LITE Session 2 The Biology of the Brain

LITE Session 2: The Biology of the Brain

What’s the point of this?

• Most animals need a brain to navigate around the world, to make decisions and predictions about what will happen next and to react to external information. • Brains are for figuring out and predicting the external world • They also tell our bodies how to respond.

So why don’t Jellyfish have brains? !

They don’t react to very much in their environment – they are swept along in ocean currents and use tentacle to gather food – they don’t actively decide where to go.

There are 80 billion brain cells (neurones) in the average adult

Neural networks are complicated! • Each of the 80 billion neurones can make up to 10, 000 connections (Anyone want to calculate the total figure of possibilities? !) • It’s not really surprising things can sometimes go wrong • Mental health problems occur when things go wrong in the neural networks of the brain.

Learning outcomes • The brain is a complex organ • Different regions have specific jobs but all regions are connected by billions of neuron cells • Mental health problems occur when problems happen in the neural network • As the brain is so complex, Scientists and doctors can’t yet tell where the problems have occurred or often what’s caused them.