https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/patient-caregiver-education/brain-basics-know-your-brain

I have listed my initial post along with 2 of my classmates posts.
I am needing a 150 word response for each of my classmates posts.
Assignment: The brain is the most complex organ of the body. So how can we possibly begin to understand the brain amidst such complexity? Or rather, are our own brains sophisticated enough to understand how our brains work?
Support your answer with one reference. You should write at least 300 words with two peer responses of at least 150 words.
My Initial Post:
The more malevolent idea is that humans perceive to understand the workings of their brains fully. However, our subjective experiences are by far a deprived guide to comprehending the construction and the functioning of the brain, given its high level of sophistication. In other words, human brains are completely inimitable and inscrutable; thus, it is probable that we will never get to understand them. According to Patterson (2009), human brains are incredibly sophisticated; hence the more we try to investigate the brain, the more mysterious it becomes. This is because almost all serious brain investigations lead to novel discoveries and such encounters also warrant new investigations and understandings.
Additionally, Tompa (2022) also note that the human brain contains at least 86 billion neurons. This figure can easily be equated to the number of stars within the Milky Way. However, if one is to comprehensively analyze the synapses (a region that connects the neutrons), the number of neurons increases exponentially. To make matters more complex, these billions of neurons differ significantly in terms of structure and how they transmit nerve impulses. Currently, scientific studies have not been able to settle on the accurate number of the various neurons within the brain; however, they are probably in the hundreds. Even though gaining a complete understanding of these neurons will be a significant step in the quest to comprehend the workings of the brain, it is still not enough to give us complete comprehension of the workings of the human brain. This is because there are other equally complex and diverse brain regions that add to the complexity of the brain. Thus, it is accurate to say that human beings are still far from understanding their brain although the brain is the most fundamental part of the human body, especially because without it or a minimal disability to it, the normal functioning of the human body is completely absent or significantly impaired.
References:
https://earthsky.org/human-world/neuroscientist-matt-wilsons-revelations-on-the-human-brain/.
https://alleninstitute.org/what-we-do/brain-science/news-press/articles/why-human-brain-so-difficult-understand-we-asked-4-neuroscientists.
Classmate 1: Cade
We will never fully comprehend the miracle of the brain, how a person thinks, or what an individual’s memories may be and how those memories contribute to who that individual is. Individual human brains are absolutely unique, and we can never fully comprehend them; nonetheless, scientific discoveries have allowed us to make significant progress in understanding how our brain works and functions. Because of developments in the techniques used to research the brain, we now know a lot about it. Scientists have a plethora of instruments at their disposal to investigate various components of the brain. Various behavioral tests are used by scientists to evaluate human and animal behavior. Because the brain governs behavior, behavior testing aids scientists in their understanding of the brain. Neuroscientists utilize high-powered microscopes, among other techniques, to examine brain cells known as neurons. Neurons are the brain’s functional building components. As a result, the health of individual neurons is critical for total brain health. Scientists can compare the function and architecture of neurons in healthy people’s brains to neurons in diseased people’s brains. Scientists can investigate individual neurons to aid in the treatment of brain illnesses by studying neurons. Sheena Josselyn, a neuroscientist at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, examines how and where the brain retains memories, according to MIT Technology Review. She believes that pinpointing the neural circuits, or interconnected groupings of neurons, responsible for retaining certain memories might be critical for treating memory issues, because just giving someone a medicine that affects the entire brain is not optimum. In addition, imaging instruments are used by scientists to better understand how the brain works. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or fMRI, is a technology often used to investigate the brain. fMRI detects changes in the brain as they occur. For example, fMRI scanners may identify activity in the areas of the brain associated with pleasure when a person is thinking about something that makes them happy. This helps scientists understand what areas of the brain are responsible for specific processes or activities, as well as how sections of the brain are connected and frequently collaborate.
Reference: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/08/25/1031458/scientific-mysteries-human-brain/
Classmate 2: Latricia
The brain is the most complex organ in our body because of its ability to control and operate body movements, and send and receive signals and messages to and from different parts of the body allowing our body to function as one with each movement. Understanding that “the brain is the source of all the qualities that define our humanity.” There are five parts of the brain and each part controls different functions such as the frontal lobe involving motor skills, speech, and problem-solving. The parietal lobe involves the touch and body sensory. Temporal lobe which is the auditory, memory, and language comprehension. The occipital lobe which involves sight/visual reception. The cerebellum keeps everything balanced and in coordination. And lastly, the brainstem that sends involuntary responses to and from the body. All of which play a major role in our everyday body functions and behavior. “The brain is like a committee of experts. All the parts of the brain work together, but each part has its own special properties.” The brain and the rest of the nervous system are composed of many different types of cells, but the primary functional unit is a cell called the neuron. All sensations, movements, thoughts, memories, and feelings are the result of signals that pass through neurons. The brain, we argue, can be understood as a complex system or network, in which mental states emerge from the interaction between multiple physical and functional levels. So, overall, the brain is the most complex organ in our body because it controls our emotions, vision, motor skills, breathing, and temperature, etc. It allows us to respond to multiple things and allows us to feel pain or sadness/happiness. The brain is what makes all of us completely different individuals in our own way and what makes us unique.
https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/patient-caregiver-education/brain-basics-know-your-brain