A day in the life of your brain

A single sensory input, and the neurons in your brain spring into action. That means the brain's 170 billion worker-cells stay busy around the clock.

Transcript

00:00For the brain's 170 billion workers, it's a day much like any other.

00:07The heads of neurons touch the feet of other neurons, forming synapses.

00:11That's how they communicate.

00:12Meanwhile, glial cells supply them with nutrients and fluids.

00:19Nobody suspects yet, but the peace will be short-lived.

00:23Deep inside the brain is the thalamus, a kind of relay station for most sensory information.

00:29Unimportant details get swept under the table.

00:33But suddenly panic breaks out.

00:35The highly strung amygdala has spotted something that evokes unpleasant emotions.

00:41And the hippocampus starts calling up bad memories.

00:48Just in case, the hypothalamus prepares the body to make a run for it by instructing the

00:53pituitary gland to pump chemical messengers into the bloodstream.

00:59Gradually the news spreads throughout the entire neurological complex and is processed

01:04by a wide range of different departments.

01:10The visual information is examined in detail.

01:13Options for averting danger are analyzed.

01:16The motor cortex starts working on an escape plan.

01:24Language experts get busy trying to name the spider species.

01:30Other departments are trying to assess the situation.

01:34How are people around us reacting?

01:36Maybe the spider is actually kind of cute.

01:39What other options are there to deal with the situation?

01:42Meanwhile, in the prefrontal cortex, the boss is sitting in the executive suite.

01:49But it's hard to say exactly who is making the final call.

01:52As is often the case, a lot of units are involved and good decisions are usually down

01:57to teamwork.

01:59It takes less than a second to react.

02:02The motor cortex initiates movements.

02:05Signals are transmitted from the oldest department, the brain stem, through the spinal cord to

02:10the rest of the body.

02:12The lungs are instructed to take a deep breath.

02:16And then it's the cerebellum's turn to shine.

02:19That's where complex sequences of movements are trained and precisely coordinated.

02:24With the help of a pincer grip, the spider is grabbed by a leg and transported into the

02:30garden.

02:32Danger has been averted.

02:37But the next drama is already brewing.

02:41Just another long and strenuous workday in our brain.

02:45Though many processes are still a mystery.

02:49This is one company that doesn't give up its secrets easily.