BUSTING THE BRAIN-RELATED MYTHS

BUSTING THE BRAIN-RELATED MYTHS

The intelligence of an organism increases with brain size: There are organisms with larger brains than us, albeit they are likely less complicated than ours, so size actually has little bearing on the brain. Is it true that the ratio of your body to your brain determines your brain? The brain of an animal that is much larger than ourselves, such as a big brown bear, will thus be larger. But that does not imply that they are inherently smarter than we are. Although it hasn't been thoroughly investigated, we do know for a fact that chimpanzees are likely just as intelligent as we are because we have seen that they do have smaller brains in cases like chimpanzees. The complexity of the brain and the degree to which certain parts are developed are likely more important than its size. Some language centers simply have a higher level of development than a cow or even a chimpanzee. Yes, that matters more than actual size when assessing intelligence. How do we gauge intelligence, furthermore? That also gets challenging because not all people possess the same level of intelligence. There are additional non-cognitive aspects at play, such as social intelligence. How emotionally intelligent are you? I believe that everything is extremely complicated and challenging to quantify.

IQ tests are a reliable tool to assess intelligence: This is untrue since intelligence involves a lot of different factors. Normal intelligence tests may gauge executive function, planning, linguistic skills, reading comprehension, and other abilities, but these measurements are only approximate and greatly impacted by the test's environment. It would be lovely to say that there is one test or one way that we can assess how bright someone is, but there are so many factors that go into intelligence that one exam or even several different tests can't measure it very well. These factors include how you are feeling at the time of the test, your educational level, and your mental state. The popular IQ test was created in the early 1900s as a way to identify which French students were cognitively behind so that we could provide them with better resources. It was then adopted in America at Stanford where, for all the reasons stated, it does not take all of those things into account. Therefore, although it is nice to say, Hey! I'm a savant. On an IQ exam, I scored well. That doesn't seem to signify all that much to me. I believe none one of us was born to be a doctor. We spent several years in training to acquire and refine such skills. The greatest way to kind of do it, in my opinion, is through education. Education in its broadest sense may not be appropriate for all students. There are undoubtedly some prodigies and some servants in the world. It's difficult to pinpoint what makes someone better at some things but not necessarily good at others. We are all unique. Since everyone has unique talents and aptitudes, IQ tests only really gauge your ability in that one particular field and not your general level of intelligence.

10% of our brains are not being used: This is untrue because we truly use our entire brain. We don't always use all of our brains, but we do so most of the time. This myth first surfaced, I believe, in the early 1800s, when researchers were attempting to explain why different injuries to the brain's various regions resulted in problems in humans. Therefore, a group of psychologists developed the hypothesis that, in contrast to smarter people, we only employ roughly 10% of our brains. Simply said, we now understand that this is untrue. We may say that because of a functional MRI examination and something called a PET-MRI. There is the frontal lobe, which is involved in many diverse cognitive processes including movement, linguistic, executive, and planning functions. Behind it lies our sensory cortex, or parietal lobe. The occipital lobe, located in the rear of the brain, is responsible for processing visual information. The temporal lobe, located here on the side of the brain, is responsible for memory and language understanding. To give you an example, if you are reading, your frontal and temporal lobes will both be used for understanding. In addition, you'll be using the visual cortex at the back of your head, which receives information from your eyes and helps your body interpret it. If we dissect the brain a little bit, we can also see the brain stem, which is akin to our lizard brain. Our primitive brain is responsible for controlling things like blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, and level of alertness. Deep motor processes exist in the brain at this location. Our cerebellum, which is located kind of at the bottom of the brain and is likewise important in motor control and motor planning, is another brain region. You may use several brain functions while performing a single job, but not all of them simultaneously.

Your brain is ruined by video games: Therefore, this is a myth; playing video games does not, in and of themselves, cause brain degeneration. My grandparents and my mother definitely talked about it a lot when I was kid. Numerous studies have demonstrated the health benefits of video games, particularly those that emphasize teamwork, puzzle solving, and strategy development. They actually do develop those brain regions, especially in young children. You are aware that games can serve different functions. For instance, when our surgical colleagues perform scopes, they hone their abilities using tools like video game simulators and reviewing the trials. What constitutes playing too many video games has not been defined. Every research review I've looked at says that working 12 to 90 hours a week is appropriate. Although I think 90 hours might be a bit excessive, I believe that the biggest warning flags are someone's withdrawal from social activities and desire to stay in and play video games rather than engage in other activities. Everything should be done in moderation, but if it's ruining your social life or keeping you secluded in front of the TV all day, that's not healthy.

Psychologically speaking, memory declines with aging: This is untrue. In actuality, some types of memory really get better with age. Semantic memory, vocabulary, reading, and procedural memory, for instance, are things that people who are really skilled at musical instruments like the piano can play frequently will keep. Some folks may report memory changes. That frequently refers to things like episodic memory, which is similar to how we remember recent events. Basically, episodic memories are the who, what, where, and when. And where did I park my automobile after putting my keys somewhere? I believe a large part of the reason why those kinds of activities tend to wane is simply that we aren't as focused on them. It's not always a pathogenic sign or an indication of dementia. Although not everyone will develop dementia, the risk does rise with age. There are now no drugs or treatments available that can stop someone from developing Alzheimer's disease. If you address some environmental risk factors, you may be able to avoid developing dementia or at the very least stop your memory from deteriorating. So some of those include maintaining overall health, eating wholesome meals, caring for your heart, engaging in moderate exercise, and ensuring that your cardiovascular system is in good shape, which will also benefit your brain.

Right-brained people are creative, whereas left-brained ones are rational: This myth, in my opinion, dates back to the 1800s, when neurologists were trying to understand how the brain worked and discovered that language, verbal memory, and other cognitive skills are often dominated by the left side of the brain in most people, whereas visual and spatial functions are dominated by the right side. However, there is no fundamental difference in the brains of those who are more rational or creative versus those who aren't; rather, it's more a function of their environment and how they were reared. When we discuss brain hemisphere dominance in neurology, we frequently refer to the dominance of language and verbal memory. Where does that reside? For the majority of people, the left side of the brain. Therefore, if you're right-handed about 90% of the time, you're going to be left hemisphere dominant, meaning that a lot of your speech production, understanding comprehension, and that kind of stuff will sit on the left side of your brain, whereas if you're left-handed, it can kind of go both ways. I believe that in reality, when we say that someone is left brain dominant or right brain dominant, it doesn't really mean that one person is more creative than the other. Simply said, people acquire these kinds of skills and talents either naturally or as a result of their personality. But in reality, it's unrelated to which side of their brain they use more.

A stroke cannot be prevented: That's definitely not true; it's not true at all. Actually, a stroke can most probably be avoided. By addressing every potential cause of a stroke, that can be achieved. We clearly understand that risk factors for stroke, which occur when there is no sign of blood flow to the brain due to a blood clot or bleeding in the brain, include high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Again, there is no quick treatment; the key is to maintain your cardiovascular and mental health over time to prevent ever experiencing a stroke. The signs of a stroke include facial drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech, and linguistic difficulties. If you ever have any of these symptoms, contact 9-1-1 and head straight to the hospital. You can receive clot-busting drugs from emergency medicine doctors to dissolve the clot that is causing the stroke. Therefore, there are things we can do to address it and stop it from growing worse, and I believe there is a misperception that stroke is a disease that only affects the elderly. Obviously, this is untrue. A stroke can happen to anyone at any age. Though brain bleeds are a major cause of stroke in young individuals, the cause will fluctuate depending on your age as opposed to when you get it. You should absolutely get checked if aneurysms run in your family. That is actually advised, in my opinion.

Eating fish increases cognitive ability: I'm not sure where this one originated, but it might be a tradition from an immigrant household. But I frequently heard this. Fish does not inherently make you smarter, but it is beneficial for you, and some fish have more omega-3s than others, which we know are excellent for your heart, brain, and overall body health. I mean, this is tough in Asian households for sure. This one may have been implemented for that reason, but I don't believe it improves your intelligence. How do you feel? I believe that was my parents' attempt to become more effective. You must exercise caution while consuming too much fish, we are aware that some species, like tuna, have higher mercury levels than others. Don't push yourself too much. I should also mention that fish is a component of the Mediterranean diet that we recommend to all of our patients. This diet is high in vegetables, healthy grains, and good fats like fish, which will help prevent strokes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes, among other health issues. Therefore, including fish in a balanced diet is beneficial, but it won't increase your intelligence.

Your senses are always reliable: It's a myth, in my opinion. Illusions and occasionally even hallucinations can be brought on by our senses tricking us. For instance, those who suffer from schizophrenia may hear voices speaking that aren't truly there. Because they depend on how well our brains, eyes, and ears are working at the time, our senses are not entirely objective. Everyone is unique. Maybe rats have a lower pain threshold than I do, or vice versa. I doubt that we have a very solid neurological explanation for why it would be; we still don't fully get that. Additionally, memories and feelings may have a small impact on your senses. I believe that your response to anything that makes you think of someone else may change slightly. Like when they had that blue dress and the black dress and people were saying various things, I'm not sure if what I'm seeing is what everyone else is seeing. How can we ever be sure?

The brains of the sexes differ: So no, that's not true, and I'll say it again because it was funny. I should start by pointing out that regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, we are all born with the same brain. Since there aren't any structural differences, a neurosurgeon wouldn't be able to tell who was assigned male at birth from who was assigned female at birth if they were comparing two different brains. Studies have suggested that people born with a feminine gender preference may have more robust emotional pathways, whilst people born with a masculine preference may be more executive thinkers. That's not true, as we now understand. The structures and connectivity of your brain change as you get older, depending on what you've been exposed to and how you interact with the outside world. Really, it has nothing to do with the gender that was assigned to you at birth. It's more influenced by nurture than by nature or how you were created.

You have epilepsy if you experience seizures: No, I'm going to rip this a few times to get my point out. Brain cell hypersynchronization is what a seizure is. What this means is that your brain uses electricity to communicate with itself. You experience a seizure if there is an issue with your brain's electrical system. In essence, a seizure occurs when all of your neurons flip out and fire at once, causing your body to hyper-synchronize. Epilepsy, a neurological disorder that lasts a lifetime, is not the only cause of seizures. The distinction between a seizure and epilepsy is the requirement for numerous unprovoked seizures. Additionally, epilepsy patients must take daily medicine to prevent brain seizures. As a result, there are a few things you should do if this is your first seizure ever or if you have seizures. One, see a neurologist immediately for a checkup. We can order some tests that can be beneficial for you. The most crucial thing for you to do after epilepsy is diagnosed is to take your meds. The first test is an EEG, during which we apply stickers on your head to look at your brain waves and determine where the irregularities are. The second test is imaging, during which MRIS and PET-MRIS are both utilized. Last but not least, maintain in touch with your doctor since without communication, you won't reach that stage of seizure freedom. It is your responsibility to take care of the entire set of brain cells you are born with, which is the only brain you will ever have.

Many of these myths have some truth to them, but they are not entirely accurate. Do your homework and take care of yourself.