Saturday, June 11, 2005

Only Using Part of Your Brain? Think Again...

By Michael Schirber
LiveScience Staff Writer


When ferrets watch the mind-bending movie The Matrix, brain activity is only slightly higher than when they stare at nothing. Scientists say this might mean something about how much of your brain is in use.


Ferret brain activity increased just 20 percent when looking at Keanu Reeves compared to looking at darkness, the study found.


When the lights were turned off, researchers expected that the activity would drop to zero, except for some random, "spontaneous" firing of neurons, explained study leader Michael Weliky from the University of Rochester. A brain region devoted to vision continued idling at 80 percent of full capacity.


Weliky likens this constant high level of activity to a radio station’s carrier signal. "The [20 percent] riding on top of that is reality," he said.


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