The Synapse

Neurons have special extensions called dendrites and axons.  Dendrites bring information to the cell body and axons move information away from the cell body.

Information travels from one neuron to the next through a small gap called a synapse.  

The pre-synaptic ending (neuron at the front of the chain) contains neurotransmitters.

The post-synaptic ending (neuron on the receiving end of the synapse) contains receptor sites for the neurotransmitters.

By releasing special neurotransmitters, neurons can release special signals and information to the next one.  The billions of neurons communicate with each other this way, which allows the brain to carry out all of its specialized functions!

The synapse is shown very well in the following video:

Bill Nye The Science Guy

We have finally found the video on the brain from the Bill Nye series. Enjoy!

Natural Hallucinogen

This video is very neat. By staring at the middle of the screen for around a minute, your eyes get accustomed to the motion of the lines. Since this is now "normal", your brain adapts to the way the lines move and perceives it as being normal. Once you turn away from the video and look at something that is still, your brain is tricked!

IlLuSiOnS

Since we all love illusions, we will post some more cool illusions!

MORE illusions!

We found some more illusions from your favorite scientist: Bill Nye..The Science Guy!

WHAT? Our brain isn't perfect?

Sometimes we think that our brain can do anything. We trust our brains to keep us alive and make the best decisions possible.  However, the next two sites show that the brain is NOT perfect.  We can be easily tricked by simple things in life and we may not even know it.

http://listverse.com/2010/01/07/top-10-common-faults-in-human-thought/

http://listverse.com/2010/04/12/10-more-common-faults-in-human-thought/

Do any of these errors sound familiar?? Most should and if not, these faults can prepare you for what's to come next!

How Your Brain Works

Ever wonder how our brain works? Well its amazingly complex, as every day
it controls everything that happens to our body along with everything that
we think. Despite being complex and advanced our brain has problems and
issues of its own. BBC, National geographic and KidsHealth are three good
places to learn more about how our brain works.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/body/interactives/organs/ brainmap/index.shtml

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/stories/spacescience/brain/

http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/brain.html

What is a Neuron?

The brain is a very amazing organ.  It carries out higher level processing, which is no easy task.  In order to work properly, the trillions of cells in the brain must work together well.  These cells are neurons and are specialized to carry messages through electrochemical processes.

Below is a basic structure of a neuron:

The neuron receives messages from other neurons at its dendrites.  It passes this information along its axon through electrical signals.  At the presynaptic terminal, the neuron passes its message onto the next cell through chemical signaling.  The neuron can pass its message to muscle cells, which help you move around!

Brain Imaging

Recent technology has allowed neuroscientists to see inside a living brain.  These techniques have allowed them to:

• understand the function each area in the brain serves
• locate areas that are affected by brain injuries

Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan)

-uses x-ray beams to pass through the head.  

-shows structure of the brain, but not function.

Position Emission Tomography (PET)

-detects radioactive material that is injected or inhaled to produce an image of the brain

-radioactive material moves to area of the brain that is in use

-allows you to see function

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

-detects radio frequency signals produced by displacing radio waves in a magnetic field

-shows structures of brain

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

-detects changes in blood flow to the brain

-shows structure and function of the parts of the brain

What is the brain?

Check out this neat website on the brain!
It covers the following topics:

• Parts of the brain
• Function of the brain
• Interesting facts
• and how to improve your brain

Finally, to get your brain juices flowing, you can try the brain teaser at the bottom of the page!

>>LINK<<

HELMETS

As you know, brain injuries are not something you want to experience as they are life changing and 99.9999% for the worst.  An easy way to help prevent head injuries is to wear a helmet.
There are a few important points to consider when wearing a helmet.

1) Wear an appropriate helmet for the activity.

2. Wear a helmet that is certified in your country. 

These helmets are scientifically tested to be safer and able to protect your head from large impact.

3. Always wear your helmet properly.

Wearing an helmet improperly is almost as useless as not wearing a helmet!

In this video, can you spot wear this kid has made a mistake in wearing his helmet?

If you said his chin straps are too loose, then you are 100% correct!

Homunculus

Homunculus literally means "little man" and it is used to show the amount of brain power dedicated to each body part.  The motor homunculus shows the amount of brain power used to control each body part.  The facial regions and the hands have the greatest area.  In the sensory homunculus, the amount of brain power used to feel different parts of your body is shown.  Likewise, the facial regions and the hands are the greatest; therefore, they have the most feeling.

The RSA

The RSA Youtube channel is a great resource for a large number of topics not limited to just
psychology but a good video they have involves a discussion of a person's drive. It shows how a
person's drive greatly affects our life.

>>RSA<<

Tom Wujec On The 3 Ways The Brain Creates Meaning

Do you know how your brain creates an image of the world around you? Or how the brain gives meaning to the world around us? Well it's a pretty complex set of actions that your brain goes through so that we have an idea of having meaning to the world around us. Tom Wujec explains this quite nicely.

Clive Wearing - The man with no short-term memory

I'm sure you take your short-term memory for granted since you have always had it. But
short-term memory is incredibly important. For example, imagine how hard it would be to have a
conversation with someone if you constantly forgot what they had just said. Well Clive Wearing has no short-term memory and in this video, his life is shown.

Change Blindness

Change blindness or our inability to notice seemingly obvious changes. This video shows an experiment demonstrating how poor people are at noticing changes. So how well do you think
you notice changes? Did you notice the changes shown in the video?



For another video showing a similar effect:

Priming, Money and their Effect On Us

How much influence do you think outside things affect how you act and behave? Well in this
video, even small changes in things we do or see are shown to have a huge effect on how we react and
behave.

Meningitis

Meningitis is the inflammation of the outer covering of the brain and the spinal cord.  This inflammation is usually caused from infection by viruses or bacteria.  Since its so close to the brain and the spinal cord, meningitis is a life threatening disease.  Luckily, there are very easy ways to prevent meningitis.  The first way is to always wash your hands.  After you have been playing with toys or games that are shared by many kids, there are lots of germs left on them.  By washing you hands with soap and water or Purel, meningitis can be prevented, as well as many other germs!  Also, many schools have an immunization program, where nurses come in to give you shots.  Even though they may be painful, it is much better than getting meningitis.

For more information on meningitis, go to this >>LINK<<.

BAM Bake sale!

Today, BAM hosted at bake sale in the Business atrium at the University of Alberta.  It was a great success, in not only raising money for brain awareness, but meeting students on campus.  The total profit has not been calculated, but we are excited to hear what it will be!

Do Elephants Never Forget??

Ever wondered if this saying was true?

Well, the writers at www.whyzz.com examine the truth to this saying in the link below.

Why do elephants never forget?

10 Fun Facts About the Brain

1. Your brain is more active and thinks more at night than during the day.

2. Your brain is 80% water.

3. 20% of the oxygen you breathe goes to your brain.

4. People who ride on roller coasters have a higher chance of getting a blood clot in their brain.

5. The brain has 100 000 000 000 neurons.

6. A human brain weighs about 1300-1400 grams; whereas, an elephant brain weighs 6000 grams and a cat brain weighs 30 grams.

7. There are no pain receptors in the brain, so the brain feels no pain.

8. The human brain is the fattest organ, containing at least 60% fat.

9. Memories triggered by a smell are better stored in your brain.

10. Each time we blink, the brain helps to keep things illuminated so the world doesn't go dark.  (This happens 20,000 times a day

More Illusions To Trick Your Brain

Are the lines horizontal? Or do they slope?

Which line is the longest??

They are actually all the same.

How many legs does this elephant have?

Rabbit?...Or a Duck??

BAW Movie!

Last year's Brain Awareness Week movie was posted on Youtube for everyone to see.  It was made for kids your age, so this movie is a great way to learn about the brain and its important functions.  If you haven't seen it yet, the links to the 6 parts are provided below.

Tired of homework??

We have a solution!

Not only is this website tons of fun, there are many activities and games that help your memory and make you smarter at the same time!

Browse through math games, reading games, sudoku, arcade games and comics all on one website!

http://www.funbrain.com/

BRAIN FREEZE!

Have you ever been so excited to eat that delicious looking chocolate ice cream... only to eat it so fast that your brain started to hurt afterwards???  If this sounds familiar, you have experienced a brain freeze.  Have no fear though, your brain is not frozen.  In fact, vessels in your head have swollen up very quickly from the cold temperature, which has caused your head to hurt.
      Luckily, a brain freeze does not last forever and by taking a break from your cold food or beverage, you can escape this painful situation!

For a more in depth explanation of this phenomenon, click this >>LINK<<

Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter!

Once a month, Neuroscience for Kids releases a newsletter by e-mail!
The newsletter contains:
What's new on the Neuroscience for Kids pages
Highlights of recent findings in brain research
Special experiments for the classroom
Archives of past newsletters
Science fair projects
Feedback from users
Book reviews

If you are interested, send an e-mail to chudler@u.washington.edu to request your newsletter!

BrainWorks

In this 30 minute TV show, Dr. Eric Chudler shows off the central nervous system, which includes the brain, and demonstrates how the brain performs many of its activities.

>>Click here to go to the video<<

Brain Awareness Week

Mark it in your calendar !
March 14-20, 2011 is Brain Awareness Week

Illusions

Your brain is also responsible for tricking you (as silly as it sounds).  Without a brain, you wouldn't be able to see cool illusions!

Protecting Your Head

If you follow hockey or any other sport where there is a lot of physical contact, you should be familiar with the seriousness of a concussion.  But what is a concussion really?
In the following website, the signs/symptoms of a concussion are described.  Also, the treatment of a concussion is stated.  However, one of the most important things to take away is the importance of preventing damage to your head in the first place.
This can be done by wearing helmets, especially when playing physical sports like hockey or football.

>>Concussions<<

Lobes of the Brain

Each lobe (division) of the brain is responsible for different activities that you perform.  Without these lobes, you wouldn't be able to play soccer, read books or talk to your friends!  In the link provided below, there is information on each of the lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital.

>>Lobes of the Brain<<

If you scroll to the bottom, there is a review quiz, coloring page, online puzzle, and a Brain Game to test out your new knowledge!

A Fun Way To Learn The Parts of the Brain!