The last week or so has been full of travel and doctor’s visits.  I’ve learned about radiation therapy and the differences between photon and proton therapy.  I’ve learned about chemotherapy. I’ve learned more about brain tumors in general.  Did you know that May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month?

I’ve also learned that more people in Philly get the Key and Peele A-A-Ron reference on my shirt than in other places.  Go Philly!

There were a few more fun things from the brain book that I found interesting and wanted to pass along…

•  The claim we only use 10% of our brains is totally false.  We use it all and often multiple parts at the same time.
• Anarchic Hand Syndrome (AHS) is when a person no longer has conscious control of one hand and it appears to move on its own (think Dr. Strangelove or, I suppose, Evil Dead).
• There are 6 different kinds of aphasia (inability to produce and/or comprehend language).  The particular issue that sent me to the ER was called Production Aphasia – the inability to articulate words or string them together. It is caused by damage to Broca’s area.
• Einstein’s brain was removed after his death and found to be wider than normal and was missing a part of the deep groove that runs through the parietal frontal lobe. The area affected is concerned with mathematics and spatial reasoning, and it is possible that the missing groove allowed his neurons to communicate more easily.
• It takes more than 20 years for the brain to become fully mature.  Although we know teenage brains aren’t fully formed, it is good to remind ourselves of this every once in a while.
• The brain is a magnificent organ in general.  I certainly took mine for granted prior to A-A-Ron…

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