The brain

We have one brain, it is the only brain we can have. We cannot have brain transplants which is why we need to look after it. To make matters worse it is like a bowl of cold porridge, it is not a solid structure, therefore it is easy to damage. In order to make it safer, it has been put inside a box called the skull. The skull itself can break and pierce the brain causing problems. The brain, when it swells, has nowhere to go and therefore the skull gets in the way. The brain is the most complex organ we have and we still do not understand it. What we do know is that during our lifetime, our brain will change.  

When we are born we have over 100 billion neurons. Neurons are little wires in the brain which transmit messages to and from each other. Each neuron will talk to other neurons. Each neuron will give out a chemical called a neuron transmitter, which another one will accept. 

The reason why every brain injury is unique to every person is because the neurons that are broken and damaged would be different for every person. Once that neuron has died, it cannot be replaced and other neurons have to take over that job. 

The gap between each neuron is called a synapse, it's through this gap that the neurotransmitters jump. The brain is dived into different lobes and hemispheres, there are two hemispheres, the right and left. If the right hemisphere of the brain is damaged, all the functions on the left side of the body are affected and vice versa. 

What we do know, is throughout our life new neurons are grown, this is called plasticity. This is why it is so important after brain injury to have a stimulus. Neurons grow through stimulus and the best way for this is from music. Our brain gets very excited by music, more parts of the brain are used in that activity than anything else. What happens is the brain gets excited, new neurons grow and neurons that might have been lying dormant suddenly become active, therefore we have improved recovery.

The shape of our brain will change and it is extremely important to keep the brain active throughout our lives. Activities such as puzzles, playing scrabble, learning a new language can help with this. Completing these activities can ensure we have the maximum neurons available to us, so if disaster does strike, such as brain injury or stroke, we have other neurons we can rely on.