The human brain is the center of the central nervous system as well as the primary control center for the peripheral nervous system. The brain controls involuntary activities such as heartbeat, respiration, and digestion - these are known as autonomic functions. The brain also controls conscious activities, such as thought, reasoning, and abstraction. The human brain is more capable of these higher order activities than any other species. Animals do have thought, reasoning and emotion. To enhance memory and brain function through natural supplements, see Memory.

Brain power through herbs and nutrients
It is possible to improve brain power through herbs and supplements. Brain washing prevents many doctors in recognizing that certain supplements are quite potent and could help many who have age related brain decline. Quite a number of herbs and supplement can easily cross the blood brain barrier. A bad brain with weak function can be turned around, often within days. Brain supplements can help improve brain function. Many of these are found in Mind Power Rx:

Mind Power Rx brain supplement for optimal brain health
Formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Mind Power Rx Supplement Facts:
Acetyl-L-carnitine is the acetyl form of carnitine
Carnosine is a potent antioxidant
Choline is a methyl donor
DMAE leads to alertness
Inositol is available in capsule form or as inositol powder
Trimethylglycine (TMG) is quite potent. Most TMG tablets are in a 750 mg dosage, but 100 to 200 mg is a more reasonable approach, and when combined in a brain formula with other nutrients, much less is recommended.
Tyrosine is an amino acid
Vinpocetine is derived from the periwinkle plant

Methylcobalamin is also known as vitamin B12
Pantothenic acid is a B vitamin

Plus a proprietary blend of:
Ginkgo Biloba leaf extract, Mucuna Pruriens extract, Ashwagandha extract, Bacopa monniera extract, Gotu kola extract, Reishi extract, Ginseng extract, Fo-ti extract, and Rhodiola extract.


Brain injury - Brain Damage
A traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by the head being hit by something or shaken violently. Symptoms of brain injury depend on the severity and location. Brain damage can occur at birth due to hypoxia or can occur from several reasons including malnutrition, exposure to toxins and drugs.

Brain tumor (spelled brain tumour in England) -  Brain cancer
The number of brain tumor cases in the US and Europe has increased by up to 40% in the past 20 years. The incidence rate for brain tumors is increasing among people of all ages, but males between 20 and 50 years old are the most affected. The latest epidemiological studies indicate that white collar workers--intellectuals and professionals--are among the most affected. The reason is still unknown, though environmental causes such as cellular phones, computers and exposure to electromagnetic fields cannot be ruled out.
     There are more than 100 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated. At present, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination. A brain cancer can be primary, meaning the cancer started within the brain, or it can be secondary in which case the cancer came to the brain - metastasized - from a different location such as the lungs or liver.      
     Children fathered by men who have been exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) apparently have increased odds of developing brain tumors.  Experimental evidence suggests that parental exposure to PAH, which occurs primarily through tobacco smoke, occupational exposure, and air pollution, could increase the risk of cancer during childhood.
     Resveratrol, found in red wine, shows promise for the treatment of neuroblastoma.
     Symptoms of a brain tumor vary depending on the part, location and size. Chronic headache that keeps getting worse is a common symptom of brain tumor. A brain tumor sign could be difficulty with speech or gait or weakness on one side of the body.

Brain cancer and weed killers
Women whose jobs regularly expose them to weed killers have a higher-than-normal risk of meningioma, a type of brain cancer. Exposure to pesticides or herbicides -- chemicals used to kill plants, usually weeds, increases the risk for brain cancer.

Q. We have a friend that is undergoing radiation for brain cancer and we would like to purchase supplements. What would be the recommended dosage for someone undergoing such brain cancer treatment and would this be affective for something so severe?
   A. Research with use of natural supplements for the treatment of brain cancer is not advanced enough to make any recommendations with certainty.

Brain Function and Lifestyle Factors
There is growing evidence that what's good for the heart is also a boon for the aging brain. In a survey of 26 large studies of older adults, an expert panel found that certain heart-health factors -- like high blood pressure, diabetes and exercise habits -- appeared key to study participants' brain function as well. Cognitive function refers to a person's ability to learn, reason and remember, for example, and these skills commonly decline with age. In some cases, the decline is part of a process leading to Alzheimer's disease or other forms of brain decline such as dementia. But a growing number of studies are finding that controllable lifestyle factors such as exercise and intellectual and social engagement throughout life seem to alter a person's risk of brain decline and dementia. Going out for a daily walk might not prevent Alzheimer's, but it might help delay its onset.

Brain Aneurysm
Often misspelled as brain aneurism. A brain aneurysm is a ballooning-out of the wall of an artery in the brain. Often this wall is weakened by disease, injury or an abnormality present at birth. Aneurysms are often caused or made worse by high blood pressure. They aren't always life-threatening, but serious consequences — such as a stroke — can result if one bursts in the brain. This is called a hemorrhagic (or bleeding) stroke.

Brain food
I consider fish to be brain food since they contain important fatty acids such as EPA and DHA.

Brain storm
To brainstorm is to think actively - solo or with others - on how to solve a problem or come up with a creative idea.

Brain Training - Training Neurons - Have your own brain gym and exercise your brain cells
Memory and intelligence can improve through brain training. Brain cells (neurons), just like muscles, are dynamic structures. When the brain is kept active, brain cells grow and dendrites (the treelike communicating arms between neurons) lengthen and form additional connections with neighboring neurons. These serve to improve brain function. It's never too late to give your neurons a workout.
     The human brain is made of living tissue that has the ability to restructure itself. You can improve your brain memory, creativity, and intelligence through your own conscious effort. Researchers have discovered that the length of dendrites increases proportionally to a person's education and lifestyle. Those with a college education who continue to stay mentally active have longer dendrites than those with less education and an intellectually sedentary lifestyle. Thinking and intelligence improve as more dendrites lengthen and connect with adjoining dendrites. Animal studies also confirm the "use it or lose it" theory. Rats placed in an enriched environment (maze learning) show an increase in dendrite growth and enhanced problem-solving ability. When rats are moved to an impoverished environment, dendrites regress. Neurons can grow and change through the last days of life.
     A great way to train your brain is through brain game, brain teaser, brain puzzle, brain twister.

Q. Is it true we only use only 10 percent of our brain capacity?
   A. During waking hours, no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive. It is possible to train our brain more with various intellectual activities, but it is quite unlikely that we only use such a small percent of our brain.

Brain Training popular in Japan
A " brain training " program craze has taken Japan by storm. Bookshops now have separate sections for workbooks with brain training exercises and video game versions are selling like hot cakes among the growing ranks of older Japanese who hope the drills will reinvigorate their gray matter. Scientists say a daily dose of such brain training exercises improves memory and even the condition of dementia patients. For video brain train game makers eager to expand their clientele beyond youths as the number of children dwindles in Japan's rapidly aging society, software featuring brain-training programs have proved to be a huge success. Nintendo has sold millions of its "Brain Training for Adults" released in May 2005. Rival Sony Computer Entertainment, which has the "Brain Trainer" using Dr. Kawashima's theory for its PlayStation Portable (PSP) console, is holding "Video Game Workshops for Grown-ups", in a bid to appeal to older generations. Other toys and puzzles seen as stimulating the brain have also benefited from the boom. Sales of Rubik's cube, the famous cube-shaped puzzle, increased by fivefold last year in Japan to around 500,000. Interest in brain training comes from a desire to minimize the inevitable effects of aging among Japan's graying population.

Brain disease - Brain Disorder
There are dozens of brain disorders, I will mention a few:
Aneurysm
Cyst -  Brain cysts, thin-walled collections of fluid, may form within the ventricles or in the brain itself. They may be caused by infections or tumors, but in many cases the cause is unknown. Cysts may be asymtpomatic and are often noted on CT or MRI brain scans performed for other reasons. In some cases, cysts may cause headaches, weakness, seizures or hydrocephalus. Arachnoid cysts are the most common type of brain cyst, and are fluid-filled sacs appearing in one of the three layers of tissue covering the central nervous system.
Cancer
Hydrocephalus
Hemorrhage - There are two main types of brain hemorrhagic strokes: intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Intracerebral hemorrhages occur within the brain. Subarachnoid hemorrhages occur between the inner layer (pia mater) and middle layer (arachnoid mater) of the tissue covering the brain (meninges).

Brain busters
Stress and certain medicines can interfere with optimal brain function. Several conditions that impede brain health.
     Stress, Anger, and Anxiety - There's an intricate connection between the brain and the body. They communicate with each other through hormones, neurotransmitters, and many other types of chemical messengers. For instance, the hypothalamus and pituitary, two regions in the brain that control various hormone systems, respond immediately to stress by releasing hormones that stimulate the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Excess cortisol can wreak havoc with brain cells, interfering with mental functioning and memory. In turn, the immune system and some of the organs in the body release chemicals that pass into the brain and influence the function of brain cells.
     Whether physical (e.g., intense athletic competition, illness) or psychological (e.g., emotional difficulties, financial worries), stress has definite harmful biological effects. Our immune system responds quickly to our thoughts and emotions. On the surface of white blood cells, there are receptors to which hormones and neurotransmitters attach. When we are under stress, substances released by the brain attach to the cells of the immune system and disturb their proper functioning. Positive thoughts and emotions are believed to enhance the immune system. The immune system can in turn send substances back to the brain, altering the release of neurotransmitters, thus influencing mood and cognition.
 
Avoid Brain Death - Be kind to your brain
We can make our brain even healthier by replacing negative input with positive input. As you know, whatever enters our stomach affects our body. We need to be as careful about what enters our brain. For instance, unhealthy relationships with parents, a spouse, a lover, relatives, an employer, or roommates can give the ego a regular beating. The constant exposure to this emotional insult inevitably has a detrimental influence on the psyche, and consequently affects physical and brain health. If improving the lines of communication and restoring healthy interactions are not possible, it may be appropriate to temporarily withdraw from unhealthy relationships and give time to heal.
     Reduce your exposure to movies, books, and television programs that portray violence, horror, or negativity. Viewing violence may make some people, especially children and teenagers, more aggressive. Even if the violence does not manifest externally, violent programs can affect dreams. Radio and television shows that continually criticize and disparage individuals or groups due to ethnic, racial, and sexual orientation are an additional source of negativity. Be conscious of what you feed your mind. Watching excessively violent movies, or reading similar books, is for the mind what consuming junk food is for the body.
     If you're a news junkie, take breaks once in a while for at least a weekend and don't read a newspaper or watch the news on television.

Brain Busting Medicines
One of the most common causes of rapid cognitive decline is the use of certain prescription drugs. Sedatives and sleeping pills often have immediate and dramatic effects on memory and clarity of thinking. Regular use of some of these drugs can sometimes cause irreversible brain and memory impairment. The occasional use of melatonin is an alternative to sleeping pills, while kava and 5-HTP can substitute for antianxiety agents in the therapy of mild to moderate anxiety. Do not be concerned about the infrequent use of a pharmaceutical sedative: this should not interfere with memory.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs have become mainstays over the past five years, after several studies hinted they reduce the risk of dying from heart attacks. Millions of Americans now take a type of drug called statins. Although these drugs may reduce the risk of coronary artery disease in the short term, they may also have negative effects on brain health. Some studies have shown that those who lower their cholesterol levels excessively seem to have reduced mood, attention, and concentration, and are more likely to die by car accidents and suicide. Cholesterol is one of the important components of brain lipids. It plays a crucial role in the cell membrane, helps in the transmission of nerve signals, and serves as the precursor to the manufacture of pregnenolone, DHEA, estrogen, and all the other steroid hormones. By blocking the formation of cholesterol, or excessively lowering its concentration through drugs, are we also decreasing levels of steroid hormones in the brain? Could the shortage of these hormones in the brain lead to depression, memory loss, and cognitive decline? The answers are not yet available, but this possibility must be considered. Cholesterol-lowering drugs may be appropriate to use if cholesterol levels are very high, but keep in mind the negative influence these drugs may have on cognition. Make an attempt to lower your cholesterol through diet or natural supplements.
     There are many other types of drugs that potentially could interfere with brain health and brain function. These include certain beta-blockers, painkillers, calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsants, chemotherapeutic agents, and muscle relaxants. Ask your physician whether any of the medicines you are taking has a negative influence on the brain, and whether there may be better pharmaceutical or nutritional alternatives.

Alcohol brain
Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. It acts at many sites, including the reticular formation, spinal cord, cerebellum and cerebral cortex, and on many neurotransmitter systems. Alcohol is a very small molecule and is soluble in "lipid" and water solutions. Because of these properties, alcohol gets into the bloodstream very easily and also crosses the blood brain barrier.

Anatomy of the Brain
The average human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1300-1400 grams). At birth, the human brain weighs less than a pound. As a child grows, the number of cell remains relatively stable, but the cells grow in size and the number of connections increases. The human brain reaches its full size at about 6 years of age. The brain consists of gray matter (40%) and white matter (60%) contained within the skull. Brain cells include neurons and glial cells. The brain has three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem (medulla).
     The frontal lobe is responsible for attention, thought, reasoning, behavior, movement, sense of smell, and sexual urges. The parietal lobe is responsible for intellect, reasoning, the sensation of touch, response to internal stimuli, some language and reading functions, and some visual functions. The occipital lobe is primarily responsible for vision. The temporal lobe is responsible for behavior, memory, hearing and visual pathways, and emotions.

Brain Surgery - Craniotomy
Brain surgery treats lesions of the brain and its surrounding structures through an opening (craniotomy) in the skull (cranium). Brain surgery may be needed when trauma occurs to the head or to treat:

* brain tumors
* bleeding in the brain (hemorrhage) or blood clots ( hematomas ) from injuries ( subdural hematoma or epidural hematomas)
* weaknesses in blood vessels (cerebral aneurysms )
* arteriovenous malformations (AVM; abnormal blood vessels)
* damage to tissues covering the brain (dura)
* pockets of infection in the brain ( brain abscesses )
* severe nerve or facial pain (such as trigeminal neuralgia or tic douloureux )

Brain Drain
Brain drain refers to a situation when a group of intellectuals, scientists, engineers, professors, etc, leave a particular region or country for another location. The motivation can be better income or leaving a war torn region. Brain drain is currently going on in Iraq since many intellectuals fell that they don't have enough security.

Brain Cancer
Doctors seeking treatments for malignant brain tumors have found promise in the venom of scorpions. A synthetic version of a protein found in the venom of giant yellow Israeli scorpions targeted tumor cells but did not harm the healthy cells of brain cancer patients. In the study, 18 patients first had surgery to remove malignant gliomas, a lethal kind of brain cancer. Then doctors injected their brains with a solution of radioactive iodine and TM-601, the synthetic venom protein. The solution bound almost exclusively to leftover tumor cells, suggesting that it could be combined with chemotherapy to fight brain cancer. Furthermore, two study patients were still alive nearly three years after the treatment. Because life expectancy for the 14,000 annual glioma patients in the United States is typically a matter of months, the results shore up animal research indicating that the venom protein may inhibit tumor growth even without a radioactive component. August, 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

A father's exposure to heat -- saunas or hot tubs for example -- just before his partner becomes pregnant may increase the risk of brain cancer or tumors occurring in their offspring. As part of a comprehensive study of two specific but related types of brain tumor -- medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal tumor -- Dr. Greta R. Bunin from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia interviewed the parents of 318 children with these tumors and a like number of unaffected 'controls' about their exposure to heat and electromagnetic fields. The researchers uncovered "moderately strong" ties for the mothers' sauna use close to conception or in the first trimester of pregnancy to the risk of these childhood brain tumors. Similar associations were also noted for the fathers' exposures to saunas, electric blankets, or any heat source. On further analysis, the likelihood of a child developing the brain tumors increased as the father's sauna use and exposure to any heat source increased. The association with maternal sauna use was much attenuated and imprecise. If paternal heat exposure is actually causing the brain tumors, which remains to be seen, it would presumably act through a genetic effect on sperm, the researchers add. Heat is known to decrease sperm quantity and quality. More research is needed before knowing for sure whether heat exposure before conception leads to na increased risk for brain cancer. American Journal of Epidemiology, August 2006.

Brain cancer symptom
In general, brain cancer symptoms include: chronic headaches that recur often and persist without relief for long periods of time, poor balance while walking, difficulty with speech, dizziness, vision problems, including double vision, seizures, and sometimes vomiting. A brain cancer symptom also depends whether the brain lesion is on the right side of the brain or the left side of the brain.

Brain lesions
A brain lesion is an area of damage to the brain that can often be seen by CAT scan or MRI.

Brain Scan and " Truthiness "
Using a form of brain imaging called functional magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ), researchers found that certain brain regions "light up" when a person tells a lie. In fact, twice as many brain areas were active when study participants practiced deception than when they told the truth. The brain has to work harder in lying than in telling the truth. It's possible that in the future functional MRI could offer a more reliable alternative to the traditional polygraph. Brain activity would presumably be "less susceptible to control" than the nervous system activities polygraph tests measure. The polygraph is used in the criminal justice system, but is not infallible. Its "lie detection" is based on certain changes in a person's sympathetic nervous system activity -- increases in heart rate, breathing and perspiration. A shortcoming is that those changes are not unique to lying. General anxiety and anger, for instance, can spur the same physiological responses, and polygraph results, appear less accurate when people are telling the truth than when they are lying. Functional MRI measures real-time changes in blood flow in the brain. The results indicate which brain areas are firing during a given activity. Many brain areas are associated with planning, emotion and inhibition -- which, in the case of lying, would mean inhibiting the truth. When a person tells the truth there should be less anxiety, and no need for inhibition, so it makes sense that fewer brain regions would be active. SOURCE: Radiology, February 2006.

Brain development
Intelligence appears to be associated with the speed of brain changes in childhood and the teen years, rather than the size of the brain itself. During childhood and adolescence, the cerebral cortex -- the outer layer of the brain, which is involved in learning, language, attention and other higher-order skills, and is also known as the gray matter -- gets thicker and thicker until it reaches a peak, and then thins out again. In a study of 629 brain scans from 307 healthy young people, it was found this process happened more rapidly and dramatically in the most intelligent individuals. It's not clear why the cortex shrinks after it thickens, but this may represent a pruning of brain cells that fine-tunes the cortex to make it more effective. Children who ranked highest on IQ tests started out with the thinnest cortexes, which then thickened more rapidly, reached a peak of thickness at about age 11, and then rapidly thinned. Children of average intelligence showed a similar pattern, but their cortical thickness peaked earlier, so they had a less prolonged period of cortical growth. Changes were most pronounced in the front portion of the cortex, the seat of reasoning, planning and other very complex thought processes. Nature, March 30, 2004.

Exposure to industrial chemicals in the womb or early in life can impair brain development. Only a few substances, such as lead and mercury, are controlled with the purpose of protecting children. The hundreds of other chemicals that are known to be toxic to the human brain are not regulated to prevent adverse effects on the fetus or a small child. Millions of children worldwide are harmed by toxic chemicals and may suffer learning disabilities and brain development disorders. But only substances such as lead, methylmercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been sufficiently studied and regulated. The developing brain is more susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals than an adult brain and any interference could have permanent consequences.

Brain Stimulation and Memory
Brain stimulation with gentle electric currents during sleep boosts memory. When German researchers applied several currents that mimic natural slow oscillating brain waves in sleep they enhanced the memory of medical students who had done a word-learning task. "It leads to improved memory retention," said Jan Born, a neuroscientist at the University of Luebeck. He and his team asked the students to learn a list of paired words in a standard memory test before they fell asleep. The researchers stimulated their brain while they slept. After they woke up, the students had to recall the words they had memorised. If the currents were applied to the scalp during deep sleep, the first few hours of nocturnal sleep, the students recalled a greater number of words than if they had been given a sham brain stimulation. The increase in brain memory was about 8 percent. The students did not feel any sensation from the currents to the frontal cortex of the brain or any adverse side effects. The currents forced the brain more into the deep slow-wave sleep to improve the memory function. Memory function in the medical students was already very good before they received the brain stimulation but the currents managed to improve it. Dr Jan Born believes the natural slow oscillations and those induced by the electrical currents affect the hippocampus area of the brain, which plays a part in memory.

Conceptual Center of the Brain
Scientists believe they may have finally identified the part of the brain that deals with the critical issue of matching words to everyday objects. Using brain scans of people suffering from semantic dementia, they have found that the front end of the temporal lobe seems to be crucial to conceptual application. Previously the part of the brain dealing with concepts was thought to be Wernicke's area, which is further back on the temporal lobe, but scans and experiments showed degradation of the front end seemed to be key.

Brain shrinkage and inappropriate speech
As people age, they experience shrinkage in the part of the brain responsible for inhibiting appropriate behavior -- which may explain why older people ask embarrassing questions they seem to have fewer qualms about making racist or inappropriate remarks than younger individuals do.

Brain and MDMA, Ecstacy
The loud music typical of nightclubs and raves appears to prolong the toxic effects of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, on the brain. In the absence of loud music, however, the reduced brain activity caused by ecstasy use appears to be short-lived. The findings are especially relevant in light of "the increase of popularity of this stimulant drug and its association with certain youth subcultures, in particular the dance music scene, where ecstasy is preferred to other drugs. Increasing evidence suggests that Ecstcy drug is associated with increases in body temperature, toxicity to the brain and memory loss. Rats were injected with low doses (3 milligrams per kilogram of weight) or high doses (six milligrams per kilogram) of MDMA, or placebo. Rats from each group were then subjected to white noise at an intensity similar to what people are exposed to in nightclubs and at 95 decibels. The rats' brain activity was then measured via electrodes placed on their skull. The effects of the drug were apparent as quickly as three minutes after it was administered. In the absence of the loud music, low doses of MDMA did not affect the rats' brain activity compared with rats given placebo. When combined with the loud music, however, low doses of MDMA were associated with decreased brain activity. Long-term experiments showed that the reduced brain activity among rats given the higher dose of the drug persisted for up to five days. Brain activity returned to normal after one day in rats given a similar dose of the drug who were not exposed to the loud music.
Source: BMC Neuroscience, February, 2006.

Near Death Experience: Is it all in your Brain?
The brain has a tendency to occasionally blur the line between sleep and wakefulness and this may help explain the phenomenon of near-death experience. Some people see bright light, feel detached from their bodies or have other extraordinary sensations and they consider these to be these so-called near-death experiences as evidence of life after death. Research explains that blending of sleep and wake states could be the biological cause of near-death experiences. It appears that adults who said they'd had such an experience were also likely to have a history of what's called REM intrusion -- where aspects of the dream state of sleep spill over into wakefulness. People may, for example, feel paralyzed when they first wake up, or have visual or auditory hallucinations as they fall asleep or awaken. The brain's arousal system predisposes some people to both REM intrusion and near-death experience. This arousal system regulates not only REM sleep, but also attention and alertness during waking hours -- including during dangerous situations. And many of the features of REM intrusions are similar to those of near-death experience. During REM sleep, visual centers in the brain are highly active, while the limb muscles are temporarily paralyzed. So REM intrusion during peril could promote the visions of light and sensation of "being dead" that people often have during a near-death experience.

Brain Choice
If choosing the right outfit or whether to invest in stocks or bonds is difficult, it may not be just indecisiveness but how brain cells assign values to different items. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston have identified neurons - cells in the brain -- that seem to play a role in how a person selects different items or goods. Scientists have known that cells in different parts of the brain react to attributes such as color, taste or quantity. Dr. Camillo Padaoa-Schioppa and John Assad, an associate professor of neurobiology, found neurons involved in assigning values that help people to make choices. The scientists located the neurons in an area of the brain known as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) while studying monkeys that had to choose between different flavors and quantities of juices. They correlated the animals' choices with the activity of neurons in the OFC with the valued assigned to the different types of juices. Some neurons would be highly active when the monkeys selected three drops of grape juice, for example, or 10 drops of apple juice. Other neurons encoded the value of only the orange juice or grape juice. Earlier research involving the OFC showed that lesions in the area seem to have an association with eating disorders, compulsive gambling and unusual social behavior.

Ultrasound May Harm Brain Cells
A study in mice indicates that ultrasound can affect the development of the fetal brain. When pregnant mice are exposed to ultrasound, a small number of nerve cells in the developing brain of their fetuses fails to extend correctly in the cerebral cortex. This indicates that women should avoid unnecessary ultrasound scans until more research has been done. The effects of ultrasound in human brain development are not yet known. There are disorders thought to be the result of misplacement of brain cells during their development. These disorders range from mental retardation and childhood epilepsy to developmental dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia. Early ultrasound scans are done to determine the exact week of the pregnancy and they are also done later to check for anatomical defects and other problems. However, some expectant parents get scans to save as keepsakes even when they are not medically necessary. But, there is a difference between scanning a mouse fetus and a human fetus. Because of their size, the distance between the scanner and the fetus is larger in people than mice, which reduces the intensity of the ultrasound. In addition, the cranial bones in a human baby are denser than those of a tiny mouse, which further reduces exposure of the brain to the scan. Plus, the developmental period of brain cells is much longer in humans than in mice, so exposure would be a smaller percentage of their developmental period. However, brain cell development in people is more complex and there are more cells developing, which could increase the chances of some going astray. The research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Brain and SIDS
An abnormality in part of the brain that controls breathing, arousal and other reflexes may be what causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, abbreviated as SIDS. This may explain why babies lying face down are more likely to die, because in that position an infant's reflexes, including head turning and arousal, are harder to trigger when breathing is challenged. In a SIDS victim, a look at the lowest part of the brainstem, the medulla oblongata, shows abnormalities in nerve cells that make and use serotonin, one of the chemicals in the brain that transmit messages between nerve cells. Serotonin and how it is processed in the brainstem may help coordinate breathing, blood pressure, sensitivity to carbon dioxide and temperature. When babies sleep face down or have their faces covered by bedding, they are thought to breathe exhaled carbon dioxide back in, depriving them of oxygen. When that happens the carbon dioxide increase would normally trigger nerve cells in the brainstem, which in turn stimulate respiratory and arousal centers in the brain. A normal baby will wake up, turn over, and start breathing faster when carbon dioxide levels rise, but babies with the defect die because the reflexes are impaired.

Deja vu phenomenon
Most people have had deja vu -- that eerie sense of having experienced something before. Neurons in a memory center of the brain called the hippocampus make a mental map of new places and experiences, then store them away for future use. However, when two experiences begin to seem very much alike, these mental maps overlap and start to blur. It is basically just a malfunction in the brain's ability to sort through new information, something called episodic memory.

Brain questions
Q. How can someone be brain dead and still be alive?
     A. The term brain dead is used when higher functioning centers of the brain, for instance the cerebrum, are damaged but the brain stem and other lower regions of the brain are still functioning enough to maintain breathing and cardiac function.

Q. Could you please advise me on which formula you consider your most effective in promoting 'powerful' brain function and 'powerful memory recall, which I would be pleased to try on your reply.
     A. There are dozens of brain supplements and brain herbs, and each person will respond differently to different dosages and combination. So it is impossible to say. A good way is to try different brain nutrients and brain herbs one a time to see which ones work best.

Q.  I am a licensed psychologist looking for a program to learn more about brain supplements. I want to be able to recommend these brain supplements to my patients so that I can treat them more holistically. Do you offer any type of post-grad training or can you recommend a place?
   A. I asked Dr. Sahelian and he said he does not have such a program and is not aware of one. Perhaps you could recommend Dr. Sahelian's book Mind Boosters?

Q. I am a small businessman and I have to work 14 hours a day, my work is related to Brain. I want to increase my Brain Power, specially the Will Power & Sixth Sense, My Brain is too much weak, I always Forget the work that I think to do next day, my remembering power is very very much weak. And will power I have no. I have very much weak decision power. This is Happening for last 5 years. I was a best poet & Musician but now my these abilities have almost overed & finished, I was a Good Speaker but now I can not speak a sentences at stage and also I was a Good Host at Stage but now its very difficult to me to be Host for any Stage Programme. I was intellegent but now I am ......I can not explain. When I get up early in the morning I feel pain in my all Body specially in the Head. Can u help me in this regard, I need some effective Food Supplement for increasing My all Abilities & Brain Powers that I have Lost.
   A. You may wish to read the book Mind Boosters that has a chapter with many suggestions on how to improve brain power. There is no one answer. Plus, it is important to have a medical evaluation to make sure there are no major correctable problems with your health.