brain basics
what does the brain do?
This organ inside your head controls your thoughts, feelings, and body movements.
What do brain surgeons wear on their head to help them see better during surgery?
A surgical headlight or loupes.
Which American brain surgeon became famous for separating conjoined twins and later ran for U.S. president?
Dr. Ben Carson
What is the common head injury that can cause a headache or dizziness after a hard hit to the head?
A concussion.
What part of the brain helps you stay balanced and move smoothly and is at the back of your head?
The cerebellum.
Clue: This system includes the brain and spinal cord working together.
What is the central nervous system?
What big machine takes clear pictures of the brain using magnets instead of X‑rays?
An MRI
Which scientist studied “split‑brain” patients with epilepsy and won a Nobel Prize?
Dr. Roger Sperry.
What is it called when blood flow to part of the brain stops or a blood vessel in the brain bursts?
A stroke.
What is the biggest part of the brain that has a right side and a left side?
The cerebrum.
What are the special cells that carry messages around your brain and body called?
Neurons or nerve cells.
What is the computer system that helps guide the surgeon during brain surgery, like a GPS?
A neuronavigation system or surgical navigation system.
Which British brain surgeon wrote a book called Do No Harm about his life in surgery?
Dr. Henry Marsh.
What is an abnormal lump of cells growing inside the brain that a neurosurgeon may remove?
A brain tumor
What part of the brainstem controls breathing and heart rate without you thinking about it?
The medulla.
What is the wrinkly outer layer of the brain that helps you think and remember things?
The cerebral cortex.
What treatment uses strong, focused radiation beams to treat some brain tumors without cutting open the skull?
Answer: Stereotactic radiosurgery (for example, Gamma Knife).
Which neurosurgeon helped create many early brain surgery methods at Johns Hopkins Hospital?
Dr. Walter Dandy
What disease slowly harms memory and thinking, mostly in older people?
Answer: Alzheimer’s disease.
What part of the brain works like a “message center,” sending signals from your senses to the outer brain?
The thalamus.
What is the fatty covering around some nerve fibers that helps messages travel faster?
Myelin or the myelin sheath.
What tool uses sound waves and gentle suction to break up and remove brain tumors?
A CUSA (Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator)
Which doctor is often called the “father of modern brain surgery” for his work on brain tumors?
Dr. Harvey Cushing.
What do we call dangerous bleeding in or around the brain that can cause pressure and damage?
Answer: A brain bleed or brain hemorrhage.
What is the bundle of nerve fibers that connects the right and left sides of the brain so they can talk to each other?
The corpus callosum.