- Jan 8, 2011
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An excerpt from the link http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/iage/201402/complexity-our-brain
"The adult human male brain has 86 billion neurons--more than any other primate. Each neuron has between 1,000 to 10,000 synapses that result in 125 trillion synapses in the cerebral cortex alone. That is at least 1,000 times the number of stars in our galaxy. Stephen Smith from Stanford University reported that one synapse might contain some 1,000 molecular-scale switches. That is over 125,000 trillion switches in a single human brain."
OK, that is completely ridiculous. It is said, based on numbers like these, that,
"One synapse, by itself, is more like a microprocessor--with both memory-storage and information-processing elements--than a mere on/off switch. In fact, one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth."
In the below image, the large green blobs are individual neurons, so this is a several neuron wide, extreme magnification of a tiny piece of brain. The tiny dots and strings are synapses and their vast network of connections. Apparently, all of that tangled mess has function which results in you being able to read this thread, and even more astonishing, to know you are reading it.
Now, multiply those neurons in that image to over 80 billion and then try to come to grips with how such a vast system might work. Its hard to imagine ever fully understanding such a system, but I am confident that day will come.
"The adult human male brain has 86 billion neurons--more than any other primate. Each neuron has between 1,000 to 10,000 synapses that result in 125 trillion synapses in the cerebral cortex alone. That is at least 1,000 times the number of stars in our galaxy. Stephen Smith from Stanford University reported that one synapse might contain some 1,000 molecular-scale switches. That is over 125,000 trillion switches in a single human brain."
OK, that is completely ridiculous. It is said, based on numbers like these, that,
"One synapse, by itself, is more like a microprocessor--with both memory-storage and information-processing elements--than a mere on/off switch. In fact, one synapse may contain on the order of 1,000 molecular-scale switches. A single human brain has more switches than all the computers and routers and Internet connections on Earth."
In the below image, the large green blobs are individual neurons, so this is a several neuron wide, extreme magnification of a tiny piece of brain. The tiny dots and strings are synapses and their vast network of connections. Apparently, all of that tangled mess has function which results in you being able to read this thread, and even more astonishing, to know you are reading it.
Now, multiply those neurons in that image to over 80 billion and then try to come to grips with how such a vast system might work. Its hard to imagine ever fully understanding such a system, but I am confident that day will come.
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