The Amazing Human Brain

The human brain is the body's computer. Find out everything there is to know about your brain and stay updated on the latest news with the comprehensive articles and images of the brain at LiveScience.com. Learn more about this vital organ as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about your brain.

Related Topics: Memory, Nervous System, Personality

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A medical illustration of the human brain from 'Quain's Elements of Anatomy, Eighth Edition, Vol.II' (by William Sharpey MD, LLD, FRS L&E, Allen Thomson, MD, LLD, FRS L&E, and Edward Albert Schafer) depicts the right half of the brain divided by a vertical antero-posterior section, 1876.

Human brain: Facts, functions & anatomy

By Tanya Lewis, Ashley P. Taylor

The human brain is the command center for the human nervous system.

With a special kind of MRI called "diffusion tensor imaging," the researchers were able to visualize pathways in the brain.

How Do Trivia Masters Do It? The Right Answer Is ‘Brain Efficiency.’

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

We all have that friend who "knows everything."

An artistic representation of the amoeba <em>Naegleria fowleri</em>, which causes deadly brain infections.

Why the 'Brain-Eating' Amoeba Is So Deadly

By Bill Sullivan

The digestive power of this amoeba is the stuff of nightmares when it plays out in a human brain.

Twins Safa and Marwa Ullah were born with an extremely rare condition called craniopagus, which means they were connected at the head and shared a portion of their skull and brain tissue. Above, an image of the twins after their separation surgery.

Conjoined Twins Fused at the Head Now Separated After More Than 50 Hours of Surgery

By Rachael Rettner

Twin girls who were born joined at the head have been successfully separated after a months-long medical endeavor.

Don't Waste Your Emotions on Plants, They Have No Feelings, Grumpy Scientists Say

By Mindy Weisberger

You can talk to your plants — but they won't care.

Alzheimer's disease is an incurable brain disorder that causes plaques to grow around nerve cells, destroying them.

Alzheimer's Disease: Brain Changes, Symptoms and Treatment

By Cari Nierenberg

Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia, causes memory and thinking problems, as well as behavioral changes in older adults.

An illustration of a brain.

Why'd I Come in Here? A Brain Zap Could Boost That Fuzzy Memory

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

A quick zap to the brain could help revive missing memories.

Three people were recently confirmed to contract rat lungworm disease after being infected with parasites known as rat lungworms (<em>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</em>).

Three Cases of Brain-Infecting Parasite Recently Confirmed in Hawaii

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Last December, a tourist in Hawaii ate a slug on a dare — not realizing, of course, a wiggly brain-loving parasite was along for the ride.

Researchers may have found a biomarker for suicidal thoughts in the brains of people with PTSD. Above, brain scan images show higher levels of the brain receptor mGluR5 in people with PTSD with suicidal ideation (SI), compared with other groups, including

Brain Scans Reveal Potential Biomarker of Suicidal Thoughts in People with PTSD

By Rachael Rettner

Researchers may have found a biomarker for suicidal thoughts in the brains of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Dr. Li Dianyou, of Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, China, uses a computer tablet to adjust the settings of a deep brain stimulation device implanted in the brain of a patient who underwent the procedure to treat his methamphetamine addiction.

A Man in China Had Electrodes Implanted in His Brain to Treat His Meth Addiction. How Could It Work?

By Martta Kelly

A man in China who spent years battling a methamphetamine addiction has had a device inserted into his brain to treat his addiction, according to news reports.

New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez, shown here in 2011, was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy after his death in 2017.

Could CTE Be Diagnosed Before a Person Dies? This Protein May Be the Key

By Martta Kelly

Researchers have identified a possible biomarker for the degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

A pile of junk food.

Eating While Stressed Could Mean Extra Weight Gain, Mouse Study Finds

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Beware the comfort food

A new study finds that higher levels of body fat are tied to lower brain volumes in certain areas. Above, brain MRI scans of two participants in the study (both are women age 65 years old). One participant had a body fat percentage of 13% (left), and the

High Body Fat Linked to Possible 'Brain Shrinkage'

By Rachael Rettner

A new study suggests that high levels of body fat may affect the brain's structure.

A pig in a pigsty

Hours After Pigs' Death, Scientists Restore Brain Cell Activity

By Rachael Rettner

Scientists have restored brain circulation and some cell activity in pigs' brains hours after the animals died in a slaughterhouse.

brain, electricity

Electrical Stimulation Makes Old Brains Act Young Again

By Stephanie Pappas

A short session of brain zapping can reverse some of the effects of aging in older adults, a new study suggests.

Parkinson's disease is more likely to develop in people over the age of 60.

Parkinson's Disease: Risks, Symptoms and Treatment

By Cari Nierenberg

About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease each year.

A book at a library

Your Brain Needs 1.5 MB of Storage to Master Your Native Language

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

About the size of a 1.5 MB floppy disk

"Thirst neurons" light up in the subfornical organ of the brain.

How Does the Body Know When to Stop Drinking Water?

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

Too little or too much water can be dangerous for the body.

A magnetic field surrounds our planet and protects it from solar radiation. Our brains might be able to tune into it.

Scientists Find Evidence That Your Brain Can Sense Earth's Magnetic Field

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The Earth's magnetic field might be influencing the brain.

Broken-heart syndrome weakens the muscles of the heart, causing its left ventricle to enlarge. The heart takes on a shape like a “takotsubo,” a Japanese fishing pot used to trap octopuses. The condition is also known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

Broken-Heart Syndrome May Stem from the Brain

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The brain decreases its chatter, the heart weakens and balloons up