Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, IL
  • home
  • services
    • activator methods
    • webster technique
    • spinal decompression
    • consultations
    • other therapies
  • conditions
    • headaches >
      • migraines
      • dizziness
    • neck pain >
      • jaw pain
      • pinched nerve
      • text neck
      • torticollis
      • upper crossed syndrome
      • whiplash >
        • car accident
    • arm pain >
      • shoulder pain
      • elbow pain
      • wrist & hand pain
    • back pain >
      • low back pain
      • mid back pain
      • disc problems >
        • degenerative disc disease
        • disc herniation
      • scoliosis
    • hip pain >
      • piriformis syndrome
    • leg pain >
      • sciatica
      • knee pain
      • foot & ankle pain >
        • plantar fasciitis
        • sprained ankle
    • women's health >
      • back pain during pregnancy
      • fibromyalgia
    • children's health >
      • ear infections
      • chronic strep throat
      • congenital torticollis
    • other conditions >
      • asthma
      • Diarrhea
      • high blood pressure
  • what to expect
    • what is chiropractic?
    • insurance
    • no insurance?
    • download forms
    • for medical doctors
    • links
  • hours
  • find us
    • locate us
    • contact us
  • about us
    • meet the doctor
    • FAQ
    • patient testimonials
  • blog

Peoria. Health. Blog.

How Many Brains Do You Have?

3/24/2011

0 Comments

 
That's not really as silly a question as it sounds. Paleontologists long thought that some species of dinosaur had two brains, one in their head and one in their tail. Scientists now believe that the neural cavity in the tail was merely a place where many nerves exited the spinal canal, not a separate brain.

However, exciting new research into the human body shows that even the spinal cord has the capability to process information. The spinal cord has been long thought to simply be a connector between the computer-like brain and the many peripheral nerves of the body. But even under this simplistic model of the central nervous system, it becomes difficult to explain the "spinal arc reflex."

The spinal reflex is most easily explained by demonstrating the patellar reflex. When a doctor taps just below your knee, what he's really doing is quickly stretching your patellar tendon (the tendon that attaches your thigh muscles to your shin by way of the kneecap). Patellar tendon nerves send an "I've just been stretched" message to the spinal cord. The spinal cord responds with a lightning quick "Then you'd better tighten up again" message. The thigh muscles contract immediately, usually hard enough to cause a visible kick. This is the simplest form of spinal arc: message to the spine, instruction from the spine.

But even this simple arc proves that the spinal cord is more than just a connection from brain to limbs. It has functions and capabilities of its own.

According to Dr. Patrick Stroman of Canada's Queen's MRI Facility, ongoing research is proving that the spinal cord is more than just a relay station. While investigating the spinal cord's capacity for processing information, the researchers were astonished to find that more processing was accomplished by people who were alert. If the people were distracted, lethargic, or otherwise non-attentive, the spinal cord (as measured by MRI temperature changes) was much less active.

"The effect of attention is one of the reasons that when you're playing sports and you get hurt, you often don't become aware of the injury until after the game when your attention and focus changes," says Dr. Stroman. "We already knew that a person's level of attention affects information processing in the brain, but this finding has made us aware that level of attention has to be properly controlled in research that aims to accurately map spinal cord function."

So perhaps the dinosaur's "second brain" was, after all, more important that current paleontologists suggest. Although having an information-processing spinal cord isn't quite as nifty as having a second brain, daily new discoveries of the capabilities of the central nervous system continue to astonish.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed


    Categories

    All
    Activator Methods
    Anatomy Academy
    Ask The Doctor
    In The News
    Peoria & Illinois
    Research Roundup
    Testimonials
    Tips And Tricks
    Webster Technique
    X Y Z

    Disclaimer

    Unless otherwise attributed, all content is written by Kyle Johnson, DC, of Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria.

    All images used are under Creative Commons license.

    Although every effort has been made to provide an accurate description of our chiropractic care and its benefits, the information given on this website and blog is not intended to be, nor should it be interpreted as, medical advice for any condition.

    If you have any questions regarding your condition, you should seek the help of Dr. Johnson in person, so that he may properly assess your condition.

    This blog is provided by Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C., proudly located in Peoria, IL.
Activator Methods  |  Webster Technique  |  Testimonials  |  Meet Dr. Johnson  |  Blog  |  Contact Us  |  ©2023 Johnson Family Chiropractic of Peoria, S.C.
3227 N. Prospect Rd.
Peoria, IL  61603
(309) 688-8773

Google+
Photos used under Creative Commons from CircaSassy, Looking Glass, Mykl Roventine, ivoryelephantphotography, SantaRosa OLD SKOOL, MasonJars, foodswings, The U.S. Army, Tobyotter, ElvertBarnes, cliff1066™, ttarasiuk, laura dye, Herkie, Inha Leex Hale, geishaboy500, Sunfox, visual.dichotomy, lewing, Claus Rebler, h.koppdelaney, Donnaphoto, kevindooley, gordontarpley, majcher, ThrasherDave, Ivy Dawned, a loves dc, greatlettuce, goosmurf, timsamoff, landhere, Robert Couse-Baker, Pop Top Lady, bradkeb, tuchodi, Marco Bellucci, Polygon Medical Animation, Shane's Stuff, paul bica, Tambako the Jaguar, Emery Co Photo, erix!, OregonDOT, Helga's Lobster Stew, Amy Wilbanks Photography *prev. SymaSees*, vmiramontes, Kimberly*, lissalou66, eperales, CLCsPics, B Rosen, everyone's idle, chispita_666, miggslives, All-seeing Angler., brains the head, n0nick, dougtone, ruurmo, sunshinecity, CarbonNYC, no lurvin here., Näystin, Neticola - Raúl A., okalkavan, Ateo Fiel, bengrey, mahalie, JerrytheSaint, billaday, dearoot, quinn.anya, Mark Wooten, Andreanna Moya Photography, Mitya Kuznetsov, owlpacino, Vince Alongi, avinashkunnath, wolfpix, thesearenotpolaroids, Life Mental Health, Bolshakov, j.clark, Redcorn Studios [Matt], hoyasmeg, abardwell, Rodrigo Basaure, scazon, Dave Sizer, maessive, lrargerich, alisdair, Shardayyy, Base Camp Baker, h.koppdelaney
  • home
  • services
    • activator methods
    • webster technique
    • spinal decompression
    • consultations
    • other therapies
  • conditions
    • headaches >
      • migraines
      • dizziness
    • neck pain >
      • jaw pain
      • pinched nerve
      • text neck
      • torticollis
      • upper crossed syndrome
      • whiplash >
        • car accident
    • arm pain >
      • shoulder pain
      • elbow pain
      • wrist & hand pain
    • back pain >
      • low back pain
      • mid back pain
      • disc problems >
        • degenerative disc disease
        • disc herniation
      • scoliosis
    • hip pain >
      • piriformis syndrome
    • leg pain >
      • sciatica
      • knee pain
      • foot & ankle pain >
        • plantar fasciitis
        • sprained ankle
    • women's health >
      • back pain during pregnancy
      • fibromyalgia
    • children's health >
      • ear infections
      • chronic strep throat
      • congenital torticollis
    • other conditions >
      • asthma
      • Diarrhea
      • high blood pressure
  • what to expect
    • what is chiropractic?
    • insurance
    • no insurance?
    • download forms
    • for medical doctors
    • links
  • hours
  • find us
    • locate us
    • contact us
  • about us
    • meet the doctor
    • FAQ
    • patient testimonials
  • blog