Is It Healthy to Have a Highly Active Brain?

It may be counterintuitive, but scientists have recently learned that having a highly active brain is linked to a shorter lifespan. In a 2019 study, researchers from Harvard Medical School examined the brains of people who died between the ages of 60 and over 100. They found evidence that signaling -- electric current and transmitters working in the brain -- was more active in people who lived relatively short lives. The discovery was based on a transcription factor called REST, which controls gene expression. In experiments with mice, scientists boosted REST and found that it lowered neural activity and lengthened lives. When they blocked REST, they found the opposite. Although far more research is needed, some experts have suggested that meditation could be one way to quiet brain activity, which might be beneficial for achieving a longer life.

What's going on in your brain?

• The human brain can produce up to 23 watts of power.
• The human brain contains around 86 billion neurons.
• In the first year of a person's life, his or her brain will double in size; it keeps growing until the age of about 18, with some parts continuing to develop up to age 25.