Interesting stories about human brain ability (Part 2)

The eminent physicist Albert Einstein is as small as an ordinary person, while a 115-year-old grandmother's brain with a number of equivalent human cells in her 60s is two interesting findings about the brains of special people.
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Genius physicist Albert Einstein.Photo: xtraordinarypeople.com.

Albert Einstein, one of the most influential scientists in human history, died on April 18, 1955 at Princeton Hospital (New Jersey, USA). At exactly 7 hours after the genius physicist died, pathologist Thomas Harvey cut his brain to preserve, in the hope that future development of neuroscience could explain why Einstein so smart. Thomas realized that Einstein's brain had no special points. It shrinks with age and is even a bit smaller than the majority of the human brain.

In the early 80s, neurologist Marian Diamond of the University of California (USA) analyzed a number of slices taken from the lobes on the top of the skull and the prefrontal cortex of Einstein that Thomas left. After comparing slices with tissue of normal 11 brains, she found that the ratio of buffering cells to Einstein's neurons was greater. In the brain and spinal cord, glial cells envelop nerve cells and help nerve cells stay in place. Not only do they provide energy and nutrients to nerve cells, but they are also involved in neurotransmitter processing and signaling. Although it was not possible to determine the exact number of padded cells, Marian confirmed their number in the left-top area of ​​Einstein's brain at least twice that of ordinary people.

Previously, Marian had known a mathematician who lost the ability to write and draw cubes after his left apex was injured. Some mathematicians claim that they see abstract concepts so clearly that it is as if they exist in the brain and can be touched as tangible objects. Marian argues that the left top area, which is important for visual ability, is related to this problem. But there are also a few other assumptions. Einstein had suffered from slow reading and his ability to remember words was poor. Delayed reading often occurs after damage to the left top. Therefore, the number of buffer cells larger than the average of Eisteins may be the cause of his difficulty in reading skills.

Britt Anderson, an expert at the University of Alabama (USA), studies tissue in the right frontal cortex - a place that is involved in active memory, thinking ability and organization. He found that the number and size of neurons in this area was nothing unusual, but the entire shell was thinner than the average (2.1 mm versus 2.6 mm). This means that neurons in Einstein's cerebral cortex are compressed at a denser density than normal. Britt said that the thicker the density, the faster the speed of communication between nerve cells.

In 1998, Britt again studied Einstein's brain again. This time he looked at the photos. Everything is nothing special except the lobes on the top of the brain. Here Einstein's brain is about 15% wider than the average, making it more like a hemisphere. Most human brains often have an asymmetric structure, but the lobes at the top of Einstein are symmetrical. This reinforces the hypothesis that Einstein is more capable of sensing space and reasoning than people thanks to some unusual structures of the brain.

Another special case is the world's oldest Dutch woman Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper died at the age of 115, last August. Her brain became the subject of research by some scientists at Groningen Medical University. They found Hendrikje's brain was virtually free of vascular damage, there was no accumulation of protein (the cause of memory problems like Alzheimer's). The number of cells is equivalent to the number of cells in the brain of people aged 60-80. According to Wilfred den Dunnen, the leader of the study, it shows that the life expectancy of the brain can far exceed the biological life span of humans.

The aging process brings many changes to the brain. Blood vessels in the brain contract, while the quality of myelin (the fat responsible for separating nerve fibers from each other) decreases. Brain volume drops slightly and the grooves on the brain surface swell. Old age also causes the speed of neuronal movement and the ability of coordination between brain regions to decrease.

Psychologists affirmed that memory may begin to decline from their twenties, but the combined experience and knowledge increase until we enter the age of fifty or six. In addition, human cognitive ability is maintained continuously throughout life because when the volume of a brain area decreases, the brain will mobilize other regions to work instead.

Many scientists think that memory loss is an inevitable disease of old age. This view became more and more shaky when people found a few dozen people whose lifespan over a century had memories as young as those in their twenties. The secret to having a clear brain when you get old is not simple. Some people suffer from genetic dementia, while many others suddenly become ill. High blood pressure, obesity and cardiovascular diseases all increase the risk of stroke and dementia. Regular exercise and brain training are two of the most effective ways to maintain brain clarity when you get older.