Idiot Brain

“neuron” is the official name for brain cells, or “nerve” cells, and they are the basis for the whole nervous system. Each one is essentially a very small bio

n the body. To extend my earlier metaphor, if the thalamus is the station, the hypothalamus is the taxi stand outside it, taking important things into the city where they get stuff done.

the sensory information is relayed to the amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for strong emotional processing, and fear in particular.

f the brain were a city, the thalamus would be like the main station where everything arrives before being sent to where it needs to be.21 T

amygdala, the part of the brain responsible for strong emotional processing

The thalamus connects to both the advanced conscious parts of the brain in the cortex and the more primitive “reptile” regions in the midbr

If the brain were a city, the thalamus would be like the main station where everything arrives before being sent to where it needs to be.

There’s the hypnic jerk, where you twitch suddenly and un

REM sleep is when dreaming occurs,

we sleep; we’re colder then than when we’re awake.