Mechanisms of the Human brain

Human brain is a fascinating organ. Its physical structure and chemical complexity are mind blowing. Understanding the brains working has been mans quest for ages. We don’t know much of the mechanisms even today. What is presented below is a simplified explanation of probable mechanisms of the brain.

We live in an environment full of vivid imagery, sounds, sensations and varied other experiences. All these experiences make sense to us because our brain is able to process the information gathered by our senses and interpret it. When one of our senses or mostly more than one of our senses are stimulated, what is actually happening is that some information from the external environment is being converted to electrical impulses and is being transmitted to the brain. This conversion of varied stimuli to electrical impulses is done at the level of the sensory nerves which are omnipresent in relation to the sensory organs – eyes, ears, skin, tongue, there are others like the receptors in our joints which sense our body position but most of them are involuntary. These impulses of current get transmitted to the brain via the nerves, something like wires to and from a central grid. These electrical impulses causes changes in the brain by decreasing or increasing the electrical potential of individual cells. This is mostly done with the help of ions like sodium, potassium, calcium – the three major ions in the human system. Consequent to this the brain responds by releasing stored chemicals into a synapse – a connection between two neurons, the fundamental units of the brain (brain cells, there are others along with neurons, the glial cells and the scavenger cells). The chemicals released by the neuron into the synapse (serotonin, nor adrenaline and many others) are synthesized and stored in the neuron in special organs and on appropriate stimulus get extruded out of the cell. Release of this neurotransmitter causes changes in the cells further down the synapse and this chain is propagated. This is true for all the information going to and away from the brain.

Synapse showing release of neurotransmitters

When we do something its basically this release and uptake of neurotransmitters that determines our behavior. When a child learns to speak a word this mechanism ensures that new circuits – groups of related neurons – are activated. When he repeats the word again and again these circuits get strong – physical strengthening due to new protein synthesis is postulated to occur. With time and repetition the child remembers the word – memory is formed. Memory is coding, storing and retrieving data from the brain – a process of new circuit formation, strengthening of formed circuits and activation of those specific circuits when retrieving learned data.

This is an overtly simplified version of the workings of the brain, but it suffices to say that brain works through electro-chemical mechanisms and possible protein modifications.