science
15 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About the Brain
3. The belief that we only use 10% of our brains is a myth.
Ever portion has a function and is hard at work.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), can measure activity in the brain while a person is performing different tasks. Using this and similar methods, researchers show that most of our brain is in use most of the time, even when a person is performing a very simple action. A lot of the brain is even active when a person is resting or sleeping.
4. Brain uses 20 watt energy.
The human brain’s low energy requirements of just 20 watts–barely enough to run a dim light bulb. The brain makes up 2% of a person’s weight. Despite this, even at rest, the brain consumes 20% of the body’s energy. The brain consumes energy at 10 times the rate of the rest of the body per gram of tissue. The average power consumption of a typical adult is 100 Watts and the brain consumes 20% of this making the power of the brain 20 W.
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