5 amazing facts about your brain

The brain is a highly complex organ in which 86 billion nerve cells, or neurons, constantly talk to each other. All these connections are what make you feel pain when someone steps on your foot, laugh when you hear a joke, or remember where you left your phone.

The largest part of the brain is the cerebrum. It has the wrinkles and folds that you may picture when you think of the brain. This region is covered by the cerebral cortex, the outermost layer that’s often called “gray matter.” The cerebrum handles higher brain functions like thoughts, emotions, sensory processing, and actions. Those folds and wrinkles provide more surface area for more information to be processed.

The brainstem is the powerhouse link between your brain and your spinal cord. It controls your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. The cerebellum, meanwhile, is a wrinkled ball-shaped part of the brain. It sits behind the rest of your brain. It helps coordinate movement by working with sensory information from your eyes, ears, and muscles.

Although the brain is immensely complicated, researchers have managed to uncover many fascinating truths about it.