in one or two statements. But to start this blog, I’ll give it a try.
The brain is the boss organ which has the majority control over other organs in our body. It controls four functions – voluntary movements, homeostasis, perception, and cognitive functions. The neuron is the smallest functioning part of the brain. There was an assumption that the neuron is one of the only cells that do not multiply. However, it isn’t completely correct.
The three types of meninges – the Pia Mater, the Arachnoid, and the Dura mater (thickest of all the meninges) surround the brain. Further, the cranium (brain box or skull) covers the Dura mater. All this protection, just for a fist-sized organ?! Does this show that the brain is essential for us to survive? Can’t we live without a brain? The simple answer is no. We can’t survive without the brain.
As mentioned previously, the brain is involved in controlling four functions. The spinal cord and the brain stem control voluntary movements, the hindbrain maintains homeostasis (regulates body temperature, heartbeat, and more), and the forebrain takes over perception and cognitive functions. (This information is from the article I have read. “Science of anything and everything keeps evolving”. So, please let me know if you have something to add in the comments below)
If we try to analyze what the brain does, we see that it has its say in controlling the whole body! Hence, the layered protection of the brain, the title Brain Boss, and the answer to the question of whether we can live without a brain or not are justified.
The question of living without the brain should not exist, but can we live with an alternative to the brain?
Two procedures (or techniques) are making their way into the mainstream. The first is the brain transplant. We can transplant a whole or a part of it from one person to the other like all other organ transplants. The second is the Brain Implant (or the neural chip implant). Here, an electronic chip gets placed on the brain cortex that “controls the secretion of neurotransmitters” and “will let us know of a stroke or any abnormalities in the body” (I’ll be letting you guys know about the brain transplant and the brain implant in the upcoming blogs). However, loads of ethical and biological issues block their way to success.
Thank you for staying with me till here. See you at the next one!
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