How the brain functions

The brain is the control centre of the body. Think of a telephone operator who answers incoming calls and directs them to where they need to go. Similarly, your brain acts as an operator by sending messages from all over the body to their proper destination.

A human brain accounts for about 2% of the body's weight, but it uses about 20% of its energy.

The brain is made up of distinct parts that developed through human evolution. The oldest evolutionary parts, which are responsible for life-supporting functions such as breathing, blood circulation and sleeping, are found at the base of the brain, joined to the spinal cord. This area is called the "brain stem" and includes the midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata. The more recently developed areas - the cerebellum and the cerebrum - surround the brain stem.

It is a complex communications network consisting of billions of neurons, or nerve cells.

Networks of neurons pass messages back and forth within the brain, the spinal column, and the peripheral nervous system.

These nerve networks control everything we feel, think, and do.

It is the command centre of your body. It controls just about everything you do, even when you are sleeping.

The brain is divided into two hemispheres, with each side specializing in different operations. Brain scans show that while young people often use only one side for a specific task, middle-aged and older adults are more likely to activate both hemispheres at once-a pattern known as bilateralization. By involving both sides, older people bring the full spectrum of the brain's power to bear, allowing them to make more fruitful connections among the disparate parts of a problem or situation.

The brain is a muscle, and as all muscles, it needs regular exercise to keep sharp

The brain is the organ of behaviour. It is also the organ of our minds. Both overt behaviour and consciousness are manifestations of the work of our brains. Other people can see an individual's overt behaviours, whereas consciousness is apparent only in our individual minds. The field of neuroscience studies how people control their behaviours, thoughts, and feelings, and how these actions sometimes get out of control.