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Thomas Willis: How The Function Of The Brain

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Before reading this article I thought we knew a lot about how the brain functions. I have a new understanding that we understand very little about how the brain really works.

The brain has been a mystery for thousands of years. In ancient times they believed that emotions were related to animal spirits. It wasn’t until the 17th century that the started to know more about the brain. A man by the name of Thomas Willis was one of the first researchers to recognize the importance of the brain. He could see, from dissecting animal brains, that our mental world existed in a part of the brain that resembled pudding or custard texture.

Huge breakthroughs in neurological science came when they stared a method of dissecting mouse brains. They took the brain of a mouse and sliced it so thin that it was translucent, each a thousandth of the strand of the human hair. After doing this they would …show more content…

After receiving and healing from the implant, and only 2 sessions with the prosthetic, she could bring a cup of coffee to her lips. This research is so progressive they estimate that one-day brain implants will be as common as heart implants.

The reason this means a lot to me is I have a sister that has a brain injury. The injury was caused by an accident when she was 2. She fell head first of a 3 story balcony. Since her case was different from any other case, there wasn’t much they could do. She is alive and wonderful, but she has the mentality of a 4 years old, her right arm is parlayed and her right leg is mostly paralyzed. While I know they can’t make her brain normal, there was too much damage, it would be nice to know what could be fixed to help her be more independent. Even if she could have use of her arm and leg.

The developments are astounding when it comes to the brain. I’m fascinated by the idea that there could be help one day for my wonderful

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