47 Funky Brain Facts That’ll Mess With Your Mind

The chills experienced when listening to music is a result of the brain releasing dopamine – this occurs when a piece of music moves you, or in anticipation of the peak moment during a song.

27. Solitary confinement can cause neurological damage that is so profound it can be seen on EEG-scans and "the brain may become as impaired as one that has incurred a traumatic injury".

28. During sleep, cerebral spinal fluid flows through the brain on the outside of the brain's blood vessels and it removes brain cell waste including amyloid beta protein. This flow only occurs during sleep. Amyloid beta protein buildup is involved in Alzheimer's.

29. In 2007, a 44-year-old man went to the doctor for minor leg discomfort and doctors found that his brain had reduced in size by 50%-75%.

30. It is suggested that staring at fire improved brain functions such as memory and problem-solving in early humans.

Albert Einstein wanted to be cremated and his ashes scattered with his brain in his head to "discourage idolaters" but the doctor performing the autopsy put the brain in formaldehyde and kept it for himself.

32. An Austrian scientist named Theodor Erismann created goggles that turned his vision completely upside down. Stumbling and tripping over everything at first, in just 5 days his brain completely adapted to the vision change and he saw everything as 'normal.'

33. There is a pair of craniopagus conjoined twins (Hogans Sisters) whose brains are so intertwined, they share all of their senses. They see what each other sees, taste what each other tastes, feel what each other feels.

34. There is actually a specific area of the brain known as the bilateral vomitation center. It notes when your tummy is upset and makes the final decision whether to barf or not to barf.

35. CNN medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta saved a Marine's life after he was shot in the head during the opening days of the invasion of Iraq. Without proper tools, Gupta performed the brain surgery with a Black and Decker handheld drill. The Marine lived.

Alzheimer's disease is considered by some scientists to be Type 3 diabetes because it results from resistance to insulin in the brain.

37. Scientists have successfully connected a paralyzed patient's brain to a tablet who was then able to type and surf the Internet.

38. The world's fastest supercomputer (TH-2) requires 24 million Watts of power, but still needs to be about 100,000 times faster to match our 20 Watt brain.

39. A clinical trial in 2016 held at Stanford University School of Medicine found that injecting modified human stem cells directly into the brains of chronic stroke patients can re-enable patients to walk.

40. 10-20% of Americans and a higher percent of Europeans are infected with a brain parasite from cats that makes them 2.5 times more likely to get in a car accident, changes personality traits, contributes to schizophrenia, and may cause sexual attraction to cat urine.

Cognitive decline is slower for people exercising regularly, and increased physical activity levels can slow down brain aging by 10 years.

42. Exercising makes you both more productive and happier for the day that you exercise. It affects your brain function and memory, and the positive effect lasts for the entire day.

43. Gaius Gracchus, the ancient Roman politician, had a bounty put on his head to the price of the head's weight in gold. Although the head was delivered, the prize was never paid, as it was discovered that Gaius' captor had emptied out his brain and replaced it with molten lead.

44. The brain receives 20% of the body's total oxygen consumption, despite only representing 2% of the body's total weight.

45. An Italian brain surgeon had a heart attack in the middle of an operation. He powered through it when he realized his patient would never recover if he stopped.

The human retina is actually a brain tissue. You see with an exposed part of your brain.

47. There are languages without the terms "Left, Right, Front, and Behind." These cultures use "North, South, East, and West" their whole lives no matter if they are in a room or in the woods. The result is a compass brain. They always know how they are oriented.