Scientists have been trying for a very long time to find out how much the human brain works. These searches have repeatedly led to all kinds of misconceptions and false theories. Some researchers claim that a person uses the brain for only one percent of the available potential, while others give 15-20 percent. Ordinary people begin to object and note that their brain works everywhere and always, providing respiration, heart rate and much more. This is certainly true. But, speaking about how many percent scientists work, they imply hidden opportunities and

A bit of anatomy

The central nervous system includes the head and which, in turn, are represented by two types of cells: neurons and gliocytes. Neurons act as the main carriers of information, receive input signals through dendrites that resemble tree branches, and send output signals along axons, similar to cables. Each neuron includes up to ten thousand dendrites and only one axon. But axons can be a thousand times longer than the neurons themselves: up to four and a half meters. The areas where the dendrites and axons meet are called synapses. These are kind of tumblers that connect neurons and turn the brain into a single network. It is into impulses that they are transformed into chemical signals.

Glyocytes are human brain cells that serve as a skeleton structure, they play the role of cleaners, eliminate dead neurons. In total, there are fifty times more gliocytes than neurons. The features of the human brain are such that up to two hundred billion neurons, five million kilometers of axons, and one quadrillion synapses are simultaneously present in it. The number of options for the exchange of information exceeds the number of atoms in the universe. Indeed, the potential is endless. Why, then, are we using the brain only so little? Let's try to figure it out.

Load level

Let's give an example. Let's say a graduate of the Faculty of Mathematics and a thirty-year-old alcoholic were given the same task: multiply 63 by 58. The action is quite simple, but which of them will have to use a larger percentage of the brain to carry it out? It is not surprising to guess that the second. And why? Because the mathematician is smarter? Not at all. It's just that he is more trained in this matter, and he needs much less work to solve the example. However, initially, both one and the other were approximately equal. And the number of neurons they have is also about the same. The difference is only in the number of relationships between them, but, as you know, broken ties can be restored and even new ones can be acquired. Therefore, the alcoholic certainly has opportunities for intellectual growth.

Experiments on monkeys

Michael Mesernich, a professor at the University of San Francisco who is interested in how much the human brain works, conducted several experiments on monkeys. He put the animals in cages and placed containers of bananas outside of them. While the primates were trying to get fruit, Mesernich took computer pictures of their brains. He found that as the skills of the monkeys developed, the area of \u200b\u200bthe part of the brain that provided the task was also increased. As soon as the animals were able to fully master the technique and easily extract the bananas, the area of \u200b\u200bthe brain in question returned to its previous size. Thus, the connections of neurons were strengthened, and reactions began to proceed without any effort, automatically. This immediately opened up the potential for even greater growth.

Extreme situations

How many percent of the brain does a person use in an emergency? Nobody will say the exact figure, but it is known that in this case the speed of perception grows at a fantastic pace. Some disaster survivors noted that they felt at the moment of danger that time had stopped, and this gave them the opportunity to maneuver. It would be nice if this ability was inherent in us in everyday life, and not only during a period of severe shock. But is it possible? If possible, it is extremely dangerous. Just imagine how much energy the brain needs in this state!

Mystical abilities

There are people who move objects with the power of thought, rotate the hands on the clock, scatter laser beams and the like. Surely many have heard of such magicians and sorcerers. Who are they - supermen or hoaxers? Or maybe each of us has such abilities, they are just dormant? Perhaps nature deliberately limits us, keeping us in reserve for any unforeseen event. The important thing is not how much the human brain works, but how we spend intellect. The smarter people are, the more they strive to satisfy their selfish needs. So, Hitler was a very gifted person, but what came of it? A sea of \u200b\u200btears, oceans of blood. Let's cite other geniuses as examples: Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci. They achieved a lot in their lives, but it is known that they were greedy, selfish and power-hungry. If one of them had been given power, perhaps the consequences would have been the same.

What percent of the brain does a person use?

If people do not change internally, do not grow spiritually, then they cannot apply their latent abilities. So what percentage of the brain does a person use? To satisfy animal instincts, three percent is enough for us. To be able to provide yourself with food - two more. Five percent is enough for the formation, the same is required for the learning process. That, in general, is all! The dark storerooms of the brain can open up before us only if we strive for more, engage in development, solve logical problems and puzzles, learn about the world and improve ourselves as a person.

How the brain works

The number of neurons in the brain of a newborn child is greater than that of an adult. However, there are still almost no connections between the cells, so the baby cannot competently use his brain. Initially, the newborn can hardly hear or see. Even if the retinal neurons sense light, they cannot transmit information to the cerebral cortex, because they have not yet formed connections with other neurons. That is, the eyes see the light, but the brain does not perceive it. Gradually, the necessary connections are formed, the part of the brain interacting with vision activates the work, as a result, the child begins to see light, then the silhouettes of objects, colors, shades, and so on. But the most surprising thing is that such connections can only be formed in childhood.

Development of skills and abilities

For example, when a child could not see anything at an early age due to congenital cataracts, then even if he undergoes an operation in an adult state, he will still be blind. This is confirmed by cruel experiments carried out on kittens. They had their eyes sewn up when they were just born, and the stitches were removed already in adulthood. Despite the fact that the eyes of the animals were healthy and saw light, they remained blind. The same applies to hearing and to a certain extent to other abilities: touch, taste, smell, speech, reading, orientation in space, and so on. A great example is the Mowgli children raised by animals in the forest. Since they did not train their ability to speak as children, they will not be able to master human speech in adulthood. But they can orient themselves in space in a way that none of the people who grew up in civilization can.

How to improve your brain efficiency

From the foregoing, we can conclude that the percentage of a person's brain working depends on the degree of his training. The more the brain is loaded, the more efficiently it functions. Moreover, in children it is more receptive and flexible, so it is easier for them to adapt to a new situation, for example, master a computer program, learn a foreign language. By the way, you never know how exactly the skill acquired in childhood will manifest itself. For example, a person who, as a child, was engaged in modeling, drawing, knitting, any kind of handicraft and thereby trained fine motor skills of the hands, has every chance of becoming an excellent surgeon and can easily carry out accurate, filigree operations in which any wrong movement can lead to failure. This is why you should train your brain from childhood. And then any great discoveries will be within reach!

Let's start with a speech. For a long time it was believed that the "speech" part of the brain is its temporal region, the so-called Wernicke's zone. As is often the case in science, it begins with simplified schemes and unambiguous direct correspondences. So it happened with the long-dominated concept of the brain as a local area. In accordance with this, Karl Wernicke “discovered” specific “speech centers” back in the 19th century.

However, "sharp" (that is, surgical) experiments on the brain and other methods have completely changed this idea. A computed tomogram of the brain showed that it is not a separate large area that is responsible for speech, but rather point, rather insignificant in area, areas of the cortex.

I.P. Pavlov believed that consciousness is a ray of light against the "dark" background of the rest of the brain. A ray of light is the activating (electrically active) areas of the cortex. "Dark" background - "dormant", inactive gray matter zones. Experiments on the human brain have confirmed this physiologist's model. But came to light and amazing facts... Pavlov believed that the ray of consciousness runs around the cortex, like a kind of scanner, reading information, and Karl Wernicke was convinced that a strictly fixed area of \u200b\u200bthe brain was responsible for speech (this hypothetical area was named after him). It turned out neither one nor the other.

During speech and motor activity, impulses arise in separate points of the brain. They do not belong to a specific area of \u200b\u200bthe cortex. Active spots of excitation are randomly distributed over the surface of the medulla. In different people, this picture of the distribution of foci of excitation does not coincide. On tomograms of different people, these different foci of excitation are clearly visible, which are not repeated and are of an individual nature. Scientists believe that it is this “geography” of the brain, given by nature, that probably determines one or another human speech structure: talkers, logicians, tongue-tied, silent, and so on.

In practice, it turns out that the "pattern" of the foci of excitation, in the sense of individual uniqueness, is similar to the pattern of fingerprints, the nature of the iris and other similar physiological and anatomical indicators that determine the unique diversity of human individuals among billions of similar ones.

In principle, having a brain tomogram (in the presence of a pre-compiled alphabet of meanings), one can predict one or another speech type of personality. This, for example, is useful for determining the future profession, inclinations and dispositions of the child. Why isn't this his "oracle"? Isn't it a prediction of the future?

Examples of pathologies that can affect speech and thinking

If a patient has consulted a doctor about difficulty speaking, the suspicion falls, first of all, on a violation of the brain regions responsible for this function (even if they are individual and have a point character). For example, if the patient finds it difficult to pronounce words, he cannot connect them in a sentence, does not understand the coherent meaning of the picture and cannot describe it, most likely these are signs. Didn't the man notice him? Alas, a slight bleeding may not be felt.

Another example is when the subject is not able to start a conversation, although there are no difficulties in moving the lips, vocal cords and tongue. Brain fluoroscopy revealed abnormalities in the left temporal cortex. More subtle studies (angiogram - with the introduction of a contrast agent into the vascular system of the brain) made it possible to establish: the blood vessels supplying this area of \u200b\u200bthe left hemisphere are closed. The diagnosis is: limited thrombosis in the clear part of the cortex, responsible for speech.

If fluoroscopy and angiogram, on the contrary, would reveal increased blood flow and tissue compaction, the diagnosis would be different: for example, a tumor. It could be on the blood vessels and on the brain tissue.

There could be degenerative changes in the brain, with the death of neurons. This happens in old age or with Alzheimer's disease (known signs - memory loss, dementia, trembling hands and feet, etc.). Despite the difference in morphological and physiological reasons, the result is the same - speech and thinking disorder.

Left and right hemispheres

It is common knowledge that our body is symmetrical, like most organs. The brain also has two hemispheres. In the process of evolution, their specialization was formed. Since most people are right-handed (they have a more developed right hand), and the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right hand, it appears evolutionarily more developed. Now it is believed that it is the left hemisphere that is responsible for the intelligent behavior of both speech and humans.

This means that impulses during the excitation of parts of the brain at the time of, for example, pronouncing words, occurs mainly in the left hemisphere of the cortex. This is where the various mosaic of points of consciousness that was mentioned above is observed.

Experiments have shown that in monkeys (chimpanzees), on the contrary, point excitation is observed in both hemispheres (after all, monkeys also have two cerebral hemispheres). This distinguishes us from primates. And fortunately - not only that :)

The “scattering of consciousness” over the halves of the contents of their shards did not allow monkeys to develop speech in the process of evolution, although they undoubtedly have the rudiments of thinking. For this reason, primates stopped in their development. Physiologists think so.

Speech allowed a person to communicate with his own kind, to transfer experience and knowledge to him. Later, writing arose on the basis of oral speech. So humanity went through an accelerated course of evolution from primitive tools of labor and prey (which many animals have), to a complete transformation of the environment. Not a single bee, not a single monkey, not a single "high-browed" rat (and they are very smart, even smarter than monkeys) will reach the launch spaceships... That's what speech is!

Memory, prediction and the question of what percentage of the brain a person uses

It's no secret that monkeys, like humans, have memory. But the depth of penetration along the arrow of time in humans and animals is fundamentally different. Experiments have shown that, for example, chimpanzees remember what happened yesterday, the day before yesterday, but no further. Although, however, we know that animals can remember something all their lives. There is a sensational case (XIX century) when an elephant killed an English officer in India many years later: he remembered the insult he inflicted on him. Pets perfectly remember the kindness they once did. The same is true for wild beasts. A textbook example: in the era of Ancient Rome, the lion did not eat what was given to him in the arena to be torn apart by the gladiator, who once healed him in the desert.

They have animals and predictive abilities. Thus, a predator usually chooses the shortest path across the prey, calculating the trajectory of its movement. Socrates once observed how a dog, looking for a master, ran to a triple fork in the road, sniffed one path, then another, and ran along the third without sniffing it. This means, Socrates concludes, that she knew that her master had gone exactly in this third direction. So much for logic and foresight.

However, a person's memory and predictive abilities are deeper and richer. A person can revive in his imagination many, including very old, episodes of his life. Art is based on this. People plan their future not only weeks and months, but hundreds of years ahead. K.E. Tsiolkovsky gave a forecast of the development of life on Earth for millennia ahead. A person does this due to the differentiation of the cerebral hemispheres that has developed in him.

This differentiation is so tangible that, as experiments have shown, under certain conditions one hemisphere is completely turned off from work. When the speech tasks were complicated for the patients, at first both hemispheres were active: the left one was more active, it was accompanied by the right one. Upon reaching a certain difficult level of tasks, the right hemisphere suddenly turned off. This suggested that the right half of the brain is a rudimentary organ and, as the intellect develops, it will degrade.

However, one cannot agree with this modern conclusion of experimental science. It is the right hemisphere of the brain that is responsible for creativity, and this is also thinking. Moreover, this type of thinking allows a breakthrough look into the future, making discoveries unexpected for logic. And without this brain activity, there would be no progress at all. In any case, in the field of technology, science and art.

Currently, there is still a theory that the brain modern man involved only 5-10% of its capabilities. Connecting the rest of the gray matter mass, according to this theory, will greatly enhance the spiritual strength of people. Proponents of this idea suggest that this is exactly what happens in psychics, mediums, great scientists, inventors, etc., that is, their brain works more efficiently at the expense of its reserves.

Experiments show that this is most likely a delusion. When some areas of the cortex are damaged (for example, in a stroke), the brain tries to compensate for the loss. Other segments of gray matter are partially included in the work. But the patient does not have a complete restoration of speech and other functions. Memory is not fully restored either. The person remains intellectually disabled. Consequently, the brain cannot connect new areas even in extreme cases of vital activity, and if it does, then its work is ineffective. Therefore, the "education" of the giants of thought - the supermen of the future - is very problematic.

There are many questions, but the answers, apparently, will not be soon ...

Scientists say they now know no more about the brain than Ptolemy knew about astronomy. Much surprises. At the age of three, the brain is eighty percent developed. He reaches his highest development at the age of about twenty years. But why then does its mass decrease? Why are its reserves remaining unused? Why this redundancy, which, as we have seen, does not insure life against disability? All this suggests that the mysteries of the brain have not diminished.

Brain tissue contains 12-14 billion cells that connect in many different ways. The number of connections is about a trillion. The number of brain cells exceeds the number of stars in the Galaxy. Why this redundancy? For what purpose is it created? Maybe the evolution of man is not finished and Providence has prepared material for the future, counting on the future change of "Homo sapiens"?

There is an opinion that the mass of the brain also determines the intellectual power of people. However, the mass of gray matter in chimpanzees is not less than that of homo sapiens, and the difference in intelligence is incommensurable.

Europeans have an average brain mass of about 1350 grams. However, there was a man whose brain mass was only 900 grams. And he was perfectly normal. For example, Anatole France had a small brain - 1.1 kilograms. During the period of his illness, VI Lenin worked on the "remnants" of gray matter, since one hemisphere was almost completely calcified. So the mass of the brain still does not say anything. And this is also one of the mysteries of intelligence.

The specific subject of intelligence is memory. There are people whose intelligence, for example, in the field of mathematics or ability to languages, is many times greater than the capabilities of the average person. It would seem that people of high intelligence should have a phenomenal memory. History shows the opposite. So, it is known that Edison forgot about his own wedding, but despite his weak memory, he was distinguished by outstanding abilities. They have not faded away even in old age, when, as is known, both memory and intelligence are weakening. After eighty years, Edison patented, in addition to the hundreds of patents already in existence, forty new inventions. And this is also the mystery of the "gray matter" that has yet to be solved.

Corresponding Member of the RAS S. MEDVEDEV (St. Petersburg).

Despite all the achievements of modern science, the human brain remains the most mysterious object. With the help of sophisticated fine equipment, scientists from the Institute of the Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences were able to "penetrate" into the depths of the brain without disrupting its work, and find out how information is memorized, speech processing, how emotions are formed. This research helps not only to understand how the brain performs its most important mental functions, but also to develop methods of treatment for those people who have them. Director S.V. Medvedev tells about these and other works of the Human Brain Institute.

Such an experiment gives interesting results. The subject is told simultaneously two different stories: one in the left ear, the other in the right.

Research carried out in recent years at the Institute of the Human Brain of the Russian Academy of Sciences has made it possible to determine which areas of the brain are responsible for understanding various features of human speech.

Brain versus brain - who wins?

The problem of studying the human brain, the relationship between the brain and the psyche is one of the most exciting challenges that has ever arisen in science. For the first time, the goal was set to cognize something equal in complexity to the very instrument of cognition. After all, everything that has been studied so far - the atom, the galaxy, and the animal's brain - was simpler than the human brain. From a philosophical point of view, it is not known whether the solution of this problem is possible in principle. Indeed, apart from instruments and methods, our human brain remains the main means of cognizing the brain. Usually, a device that studies some phenomenon or object is more complex than this object, in the same case we are trying to act on equal terms - the brain against the brain.

The enormity of the task attracted many great minds: Hippocrates, Aristotle, Descartes, and many others spoke about the principles of the brain.

In the last century, areas of the brain responsible for speech were discovered - after the name of the discoverers, they are called the areas of Broca and Wernicke. However, the present scientific research brain began with the work of our brilliant compatriot I.M.Sechenov. Further - V.M.Bekhterev, I.P. Pavlov ... Here I will stop in the list of names, since there are many outstanding brain researchers in the twentieth century, and the danger of missing someone is too great (especially from those who are now living, God forbid ). Great discoveries were made, but the possibilities of the methods of that time for the study of human functions are very limited: psychological tests, clinical observations, and, since the thirties, an electroencephalogram. It's like trying to find out how a TV works, by the hum of lamps and transformers or by the temperature of the case, or trying to understand the role of its constituent blocks, based on what happens to the TV if this block is broken.

However, the structure of the brain, its morphology has been studied quite well. But ideas about the functioning of individual nerve cells were very sketchy. Thus, there was a lack of comprehensive knowledge about the building blocks that make up the brain, and the necessary tools to explore them.

Two breakthroughs in human brain research

In fact, the first breakthrough in cognition of the human brain was associated with the use of the method of long-term and short-term implanted electrodes for the diagnosis and treatment of patients. At the same time, scientists began to understand how an individual neuron works, how information is transmitted from neuron to neuron and along a nerve. Academician N.P.Bekhtereva and her staff were the first to work in our country in conditions of direct contact with the human brain.

Thus, data were obtained on the life of individual areas of the brain, on the relationship between its most important sections - the cortex and subcortex, and many others. However, the brain consists of tens of billions of neurons, and with the help of electrodes it is possible to observe only dozens, and even then in the field of view of researchers, not the cells that are needed for the study often fall, but those that are near the treatment electrode.

Meanwhile, a technical revolution was taking place in the world. New computational capabilities have made it possible to bring the study of higher brain functions using electroencephalography and evoked potentials to a new level. New methods have emerged that allow you to "look inside" the brain: magnetoencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography. All this created the foundation for a new breakthrough. It really happened in the mid-eighties.

At this time, scientific interest and the possibility of its satisfaction coincided. Apparently, therefore, the US Congress declared the nineties the decade of the study of the human brain. This initiative quickly became international. Hundreds of the best laboratories are now working all over the world to research the human brain.

I must say that at that time in the upper echelons of power there were many smart people who were rooting for the state. Therefore, in our country, they understood the need to study the human brain and offered me, on the basis of a team created and led by Academician Bekhtereva, to organize a scientific center for brain research - the Human Brain Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The main direction of the Institute's activities: fundamental research on the organization of the human brain and its complex mental functions - speech, emotions, attention, memory. But not only. At the same time, scientists must search for methods of treatment for those patients in whom these important functions are impaired. Compound basic research and practical work with patients was one of the basic principles of the Institute's activities, developed by its scientific advisor Natalya Petrovna Bekhtereva.

It is unacceptable to experiment on humans. Therefore, most brain research is done in animals. However, there are phenomena that can only be studied in humans. For example, now a young employee of my laboratory is defending a thesis on speech processing, its spelling and syntax in various brain structures. Agree that this is difficult to study on a rat. The institute is specifically focused on researching things that cannot be studied in animals. We conduct psychophysiological studies on volunteers using the so-called non-invasive technique, without "getting" inside the brain and without causing any particular inconvenience to the person. This is how, for example, tomographic examinations or brain mapping using electroencephalography are carried out.

But it happens that a disease or an accident "puts an experiment" on the human brain - for example, a patient's speech or memory is impaired. In this situation, it is possible and necessary to investigate those areas of the brain whose work is impaired. Or, on the contrary, a piece of the brain is lost or damaged in a patient, and scientists are given the opportunity to study what "duties" the brain cannot perform with such a violation.

But simply observing such patients is, to put it mildly, unethical, and our institute not only examines patients with various brain injuries, but also helps them, including with the help of the newest methods of treatment developed by our employees. For this purpose, the institute has a clinic with 160 beds. Two tasks - research and treatment - are inextricably linked in the work of our employees.

We have excellent highly qualified doctors and nurses. Without this it is impossible - after all, we are at the forefront of science, and the highest qualifications are needed to implement new methods. Almost every laboratory of the institute is closed to the departments of the clinic, and this is the key to the continuous emergence of new approaches. In addition to standard methods of treatment, we carry out surgical treatment of epilepsy and parkinsonism, psychosurgical operations, treatment of brain tissue with magnetostimulation, treatment of aphasia with electrical stimulation, and much more. The clinic is seriously ill, and sometimes it is possible to help them in cases that were considered hopeless. Of course, this is not always possible. In general, when you hear any unlimited guarantees in the treatment of people, this raises very serious doubts.

Weekdays and high points of laboratories

Each laboratory has its own achievements. For example, the laboratory headed by Professor V. A. Ilyukhina is developing in the field of neurophysiology of the functional states of the brain.

What it is? I'll try to explain with a simple example. Everyone knows that the same phrase is sometimes perceived by a person diametrically opposite, depending on what state he is in: sick or healthy, excited or calm. This is similar to how the same note played, for example, from an organ, has a different timbre depending on the register. Our brain and organism are the most complex multi-register system, where the role of the register is played by the human state. We can say that the whole range of human relationships with the environment is determined by its functional state. It determines both the possibility of "breakdown" of the operator at the control panel of a complex machine, and the patient's reaction to the medication taken.

In the laboratory of Professor Ilyukhina, functional states are studied, as well as what parameters they are determined by, how these parameters and the states themselves depend on the regulatory systems of the body, how external and internal influences change states, sometimes causing illness, and how, in turn, the state of the brain and the body affect the course of the disease and the effect of drugs. With the help of the obtained results, you can make the right choice between alternative treatment paths. The determination of the adaptive capabilities of a person is also carried out: how stable he will be under any therapeutic effect, stress.

The laboratory of neuroimmunology is engaged in a very important task. Immune regulation disorders often lead to severe brain diseases. This condition should be diagnosed and a treatment should be chosen - immunocorrection. A typical example of a neuroimmune disease is multiple sclerosis, which is being studied at the Institute's laboratory under the direction of Professor I.D. Stolyarov. Not so long ago, he joined the council of the European Committee for the study and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

In the twentieth century, man began to actively change the world around him, celebrating the victory over nature, but it turned out that it was too early to celebrate: this aggravates the problems created by man himself, the so-called man-made. We live under the influence of magnetic fields, in the light of flashing gas lamps, we look at the computer display for hours, we speak mobile phone... All this is far from being indifferent to the human body: for example, it is well known that flashing light can cause an epileptic seizure. It is possible to eliminate the damage done to the brain, very simple measures - close one eye. To drastically reduce the "damaging effect" of a radiotelephone (by the way, it has not yet been precisely proven), you can simply change its design so that the antenna is directed downward and the brain is not irradiated. This research is carried out by the laboratory under the direction of Doctor of Medical Sciences E. B. Lyskov. For example, he and his staff showed that the impact of variable magnetic field negatively affects the learning process.

At the level of cells, the work of the brain is associated with chemical transformations of various substances, therefore, the results obtained in the laboratory of molecular neurobiology, headed by Professor SA Dambinova, are important for us. Employees of this laboratory are developing new methods for diagnosing brain diseases, searching for chemical substances of a protein nature that can normalize disorders in the brain tissue in Parkinsonism, epilepsy, drug and alcohol addiction. It turned out that the use of drugs and alcohol leads to the destruction of nerve cells. Their fragments, getting into the bloodstream, induce the immune system to produce so-called "autoantibodies". "Autoantibodies" remain in the blood for a long time, even in people who have stopped using drugs. This is a kind of body memory that stores information about drug use. If you measure the amount of autoantibodies in a person's blood to specific fragments of nerve cells, you can diagnose "drug addiction" even a few years after the person has stopped using drugs.

Is it possible to "reeducate" nerve cells?

One of the most modern trends in the work of the Institute is stereotaxis. This is a medical technology that provides a low-traumatic, gentle, targeted access to deep brain structures and a dosed effect on them. This is the neurosurgery of the future. Instead of "open" neurosurgical interventions, when, in order to reach the brain, a large trepanation is performed, low-traumatic, sparing effects on the brain are offered.

In developed countries, primarily in the USA, clinical stereotaxis has taken its rightful place in neurosurgery. About 300 neurosurgeons, members of the American Stereotaxic Society, are currently working in this area in the USA. The basis of stereotaxis is mathematics and precision instruments, which provide targeted immersion in the brain of delicate instruments. They allow you to "look" into the brain of a living person. It uses positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, computed x-ray tomography. "Stereotaxis is a measure of the methodological maturity of neurosurgery" - the opinion of the late neurosurgeon L. V. Abrakov. For the stereotaxic method of treatment, it is very important to know the role of individual "points" in the human brain, to understand their interaction, to know where and what exactly needs to be changed in the brain to treat a particular disease.

The institute has a laboratory of stereotaxic methods, which is headed by Doctor of Medical Sciences, USSR State Prize Laureate A. D. Anichkov. In fact, it is the leading stereotaxic center in Russia. The most modern direction was born here - computer stereotaxis with software and mathematical support, which is carried out on an electronic computer. Before our development, stereotaxic calculations were performed manually by neurosurgeons during an operation, but now we have developed dozens of stereotaxic devices; some have been clinically tested and are capable of solving the most difficult problems. Together with colleagues from the Central Research Institute "Elektropribor", a computerized stereotaxic system was created and for the first time in Russia it is serially produced, which surpasses similar foreign samples in a number of key indicators. As an unknown author put it, "finally, the timid rays of civilization illuminated our dark caves."

At our institute, stereotaxis is used in the treatment of patients suffering from movement disorders (parkinsonism, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's chorea, and others), epilepsy, indomitable pain (in particular, phantom pain syndrome), and some mental disorders. In addition, stereotaxis is used to clarify the diagnosis and treatment of certain brain tumors, to treat hematomas, abscesses, and brain cysts. Stereotactic interventions (like all other neurosurgical interventions) are offered to a patient only if all possibilities of drug treatment have been exhausted and the disease itself threatens the patient's health or makes him unable to work, makes him asocial. All operations are performed only with the consent of the patient and his relatives, after a consultation of specialists in various fields.

There are two types of stereotaxis. The first, non-functional, is used when there is some kind of organic lesion, such as a tumor, deep in the brain. If it is removed with the help of conventional techniques, it will be necessary to affect healthy structures of the brain that perform important functions, and the patient may accidentally be harmed, sometimes even incompatible with life. Let us assume that the tumor is clearly visible using magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography. Then you can calculate its coordinates and introduce radioactive substances with the help of a low-traumatic thin probe, which will burn out the tumor and disintegrate in a short time. The damage during passage through the brain tissue is minimal, and the tumor will be destroyed. We have already performed several such operations, the former patients still live, although with traditional methods of treatment they had no hope.

The essence of this method is that we eliminate a "defect" that is clearly visible. The main task is to decide how to get to it, which path to choose so as not to touch important areas, which method to eliminate the "defect" to choose.

A fundamentally different situation with "functional" stereotaxis, which is also used in the treatment of mental illness. The cause of the disease is often that one small group of nerve cells or several such groups are not working properly. They either do not release the necessary substances, or they release too much of them. The cells can be pathologically excited, and then they stimulate the "bad" activity of other, healthy cells. These "lost" cells must be found and either destroyed, or isolated, or "re-educated" with the help of electrical stimulation. In such a situation, you cannot "see" the affected area. We have to calculate it purely theoretically, as astronomers calculated the orbit of Neptune.

It is here that fundamental knowledge about the principles of the brain, about the interaction of its parts, about the functional role of each part of the brain is especially important for us. We use the results of stereotaxic neurology - a new direction developed at the institute by the late Professor V.M.Smirnov. Stereotactic neurology is "aerobatics", but it is on this path that one should look for the possibility of treating many serious diseases, including mental ones.

The results of our research and data from other laboratories indicate that practically any, even very complex, mental activity of the brain is provided by a system distributed in space and changing in time, consisting of links of varying degrees of rigidity. It is clear that it is very difficult to interfere with the operation of such a system. Nevertheless, now we can do it: for example, we can create a new center of speech to replace the one destroyed by trauma.

In this case, a kind of "re-education" of nerve cells occurs. The fact is that there are nerve cells that are ready from birth for their work, but there are others that are "brought up" in the process of human development. Learning to complete some tasks, they forget others, but not forever. Even having passed the "specialization", they, in principle, are able to take on the performance of some other tasks, they can work in a different way. Therefore, you can try to force them to take over the work of the lost nerve cells, to replace them.

The neurons of the brain work like the crew of the ship: one is good at steering the ship along its course, the other is good at shooting, the third is in preparing food. But the shooter can be taught how to cook borscht, and the cook can be taught to aim the weapon. You just need to explain to them how it's done. In principle, this is a natural mechanism: if a brain injury occurs in a child, his nerve cells spontaneously "retrain". In adults, special methods must be used to "retrain" cells.

This is what researchers are doing - trying to stimulate some nerve cells to do the work of others that can no longer be restored. Good results have already been obtained in this direction: for example, some patients with a violation of the Broca's area, which is responsible for the formation of speech, have been taught to speak again.

Another example is the therapeutic effect of psychosurgical operations aimed at "turning off" structures in an area of \u200b\u200bthe brain called the limbic system. With different diseases in different areas of the brain, a stream of pathological impulses arises that circulate along the nerve pathways. These impulses appear as a result of increased activity of brain areas, and this mechanism leads to a number of chronic diseases of the nervous system, such as parkinsonism, epilepsy, and obsessive compulsions. The paths along which the circulation of pathological impulses passes must be found and turned off as gently as possible.

In recent years, many hundreds (especially in the United States) of stereotactic psychosurgical interventions have been carried out to treat patients suffering from certain mental disorders (primarily obsessive-compulsive disorders), in whom non-surgical methods of treatment have proved ineffective. According to some narcologists, drug addiction can also be considered a type of this kind of disorder, therefore, in case of ineffectiveness of drug treatment, stereotaxic intervention can be recommended.

Error detector

A very important area of \u200b\u200bthe Institute's work is the study of the higher functions of the brain: attention, memory, thinking, speech, emotions. Several laboratories are engaged in these problems, including the one I am in charge of, the laboratory of Academician N.P. Bekhtereva, and the laboratory of Yu.D. Kropotov, Doctor of Biological Sciences.

Brain functions inherent only to humans are studied using various approaches: using a "conventional" electroencephalogram, but at a new level of brain mapping, studying evoked potentials, recording these processes together with the impulse activity of neurons in direct contact with brain tissue - for this, implanted electrodes and equipment are used positron emission tomography.

Academician N.P.Bekhtereva's works in this area were widely covered in scientific and popular science press. She began a systematic study of mental processes in the brain even when most scientists considered it almost unknowable, a matter of the distant future. It is good that at least in science the truth does not depend on the position of the majority. Many of those who denied the possibility of such research now consider them a priority.

Within the framework of this article, only the most interesting results can be mentioned, for example, the error detector. Each of us has come across his work. Imagine that you have left the house and already on the street you are tormented by a strange feeling that something is wrong. You come back - it is, you forgot to turn off the light in the bathroom. That is, you forgot to perform the usual, stereotypical action - flip the switch, and this pass automatically turned on the control mechanism in the brain. This mechanism was discovered in the mid-sixties by N.P. Bekhtereva and her collaborators. Despite the fact that the results were published in scientific journals, including foreign ones, now they are "rediscovered" in the West by people who know the work of our scientists, but do not disdain to directly borrow from them. The disappearance of a great power also led to the fact that there were more cases of direct plagiarism in science.

Error detection can also become a disease when this mechanism works more than necessary, and a person always thinks that he has forgotten something.

In general terms, the process of triggering emotions at the brain level is also clear to us today. Why does one person cope with them, and the other - "sinks", cannot break out of the vicious circle of similar experiences? It turned out that in a "stable" person, changes in brain metabolism associated, for example, with grief, are necessarily compensated by changes in metabolism in other structures directed in the other direction. In a "unstable" person, this compensation is violated.

Who is in charge of grammar?

A very important area of \u200b\u200bwork is the so-called brain micro-mapping. In our joint research, even such mechanisms as a detector of the grammatical correctness of a meaningful phrase have been discovered. For example, blue ribbon and blue ribbon. The meaning is clear in both cases. But there is one "small but proud" group of neurons that "whirl" when grammar is broken, and signals this to the brain. Why is this needed? Probably, then, that the understanding of speech often proceeds primarily through the analysis of grammar (remember the "glock kuzdra" of academician Shcherba). If something is wrong with the grammar, a signal comes in - additional analysis must be carried out.

Found micro-areas of the brain, which are responsible for counting, for distinguishing between concrete and abstract words. Differences in the work of neurons in the perception of the word of the native language (cup), the quasi-word of the native language (Chohna) and the word of a foreign language (watch - time in Azerbaijani) are shown.

The neurons of the cortex and deep structures of the brain participate in this activity in different ways. In deep structures, an increase in the frequency of electrical discharges is mainly observed, which is not very "tied" to any specific zone. These neurons, as it were, solve any problem by the whole world. A completely different picture in the cerebral cortex. One neuron seems to say: "Come on, guys, shut up, this is my business, and I will do it myself." Indeed, in all neurons, except for some, the frequency of impulses decreases, while in the "chosen ones" it increases.

Thanks to the technique of positron emission tomography (or abbreviated as PET), it became possible to study in detail all the brain regions that are responsible for complex "human" functions. The essence of the method is that a small amount of an isotope is injected into a substance participating in chemical transformations inside brain cells, and then we observe how the distribution of this substance in the brain region of interest to us changes. If the flow of glucose with a radioactive label increases to this area, it means that the metabolism has increased, which indicates the increased work of nerve cells in this part of the brain.

Now imagine that a person is performing some difficult task that requires him to know the rules of spelling or logical thinking. At the same time, he has the most active nerve cells in the brain area "responsible" for these skills. An increase in the work of nerve cells can be registered using PET to increase blood flow in the activated zone. Thus, it was possible to determine which areas of the brain are "responsible" for syntax, spelling, the meaning of speech and for solving other problems. For example, there are known zones that are activated upon presentation of words, it does not matter whether you need to read them or not. There are also zones that are activated to "do nothing" when, for example, a person listens to a story, but does not hear it, watching something else.

What is attention?

It is equally important to understand how human attention "works". Both my laboratory and Yu. D. Kropotov's laboratory are dealing with this problem at our institute. The research is carried out jointly with a team of scientists led by the Finnish professor R. Naatanen, who discovered the so-called mechanism of involuntary attention. To understand what this is about, imagine a situation: a hunter sneaks through the forest, tracking down prey. But he himself is a prey for a predatory beast, which he does not notice, because he is set up only to search for a deer or a hare. And suddenly an accidental crackling in the bushes, perhaps not very noticeable against the background of bird chirping and the noise of the stream, instantly switches his attention, gives a signal: "There is danger nearby." The mechanism of involuntary attention was formed in a person in ancient times, as a security mechanism, but it still works: for example, a driver drives a car, listens to the radio, hears the screams of children playing in the street, perceives all the sounds of the world around him, his attention is absent-minded, and suddenly a quiet knock motor instantly switches his attention to the car - he realizes that something is wrong with the engine (by the way, this phenomenon is similar to an error detector).

This switch of attention works for every person. We found zones that are activated on PET during the operation of this mechanism, and Yu. D. Kropotov investigated it using the method of implanted electrodes. Sometimes in the most difficult scientific work there are funny episodes. This was the case when we finished this work in a hurry before a very important and prestigious symposium. Yu. D. Kropotov and I went to the symposium to make reports, and only there, with surprise and "a feeling of deep satisfaction," we unexpectedly found out that neurons are activated in the same zones. Yes, sometimes two people sitting next to you need to go to another country to talk.

If the mechanisms of involuntary attention are violated, then we can talk about the disease. In Kropotov's laboratory, children with the so-called attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder are studied. These are difficult children, more often boys, who cannot concentrate on the lesson, they are often scolded at home and at school, but in fact they need to be treated, because they have disrupted some of the specific mechanisms of the brain. Until recently, this phenomenon was not considered as a disease and "forceful" methods were considered the best method of dealing with it. We can now not only define this disease, but also propose methods of treatment for children with attention deficit disorder.

However, I would like to upset some young readers. Not every prank is associated with this disease, and then ... "force" methods are justified.

In addition to involuntary attention, there is also selective attention. This is the so-called "attention at the reception", when everyone around you speaks at once, and you only follow the interlocutor, not paying attention to the chatter of the neighbor on the right that is not interesting to you. During the experiment, the subject is told stories: in one ear - one, in the other - the other. We follow the reaction to the story in the right ear, then in the left and see on the screen how the activation of brain regions is radically changing. At the same time, the activation of nerve cells for history in the right ear is much less - because most people pick up the telephone receiver in their right hand and put it to the right ear. It is easier for them to follow the history in the right ear, they need to strain less, the brain is less excited.

The secrets of the brain are still waiting in the wings

We often forget the obvious: a person is not only a brain, but also a body. It is impossible to understand the work of the brain without considering all the richness of the interaction of brain systems with various systems of the body. Sometimes this is obvious - for example, the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream makes the brain switch to a new mode of operation. In a healthy body, a healthy mind is precisely about the interaction of body and brain. However, not everything is clear here. The study of this interaction is still waiting for its researchers.

Today we can say that we have a good idea of \u200b\u200bhow one nerve cell works. Many of the blank spots have disappeared and the brain map has identified areas responsible for mental functions. But between the cell and the area of \u200b\u200bthe brain there is another, very important level - a set of nerve cells, an ensemble of neurons. There is still a lot of unclear here. With the help of PET, we can trace which areas of the brain are "turned on" when performing certain tasks, but what happens inside these areas, what signals nerve cells send to each other, in what sequence, how they interact with each other - we will talk about this for now. we know little. Although there is some progress in this direction as well.

Previously, it was believed that the brain is divided into clearly demarcated areas, each of which is "responsible" for its function: this is the zone of flexion of the little finger, and this is the zone of love for parents. These conclusions were based on simple observations: if a given area is damaged, then its function is impaired. Over time, it became clear that everything is more complicated: neurons within different zones interact with each other in a very complex way, and it is impossible to carry out a clear "linkage" of function to the brain region in terms of ensuring higher functions everywhere. We can only say that this area is related to speech, memory, and emotions. And to say that this neural ensemble of the brain (not a piece, but a wide-spread network) and only it is responsible for the perception of letters, and this one - words and sentences, is still impossible. This is the challenge for the future.

The work of the brain to support the higher types of mental activity is similar to a flash of fireworks: at first we see a lot of lights, and then they start to go out and light up again, winking among themselves, some pieces remain dark, others flash. Also, the excitation signal is sent to a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe brain, but the activity of the nerve cells inside it obeys its own special rhythms, its own hierarchy. In connection with these features, the destruction of some nerve cells may turn out to be an irreparable loss for the brain, while others may well replace neighboring "retrained" neurons. Each neuron can only be seen within the entire cluster of nerve cells. In my opinion, now the main task is to decipher the nerve code, that is, to understand how the higher functions of the brain are specifically provided. Most likely, this can be done through the study of the interaction of the elements of the brain, through understanding how individual neurons are combined into a structure, and a structure into a system and a whole brain. This is the main challenge for the next century. Although there is still something left for the twentieth.

Vocabulary

Aphasia - speech disorder as a result of damage to the speech areas of the brain or the nerve pathways leading to them.

Magnetoencephalography - registration of the magnetic field excited by electrical sources in the brain.

Magnetic resonance imaging - CT scan of the brain based on the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance.

Positron Emission Tomography - a highly effective way of tracking extremely low concentrations of ultrashort-living radionuclides, which mark physiologically significant compounds in the brain. Used to study the metabolism involved in the implementation of brain functions.

Surely now there is no person who at least once did not hear the opinion that the human brain is used only by 7 or 10%, and the one who learns to use the whole brain will become a genius with supernatural abilities. This theory was very popular in the second half of the twentieth and early nineteenth centuries, and even now, despite the repeated debunking of the myth about the partial use of the human brain, articles and reports appear from time to time in pseudoscientific media that the brain of an ordinary person works only for 5, 7, 10 or 20%. But what was the basis for the formation of the theory of partial use of brain resources? And how much does a person actually use the brain?

How did the opinion arise that people do not use the whole brain, but only a small part of it?

The origin of the theory that people do not fully use their brain is not exactly known, since several scientific luminaries of the past and the century before last could have stood at its origins at once - psychology thinker William James, neurobiologist Sam Wang, neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield or other scientists of the first half of the 20th century. centuries of research in the field of neurobiology. All of the above specialists in their writings concluded that people do not use their entire intellectual potential, but stop in development. Also, scientists of that time did not yet have an accurate idea of \u200b\u200bthe functions of different parts of the brain, so they could not determine exactly at what moments certain parts of the central nervous system were involved. Nonetheless, no recognized expert in neuroscience, psychiatry, or neurosurgery has ever claimed that the human brain is only 10, 15, or 20% working.

Despite the fact that the origins of the myth about 10% brain use are not exactly known, modern psychologists and biologists know exactly how this theory became known to the general public. In 1936, the genius thinker, orator and psychologist Dale Carnegie published his book "And Influence People", and this book immediately became a bestseller. The foreword to this literary work was written not by Carnegie himself, but by the writer Lowell Thomas, and in order to draw the attention of readers to the book, he stated that scientists have established that a person uses the brain only 10%.

It is impossible to say exactly why Lowell Thomas, in the annotation to Carnegie's book, made an unfounded statement about the partial use of the brain by humans, but what he wrote was perceived as true by millions of readers who bought Carnegie's book. And according to the results of the survey, already in the 90s of the twentieth century, more than 60% of ordinary citizens believed that the human brain works only 10%, and they were sure that this theory of 10% was confirmed by scientists. And even now, many people far from science still do not doubt the truth of this theory, although scientists say the opposite.

What is the percentage of people actually using the brain?

Modern neuroscientists answer the question of how the human brain works unambiguously: 100%. At any moment, the human brain uses all its resources to exercise control over the rest of the body's systems, to provide the processes of memorization, thinking and awareness. And even when a person is asleep, the activity of the brain does not stop, because its various departments control the course of metabolic processes, heartbeat, breathing, and also process the information received during the day, thanks to which people.

The human brain consists of two types of cells: neurons and glial cells, the former being responsible for receiving, transmitting and processing internal and external signals, while the latter provide the vital activity of the neurons themselves. Neurons and glial cells form 6 main brain regions, each of which has its own purpose and performs specific functions. These departments are as follows:

According to modern scientists, if any part of the brain is damaged due to injury or illness, other lobes can expand their specialization and partially or completely "take over" its responsibilities in order to maintain the vitality of the whole organism. And at the same time neurons that are not involved in the work of the brain die off very quickly, which once again proves the fallacy of the theory that the brain works only at 10%.

However, the fact that the brain of any person works at 100% does not mean that people cannot develop their intellectual potential. The fact is that when a person trains his memory, engages in mental activity, learns new information or acquires new skills, new neural connections are formed in his brainwho will be responsible for maintaining the knowledge and skills acquired. And the limit in the development of such potential is unknown, because scientists believe that the number of neural connections and circuits that our brain can create, if necessary, is practically unlimited.

If you conditionally remove the brain aside and pay attention to your soul, you can discover and realize how the soul (feelings and emotions) controls the brain (computer), manifesting actions in reality, and not in reverse.

Is it possible to determine why the brain of one of the twins is working correctly, while the other has disorders in ... the brain? And if this is not a disorder in the brain, but in the mind, which manifests brain activity? But in order to understand this mechanism, one must admit that the soul is a real reality, which is closed to many minds, recognizing facts only through physical eyes and ears.

How can you reprogram your brain? 3 main steps

I read many similar articles on the Internet about how to get out of any stressful situation you just need to reprogram your brain, namely:

1. Change your thinking;
2. Think positively;
3. Relax;
4. Distracted.
5. Force your brain to register more pleasant moments in life, etc.

It all sounds right, but ...

Many authors on their sites describe the brain as a tool, a computer that can be easily programmed to be positive. They just forget to tell you how to do it. What kind of place do you need to gather and decide on such a step - to reprogram your brain.

Many books on psychology and psycho-trainings have been written that say that you need to think "correctly", but no one says where to get the strength to start thinking this way.

If a person is depressed, or mired in envy, or hate suffocates him, or jealousy torments him ... from which such source will the strength and desire to reprogram the brain to be positive appear? How to shut up jealousy, which draws pictures of betrayal, or revenge, which builds thoughts about how to take revenge more painfully?

After all, even the most intelligent and logical people are subject to negative feelings, emotions and thoughts and, despite the good structuring of their mind, logical thinking and intellect, they cannot cope with them. The authors do not provide an explanation for this.

Yes, these 5 points that are described above really make it possible to switch and take a break from negativity. Only this negative does not disappear into nowhere, but waits for its moment. After all, childhood grievances and disappointments are remembered with pain even in old age, despite the past time (vacation, rest, adventure, positive moments, etc.).

When a person is tormented by "sick" thoughts, it is very difficult to think positively. You can play outwardly "I think positively", but inside, cats are still scratching. And vice versa, if a person feels good at heart, then everything around seems wonderful.

After all, if we could so easily reprogram our brains, as many authors claim, would we choose to suffer? Would we voluntarily suffer, tormented by thoughts of resentment and hatred, thoughts of treason and betrayal, illness and death? We would all voluntarily choose to think positively, which is both enjoyable and great. To change your thinking and program yourself to be positive, you need to "heal" your inner world (your soul).

3 main steps to change your thinking and make your brain work for a positive:

1. Master the basic techniques of meditation. To begin with, it is enough to allocate 10 to 15 minutes for meditation. in a day.
2. With the help of meditation, to purify your astral body. What is the astral body, read in this article:
3. Remove harmful mental programs from your mental body. For more details, see here:

In modern knowledge, apart from fiction on the topic of positive, there is nothing. Because no methods "modern" and "ancient", as they like to call them, do not give an opportunity to stop hurting and understand yourself (your inner world) - only empty parting words about positive thinking.