The Veterans Administration and Stanford University are teaming up to
bring you a FREE, online, 6 week workshop - that you can do in your
spare time!

It will provide education on TBI, offer emotional help through support
groups, train the caregiver how to take care of themselves, manage
difficult behaviors, medication management, communication with medical
professionals, access to resources and much more!

To qualify, you must be a Caregiver (spouse, relative, friend) who is
caring for a Veteran with TBI, or be a Veteran who is caring for
someone with TBI.  You must live in CA, NV, or Hawaii and have a valid
email address

For more information log onto http://caregivers.stanford.edu

or Call the CA Offices on Caregiving 877-820-8820

BrainGain has been developed as a dynamic brain stimulant, to promote
synaptic generation, a rewiring of connections damaged by trauma
and/or illness. A binaural beat-like, neuroaudio program, (albeit to
binaural beat as a luxury car is to soapbox derby ride,) BrainGain's
sequences are based on an harmonic mathematics correlating with and
encouraging expressions of universal consciousness. Used as simply as
playing an mp3, (within the context of the user's conditions and
circumstances), it promotes stress reduction and optimum brain
function, boosts motor function and enables persons living with
cognitive impairing conditions. Very user friendly. You can use it on
the go, in a portable CD/media player, with the audible version
playing at such a low volume that you can listen to it and have it
working while engaging a conversation with someone at normal voice
volume; even on the phone! Headphones are optimum, but unnecessary;
the subliminal version is beneath the sound of flowing water, so you
can openly play it as environmental background from your desktop or
laptop speakers and gain it's benefits without being tied to the player.

Reasonably long samples can be found at
http://www.darkmother.com/braingain for you to get a feel for how
effective it may be for you, your loved one or your patient. If it
works, let's use it!

Love and healing to all!
(Art of Pop)

I just purchased a used KCI tricell firststep mattress for my husband
who has a brain injury.  Does anyone have the user guide for this or
can you give me some pointers on how to use it?

My name is Michelle and I'm new to the group wanting to get some
answers as a partner of someone that suffers from mild TBI.  I just
learned of this last Novemeber and have been noticing matters getting
worse.  I'm a partner to a soldier that is currently deployed
overseas.  This is his third deployment and his last deployment he
suffered from an explosion, hospitalization and now sufferes from the
effects of it.  He has been diagnosed with Mild TBI and possible
PTSD.  But the more and more he talks, loss of concentration, memory
he has to write everything down, he sufferes from terrible headaches
and has short-term memory.  He also has trouble sleeping.  I think
this due to the TBI and the PTSD seems to be the side-effects of the
TBI.  Anyway, there is a chance he will be forced to come home early
from his tour (June he's expected home) and this is tearing him
apart.  He is on medication and when I ask him, he has no idea what
anti-depressents he's on.  Has anyone had a similar situation and
give me an idea of how to start helping him?  This is hard because
he's not home yet and I can't physically help him although he's the
first one to say he can overcome this by himself and push people away
including the people he loves most--me. I'm very new to this and have
been reading everything I can find on this and i'm so afraid if he is
brought back home early, the depression he will be in. If this
happens, he will really deem himself SICK and I fear that!!!  To a
point of he will never return.  Is there anything I can help him with
now?  This is out of my hands, for I'm not his doctor, I'm trying to
understand just as much as he is.  I'm very frustrated and confused
about what to do.  Especially when he has a doctor telling him he
needs to get through this by himself.  How the heck does he do
that?

I have had short term memory loss for 7 years after aTBI  do to a
car accident.I have good memory days and bad. but now at the age of
40 some days feel like I have alzheimers. I went back to school and
have been taking college classes since 2006.

I keep notes and calendars every where. I just dont retain anything
what happens is the last thing that goes in is the thing I retain
until something elses goes in.

I do drive but do get lost and even though I may have been by there
a million times forget how to get there of get back and have to call
my husband.

Doctors were once hope ful that the short term would come back but
so far I live day to day and keep notes and calendars (the down fall
is sometimes I dont remember the last place I had them)

Most people dont understand the frustration this can cause and think
that I sometimes fake this matter .

How do you cope?



Pattie

Oh, he has just had a tbi 10 days ago? How are you holding up? Is he
still in the hospital? How can we be of support to you at this time?
sabisue

--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, "Gabe"
<gabrielnobles@...> wrote:
>
> anybody out there have any answers to my questions?  Will ask them
when
> somebody chimes in.  Very worried.
>

anybody out there have any answers to my questions?  Will ask them when
somebody chimes in.  Very worried.

Yep. I've had seizures before and major brain surgery for an AVM 25
years ago.

Things have changed a lot since way back then. I think things would
have been a lot different if I had had the problem with my AVM now.

t took a long time to get back on my feet and the medics weren't
always the greatest help. Sometimes I think that I recovered in spite
of them.

Tim

--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, Rawnie McKibben
<southernnmdreamer@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Tim, glad to hear your are doing better.  Sorry to hear about
your set backs. 
> I am a caregiver for my daughter and I was reading your post and
I was wondering    Did you have seizures before you had the Grand Mal
last weekend?  My daughter has never had a seizure but I know that it
is possible because of the injuries she has incurred. She is 5 years
post TBI. 
>
>
> --- On Thu, 12/25/08, Tim <timothydj@...> wrote:
>
> From: Tim <timothydj@...>
> Subject: [Traumatic_Brain_Injury] New Kid Here
> To: Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Thursday, December 25, 2008, 2:12 PM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hey There All,
>
> I'm a long term tbi survivor, from 1979, and I thought I was doing
> pretty well but I suffered a couple of Grand Mal seizures last
> weekend and I just got out of the hospital. Pretty depressing
having
> this happen again but i gotta deal with it.
>
> The neuro at the hospital was pretty useless- massive drugs was the
> answer to everything. I saw him for a total of 10 min. the whole
time
> I was in the hospital and I dumped him. The first neuro put me on a
> high dose Dilantin which really did me in.
> The neuro met me for a total of 10 min at the hospital and I dumped
> him. He treated me like an idiot but he dressed very nice and his
> english wasn't too bad.
>
> I dumped him and I like #2. I was taken off the Dilantin and put on
> Keppra which dosen't leave me such a total mess.
>
> Right now I'm totally sore in every muscle from the seizures and my
> tounge is infected, swollen and painful from biting it.
>
> But, I'm still kicking!
>
> Merry, X-mass, Tim
>

Hi My name is Dawn.  I am looking for a group that I can talk to other
people that have suffered a brain injury as myself.  I was in a coma in
2002 with a rare lung diesese and i also suffered hypoxia before the
hospital staff was aware of it.  They then put me in a coma where I
stayed for 3 weeks.  They finally found the problem but sadly was
unable to do anything about the hypoxia.  I had a full yr of physical
therapy due to the fact I had to learn how to walk and doeveryday tasks
all over again.  I went through this therapy for 1 yr and then had to
go to therapy for the brain injury which was another yr.  As of today,
I am now on disability and have struggles everyday.  Even just trying
to decide what to wear is a burden.  So I thought I might find others
that may be able to coax me along when I get down and out.  Thanks for
listening!!  Dawn

THANKYOU ,, sorry i didn't see this til now
i am safe now wasn't but thankyou so very much for your concern

--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, "zuni281" <lee281@...>
wrote:
>
> If you live in the USA, there are national brain injury
associations,
> with state divisions, just do search on the Internet.  Often there
are
> big city groups that are part of this organization and they can
> provide big lists of recommended health providers/clinics.
>
> This is where I get such good providers.  Also if you are on
Medicare,
> or a replacement plan, something like Humana.....from a bigger
> city....they have additional services for free or reduced cost for
> health clubs, suppliments which helps with dealing with stress.
>
> If you are in a dangerous situation.....bad housing, scary
neighbors,
> or abusive family member, then please take steps to get to a safe
> place.  We don't need to be hurt more than we have already.
> Susan H
>
>
>
>
> --- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, Marcia
> <backagain1951@> wrote:
> >
> > HOW DO i find a dr that knows about brain injury
> > last nuero said weell cant do anything more on , dont need to see
you
> > that was years ago
> > various stressors lead to m my being worse than
> > i have been i years and years
> > desperate and scared
> >
> > "Lo yisa goi el goi kharev; Lo yilm'du od milkhama"
> > NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATIONS
> > AND NIETHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR
> > ANYMORE"
> >
> > --- On Mon, 12/29/08, lee <lee281@> wrote:
> >
> > From: lee <lee281@>
> > Subject: Re: [Traumatic_Brain_Injury] New Kid Here
> > To: Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com
> > Date: Monday, December 29, 2008, 11:33 AM
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Man, what a setback..... .sorry. I too have trouble with
medications
> and
> > terrible side effects. Makes managing seizures
difficult... ..right?
> > I moved to new city and must find neurologist that specializes in
brain
> > injury. Makes a world of difference.
> > Susan H
> >
> > Tim wrote:
> > >
> > > Hey There All,
> > >
> > > I'm a long term tbi survivor, from 1979, and I thought I was
doing
> > > pretty well but I suffered a couple of Grand Mal seizures last
> > > weekend and I just got out of the hospital. Pretty depressing
having
> > > this happen again but i gotta deal with it.
> > >
> > > The neuro at the hospital was pretty useless- massive drugs was
the
> > > answer to everything. I saw him for a total of 10 min. the
whole time
> > > I was in the hospital and I dumped him. The first neuro put me
on a
> > > high dose Dilantin which really did me in.
> > > The neuro met me for a total of 10 min at the hospital and I
dumped
> > > him. He treated me like an idiot but he dressed very nice and
his
> > > english wasn't too bad.
> > >
> > > I dumped him and I like #2. I was taken off the Dilantin and
put on
> > > Keppra which dosen't leave me such a total mess.
> > >
> > > Right now I'm totally sore in every muscle from the seizures
and my
> > > tounge is infected, swollen and painful from biting it.
> > >
> > > But, I'm still kicking!
> > >
> > > Merry, X-mass, Tim
> > >
> > >
> >
>

If you live in the USA, there are national brain injury associations,
with state divisions, just do search on the Internet.  Often there are
big city groups that are part of this organization and they can
provide big lists of recommended health providers/clinics.

This is where I get such good providers.  Also if you are on Medicare,
or a replacement plan, something like Humana.....from a bigger
city....they have additional services for free or reduced cost for
health clubs, suppliments which helps with dealing with stress.

If you are in a dangerous situation.....bad housing, scary neighbors,
or abusive family member, then please take steps to get to a safe
place.  We don't need to be hurt more than we have already.
Susan H




--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, Marcia
<backagain1951@...> wrote:
>
> HOW DO i find a dr that knows about brain injury
> last nuero said weell cant do anything more on , dont need to see you
> that was years ago
> various stressors lead to m my being worse than
> i have been i years and years
> desperate and scared
>
> "Lo yisa goi el goi kharev; Lo yilm'du od milkhama"
> NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATIONS
> AND NIETHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR
> ANYMORE"
>
> --- On Mon, 12/29/08, lee <lee281@...> wrote:
>
> From: lee <lee281@...>
> Subject: Re: [Traumatic_Brain_Injury] New Kid Here
> To: Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com
> Date: Monday, December 29, 2008, 11:33 AM
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Man, what a setback..... .sorry. I too have trouble with medications
and
> terrible side effects. Makes managing seizures difficult... ..right?
> I moved to new city and must find neurologist that specializes in brain
> injury. Makes a world of difference.
> Susan H
>
> Tim wrote:
> >
> > Hey There All,
> >
> > I'm a long term tbi survivor, from 1979, and I thought I was doing
> > pretty well but I suffered a couple of Grand Mal seizures last
> > weekend and I just got out of the hospital. Pretty depressing having
> > this happen again but i gotta deal with it.
> >
> > The neuro at the hospital was pretty useless- massive drugs was the
> > answer to everything. I saw him for a total of 10 min. the whole time
> > I was in the hospital and I dumped him. The first neuro put me on a
> > high dose Dilantin which really did me in.
> > The neuro met me for a total of 10 min at the hospital and I dumped
> > him. He treated me like an idiot but he dressed very nice and his
> > english wasn't too bad.
> >
> > I dumped him and I like #2. I was taken off the Dilantin and put on
> > Keppra which dosen't leave me such a total mess.
> >
> > Right now I'm totally sore in every muscle from the seizures and my
> > tounge is infected, swollen and painful from biting it.
> >
> > But, I'm still kicking!
> >
> > Merry, X-mass, Tim
> >
> >
>

Man, what a setback......sorry.  I too have trouble with medications and
terrible side effects.  Makes managing  seizures difficult.....right?
I moved to new city and must find neurologist that specializes in brain
injury.  Makes a world of difference.
Susan H



Tim wrote:
>
> Hey There All,
>
> I'm a long term tbi survivor, from 1979, and I thought I was doing
> pretty well but I suffered a couple of Grand Mal seizures last
> weekend and I just got out of the hospital. Pretty depressing having
> this happen again but i gotta deal with it.
>
> The neuro at the hospital was pretty useless- massive drugs was the
> answer to everything. I saw him for a total of 10 min. the whole time
> I was in the hospital and I dumped him. The first neuro put me on a
> high dose Dilantin which really did me in.
> The neuro met me for a total of 10 min at the hospital and I dumped
> him. He treated me like an idiot but he dressed very nice and his
> english wasn't too bad.
>
> I dumped him and I like #2. I was taken off the Dilantin and put on
> Keppra which dosen't leave me such a total mess.
>
> Right now I'm totally sore in every muscle from the seizures and my
> tounge is infected, swollen and painful from biting it.
>
> But, I'm still kicking!
>
> Merry, X-mass, Tim
>
>

HI,

I just joined after abandoning one of the 'other' groups that was
taken over by a troll. I recognize some of your names I think. My
name is Angela. I'm 39 yr old diagnosed with frontal lobe and right
hemisphere brain damage. I've had repeated traumas so the dr is
somewhat iffy on which caused what. But I have had head injury as
baby, concussion in early 20's during my taekwondo black belt test
and a couple months after that I boinked my head on the pavement
after a slip on the ice. Also survived a direct lightning strike
in '95. In more recent years have boinked my head at home basically
raised up and hit by head on the breakfast bar and knocked my lights
out and in Oct got elbowed in the head at work. Have a lot of
klutziness and balance problems which I am not for sure if it is TBI
related or physical or what. Not getting a lot of help from the
medical community and am very frustrated about that.

Anyways glad to make your acquaintence and find this new group.

Thanks!

Angela

Hello Susan,

I'm much the same- old and new. For many years I was doing very well
but in the last week I had two siezures and got some hospital time, I
almost bit by tounge in half and the job is in danger.

But, the snow is melting and perhaps winter will relax for a bit.

Keep warm,

Tim

--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, "zuni281" <lee281@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I recently had a car accident and now have yet another concussion.
> Usually it happens with a slip and fall on ice.
>
> 2006 had one of the worse head bang, for me, and barely able to live
> at home.  After a lot of therapy and time I was in a really good spot
> then wham!
>
> Now I get to start all over.  And this time different kinds of
> aphasia.  This web site has so much info, and great images.
> Susan H
>

Hey There All,

I'm a long term tbi survivor, from 1979, and I thought I was doing
pretty well but I suffered a couple of Grand Mal seizures last
weekend and I just got out of the hospital. Pretty depressing having
this happen again but i gotta deal with it.

The neuro at the hospital was pretty useless- massive drugs was the
answer to everything. I saw him for a total of 10 min. the whole time
I was in the hospital and I dumped him.  The first neuro put me on a
high dose Dilantin which really did me in.
The neuro met me for a total of 10 min at the hospital and I dumped
him. He treated me like an idiot but he dressed very nice and his
english wasn't too bad.

I dumped him and I like #2. I was taken off the Dilantin and put on
Keppra which dosen't leave me such a total mess.

Right now I'm totally sore in every muscle from the seizures and my
tounge is infected, swollen and painful from biting it.

But, I'm still kicking!

Merry, X-mass,  Tim

Hi,
I recently had a car accident and now have yet another concussion.
Usually it happens with a slip and fall on ice.

2006 had one of the worse head bang, for me, and barely able to live
at home.  After a lot of therapy and time I was in a really good spot
then wham!

Now I get to start all over.  And this time different kinds of
aphasia.  This web site has so much info, and great images.
Susan H

What I find unacceptable is if a hospital is not a major trauma unit
they will only test one problem, and they weigh which is the worst,
and leave all the rest.  Then they put on the discharge notes "Follow
up with Primary doctor".  Patient is clueless about the issues ignored.

It took a week later and going to a major trauma ER to get the
diagnosis of post concussion syndrome MVC.
Susan H



--- In Traumatic_Brain_Injury@yahoogroups.com, "faithful_ameena"
<faithful_ameena@...> wrote:
>
> About two million head injuries of all types (including skull and
> facial fractures) occur each year in the U. S. (175 to 200 per 100,000
> population).1
> Over 1.5 million Americans suffer nonfatal traumatic brain injuries
> each year which do not require hospitalization. About the same number
> are reported to sustain a brain injury resulting in a loss of
> consciousness but not severe enough to result in long-term
> institutionalization (an annual rate of 618 per 100,000 person-
> years).1, 2
> Another 300,000 individuals suffer brain injuries severe enough to
> require hospitalization, with 99,000 resulting in a lasting disability.
> A total of 56,000 people die each year as a result of trau-matic brain
> injury.1
> Traumatic brain injuries account for an estimated 34% of all injury
> deaths in the United States.3
> An estimated 62.3 per 100,000 adults age 15 and over are living in the
> community with enduring functional impairments
>

Hello, my name is Vonda.  My husband had a brain tumor removed in
May.  As a result of this, he suffered what has been classified as
a "severe" brain injury.  After the surgery, we found he could not
move his right side, and was unable to speak.  He spent 10 weeks in
hospital, 9 of it in ICU.  After that he went to a nursing home, and
2 months ago moved to another nursing home closer to our home.  He
has been receiving PT/OT/ST since July.

He is regaining some sensation in his upper leg.  He is now eating a
regular diet with thickened liquids.  His main speech probem is
apraxia.  He also seems to have no short-term memory.  His memory is
for things that happen the same day at best; sometimes he forgets the
morning by evening time though.

Needless to say, he still requires 24 hour care and a lot of
therapy.  Our problem is this:  his insurance, which has been pretty
good about paying, only provides 120 days of nursing home care.  We
met that this week.  I now need to decide what is best to do for
him.  I think that with the money we would spend on room and board at
the nursing home (out of pocket) we could get some home care
cheaper.  I thought this group could help point me toward different
options and resources.  We live in southern Indiana, very rural.

Also, my husband doesn't have a specialist physician right now.  He
is monitored by the GP at the home (ie--not very well at all) and
sees his neurosurgeon occassionaly for CTs and check-ups.  What type
of doc should we be looking for?

One more thing, I delivered our first child last month.  We found out
about the baby 2 months before the tumor.

I appreciate any advice you all can give, especially if you have
already been down this path.  Thank you all very much.

Vonda

About two million head injuries of all types (including skull and
facial fractures) occur each year in the U. S. (175 to 200 per 100,000
population).1
Over 1.5 million Americans suffer nonfatal traumatic brain injuries
each year which do not require hospitalization. About the same number
are reported to sustain a brain injury resulting in a loss of
consciousness but not severe enough to result in long-term
institutionalization (an annual rate of 618 per 100,000 person-
years).1, 2
Another 300,000 individuals suffer brain injuries severe enough to
require hospitalization, with 99,000 resulting in a lasting disability.
A total of 56,000 people die each year as a result of trau-matic brain
injury.1
Traumatic brain injuries account for an estimated 34% of all injury
deaths in the United States.3
An estimated 62.3 per 100,000 adults age 15 and over are living in the
community with enduring functional impairments

Alzheimer's disease (AD), one form of dementia, is a progressive,
degenerative brain disease. It affects memory, thinking, and behavior.

Memory impairment is a necessary feature for the diagnosis of this or
any type of dementia. Change in one of the following areas must also
be present: language, decision-making ability, judgment, attention,
and other areas of mental function and personality.

The rate of progression is different for each person. If AD develops
rapidly, it is likely to continue to progress rapidly. If it has been
slow to progress, it will likely continue on a slow course.

Alternative Names:


Senile dementia/Alzheimer's type (SDAT)

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:


More than 4 million Americans currently have AD. The older you get,
the greater your risk of developing AD, although it is not a part of
normal aging. Family history is another common risk factor.

In addition to age and family history, risk factors for AD may
include:

Longstanding high blood pressure
History of head trauma
High levels of homocysteine (a body chemical that contributes to
chronic illnesses such as heart disease, depression, and possibly AD)
Female gender -- because women usually live longer than men, they are
more likely to develop AD
There are two types of AD -- early onset and late onset. In early
onset AD, symptoms first appear before age 60. Early onset AD is much
less common, accounting for only 5-10% of cases. However, it tends to
progress rapidly.

The cause of AD is not entirely known but is thought to include both
genetic and environmental factors. A diagnosis of AD is made based on
characteristic symptoms and by excluding other causes of dementia.

Prior theories regarding the accumulation of aluminum, lead, mercury,
and other substances in the brain leading to AD have been disproved.
The only way to know for certain that someone had AD is by
microscopic examination of a sample of brain tissue after death.

The brain tissue shows "neurofibrillary tangles" (twisted fragments
of protein within nerve cells that clog up the cell), "neuritic
plaques" (abnormal clusters of dead and dying nerve cells, other
brain cells, and protein), and "senile plaques" (areas where products
of dying nerve cells have accumulated around protein). Although these
changes occur to some extent in all brains with age, there are many
more of them in the brains of people with AD.

The destruction of nerve cells (neurons) leads to a decrease in
neurotransmitters (substances secreted by a neuron to send a message
to another neuron). The correct balance of neurotransmitters is
critical to the brain.

By causing both structural and chemical problems in the brain, AD
appears to disconnect areas of the brain that normally work together.

About 10 percent of all people over 70 have significant memory
problems and about half of those are due to AD. The number of people
with AD doubles each decade past age 70. Having a close blood
relative who developed AD increases your risk.

Early onset disease can run in families and involves autosomal
dominant, inherited mutations that may be the cause of the disease.
So far, three early onset genes have been identified.

Late onset AD, the most common form of the disease, develops in
people 60 and older and is thought to be less likely to occur in
families. Late onset AD may run in some families, but the role of
genes is less direct and definitive. These genes may not cause the
problem itself, but simply increase the likelihood of formation of
plaques and tangles or other AD-related pathologies in the brain

More than half of the people who are homeless in Toronto are
suffering from a traumatic brain injury, according to a new study
that suggests early diagnosis and treatment may help stem the number
of homeless people in major cities.

In Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr.
Stephen Hwang, of the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at
Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital, and his colleagues reported the
results of their survey of 601 men and 303 women at homeless shelter
and meal programs in 2004 and 2005 — the largest study of its kind in
Canada.
The lifetime prevalence of traumatic brain injury that leaves someone
dazed, confused, disoriented or unconscious was 53 per cent, the
researchers reported, compared to the 8.5 per cent lifetime
prevalence rate among the general population in the U.S.

The injury most commonly results from falls, motor vehicle crashes
and assaults.

What's more significant, 70 per cent of the people had the injury
before they ended up on the street, said Hwang.

"That really raises the intriguing possibility that perhaps the brain
injury in and of itself is a risk factor for becoming homeless," said
Hwang.

Brain injuries, especially those involving the frontal lobe behind
the forehead, often go undetected for years. The injuries can lead to
cognitive problems and unpredictable or impulsive behaviour — traits
often found among street people.

"One moment they might be acting normally and in another moment they
might be screaming in an uncontrollable rage," Hwang said. "So you
can imagine that these kinds of behaviours might put someone at risk
for losing their housing, and certainly once a person becomes
homeless, might increase the risk that they stay homeless for a long
time."

Many turn to alcohol and drugs as a form of self-medication, Hwang
said. Being on the street exposes people to more injuries through
falls and fights.

Facts
The adult human brain weighs about 3 pounds (1,300-1,400 g).
The adult human brain is about 2% of the total body weight.

The elephant brain weighs about 6,000 g.

The cat brain weighs about 30 g.

The average human brain is 140 mm wide.

The average human brain is 167 mm long.

The average human brain is 93 mm high.

The human brain has about 100,000,000,000 (100 billion) neurons.

The octopus brain has about 300 million neurons.

The total surface area of the cerebral cortex is about 2500 sq. cm
(~2.5 ft2)

The world record for time without sleep is 264 hours (11 days) by
Randy Gardner in 1965.

Twins -- when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have them, it's
fascinating. When they appear to Jack Nicholson in the corridors of
the Overlook Hotel in the film "The Shining," it's freaky. When
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito claim to be them, it's comedy
gold. And while multiple births represent one of the great wonders of
life in their own right, they provide important clues in the
mysterious case of nature versus nurture.



Image Source/Getty Images
These boy detectives try to figure out how much impact their parents
will have on them.
This case is concerned with how much of our personhood is due to what
we came into the world with -- our genes. Do our genes determine how
smart we'll be? Who we'll love? What we'll prefer to eat for dinner?
Or does what happens once you're in the world make a bigger
difference? Will parents or peers or pop stars ultimately shape the
person you become? One way for researchers to figure out where genes
end and where environment begins is in the study of identical twins,
who share the same genes. Scientists have been studying twins to
figure out the impact of genes on everything from math ability to
predisposition for breast cancer. Twins represent such a rich
research minefield for neuroscientists that an annual festival in
Twinsburg, Ohio serves as a recruitment party of sorts [source:
Revill, Asthana].


The separation of twins is when scientists may be able to really
examine nature versus nurture. So far, however, only one study has
ever looked at separated twins from infancy through adulthood, and we
won't know the results of that study until 2066. In the 1960s, 1970s
and 1980s, child psychiatrist Peter Neubauer and child psychologist
Viola Bernard led a study in which twins and triplets that were given
up for adoption at a certain New York adoption agency were separated
and studied throughout the duration of their lives [source: Wright].


When the siblings were placed with their respective families, the
parents were told that the child was part of an ongoing research
study that would require regular interviews and evaluations. No one,
however, was told that the child was a twin or triplet, or that the
study involved the influence of nature versus nurture. In 1981, the
state of New York began requiring that siblings be kept together in
the adoption process, and Neubauer realized that the public might not
be receptive to a study that used this separation method [source:
Richman]. The results were sealed and placed at Yale University until
2066.


The memoir "Identical Strangers" is the story of Paula Bernstein and
Elyse Schein, who were a part of the study. The sisters were reunited
when they were both 35 years old; all but four subjects of the 13-
child study have found their missing sibling [source: Richman]. In
promoting the book, Bernstein and Schein may provide a sneak peek at
Neubauer and Bernard's results. Bernstein and Schein say it's
undeniable that genetics play a major role; Bernstein puts the number
at more than 50 percent [source: Sunday Herald Sun]. The women
discovered they had things in common that included a habit of sucking
on the same fingers and the same major in college [source: Sunday
Herald Sun]. As for other matters, the women report that they are, as
Bernstein put it in an interview with National Public
Radio, "different people with different life histories" [source:
Richman].


For now, it seems we're at a stalemate, so go to the next page to see
if we can solve "The Puzzle of Why the Brain Stops Working."

This section might just "blow your mind," to use a common expression.
But do you even have a mind? Scientists don't know where the brain
ends and the mind begins. Are they the same thing? What about souls?
Are these located in our brains? What is responsible for all of the
unique thoughts and feelings that make us who we are? Everyone from
philosophers to physicists has taken up this question of
consciousness and come up empty.



Lambert/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Baby Sherlock Holmes tries to determine if he's attained
consciousness yet.
For a long time, the study of consciousness was considered too far
out to study. How do you scientifically study something so
subjective? How can what one person feels become something that
another person can quantify? But now, in their relentless pursuit to
understand every single thing about the world, scientists are trying
to figure out what exactly is going on with consciousness.


Though deep metaphysical questions about the nature of a soul, a mind
and brain leave questions as to whether this issue is in the realm of
scientists, the brain is likely involved in some way with our
conscious thoughts. With the help of brain imaging, scientists can
watch different parts of the brain light up, and they know they can
alter the brain and our consciousness with surgeries or chemicals
[sources: Eagleman, Pinker]. But what scientists don't know is at
what stage of the process a firing neuron becomes a conscious
thought. The things that make up consciousness may be scattered all
over the brain, with different cranial parts responsible for
different pieces of a person. But, as we've mentioned, there are tons
of other brain mysteries about how these parts might work together.


Scientists are also trying to figure out the relationship between
conscious and unconscious experiences. There are some things -- like
breathing and maintaining a regular heart beat -- that we don't have
to think about. How are these unconscious actions wired differently
than the conscious ones? Is there any difference at all? We like to
think we make our own decisions, but one recent study shows that we
may not even do that. This study found that by using brain scanners,
researchers could predict how a person was going to act a full seven
seconds before the person knew that a decision had been made [source
Keim]. Our consciousness might just be an illusion.


It's possible that something like free will could enter into the
equation at the last possible moment, overriding the decision made by
the brain. The researchers in the study also admitted that this test
was best suited to a simple laboratory test that involved pushing a
button, as opposed to a more important decision like taking a job
[source: Keim].


Will we ever solve these brain mysteries? Who knows -- our instrument
for doing so is the very one we're trying to figure out. But you
could start combing the scene for overlooked clues by reading the
stories and links on the next page.

In the 2004 film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," the
characters played by Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet undergo a process to
erase all memories of their relationship from their minds. The film
uses a variety of methods to show how the memories disintegrate and
disappear, and it becomes a race against time when Carrey's character
decides he doesn't want to complete the process. He tries to protect
his memories about Winslet's character by hiding them in unrelated
memories.


Good luck, Jim. Not even scientists are completely sure how memories
are formed, how we retrieve them or how they disappear. There are
many types of memory; we humans are pack rats who file away
information ranging from how to make our grandmother's favorite pie
to how to solve algebra equations. But which things does the brain
decide to save? Where does it put this information, and why can't we
get to some of that information when we really want it?




Henrik Sorensen/Stone/Getty Images
This detective writes down all her clues so she won't forget them.
Scientists have been able to pinpoint where certain types of memory
are stored. They've also discovered how neurons fire and synapses are
strengthened when storing these memories. But they don't know exactly
what goes into that neuron to store the memory, or how to dissolve
that synaptic connection if you want to forget something. In
September 2008, new clues about memory emerged that may eventually
help us crack this cold case. In one study, researchers found that
the neurons activated in the recall of a memory are likely the ones
that fired when the event originally occurred [source: Carey]. So
when you talk about reliving old memories, you actually are, because
the brain is doing the exact same thing it did the first time.


But what if there wasn't a first time? One of the problems of getting
to the bottom of memory is that it seems to play tricks on the brain
sometimes. For example, we often create false memories. On July 7,
2005, London experienced a series of bombings. A follow-up study
found that four out of 10 people have false memories of the event
because they claimed to have seen nonexistent television footage
[source: Randerson]. If we're storing things that are unreliable,
does memory serve any purpose at all? According to thinkers as
ancient as Aristotle, we might only need memories as a way to predict
and anticipate the future [source: Eagleman].


The question of what we've experienced and how we experienced it is
leading into our next unsolved brain mystery -- the age-old question
of consciousness. Read more about this riddle of the brain on the
next page.

"Sweet dreams are made of this," sang Annie Lennox during her stint
in the Eurythmics in the 1980s. But you might notice that Lennox is
suitably vague about what exactly "this" is. And really, no one knows
what sweet dreams are made of, why we have them or even what we're
doing sleeping our life away anyway.



Ben Bloom/Stone/Getty Images
Why do babies need so much sleep? Another mystery!
Can you believe that? Every night we carve out a few hours of shut-
eye, and scientists don't even know why! They do know that it's
extremely damaging if a person doesn't get enough sleep, and it's
possible that sleep once served some sort of evolutionary benefit.
Sleep would be an extremely beneficial distraction if early man had
wanted to take a midnight stroll at the time when saber-tooth tigers
were on the prowl [source: BBC]. On the other hand, it's not a
particularly advantageous trait to carry forward in this age of
electricity as the process takes up a lot of time (about a third of
our life) and renders the dreamer defenseless against predators
[source: Eagleman].


There are a few theories as to why we need so much sleep. One idea is
that sleep is restorative to the body, giving it an opportunity to
rest. But if rest is the goal, why does our brain remain hard at
work? It's possible that while we sleep, the brain is practicing and
running problem-solving drills before completing actions in the real
world. There are several studies that show that learning can't take
place without sleep to reinforce the knowledge [source: Schaffer].


Some of these studies may have real implications for students. One
researcher claims that it would be better for students to review
information until they were tired, then slept, as opposed to pulling
an all-nighter [source: BBC]. Some schools have changed the time of
that first bell so that middle and high school students can get a
little more snooze time [source: Boyce, Brink].


So let's say these students actually go to sleep, as opposed to
engaging in more nefarious behaviors. What happens then? When the
dreaming state of REM sleep was discovered in 1951, it was described
as a "new continent in the brain" [source: Schaffer]. Though
scientists have tried to make inroads on this uncharted continent,
mysteries remain about its topography. Like sleep, dreaming may
represent some sort of personal gym time for the brain, with dreams
allowing a person to work out emotional issues and solidify thoughts
and memories.


Or, it's possible that life is but a dream, as the song "Row, Row,
Row Your Boat" taught us. When you're asleep, you're experiencing a
ton of visual stimuli that the brain is somehow processing. In an
awake state, there may be additional stimuli for different senses,
but the brain may be doing the same thing with them. If the brain
works just as hard sleeping as it is when we're awake, then maybe
life is a waking dream [source: Eagleman].


Let's row our boat over to the next page and investigate the
mysterious case of human memory.