Neuroscience is an interesting study field, with never-ending questions and the quest to answer them. If you know a neurologist and would like to strike up a healthy conversation to know more about the field, you can start with some unusual questions. These questions may not just be about the brain’s health but also about understanding how powerful and complex this organ is. Here are some to start you off.

Can brain waves be harnessed to generate power to make devices work?
While the brain produces electricity of its own through the neuron receptors, the energy generated is too small. However, there is ongoing research to understand how this electricity naturally generated in the body can be used for scientific purposes. The research includes trying to treat wounds in the body, depression, paralysis, and even cancer. One of the best examples of how electric waves are used in treatment is the pacemaker which helps facilitate the beating of the heart at an appropriate pace.

How does the brain intercept and process abstract concepts like art and philosophy?
A small experiment was done at the Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging to understand how the brain activates neural patterns to understand abstract scientific concepts. The researchers suggested that the brain is a context-dependent entity, and when they asked physicists to think about certain physics concepts, they all showed a similar neural trace in the brain. Even though these physicists were all trained in different ways and different languages. Similarly, the brain employs a cognitive process that includes factors like pattern recognition, emotional processing, and semantic memory. Processing concepts of art and philosophy is similar to making sense of something abstract by remembering all tangible knowledge you may have and finding an attachment somewhere that could inspire art and philosophy.

Any unusual or unexplained neurological phenomena that you may have experienced?
The mind is a diverse subject. Every new case is a mystery to be solved; even when the diagnosis is known, sometimes there may be unusual symptoms to deal with. There is constant research in neuroscience to get conclusive answers to understand why or how the brain works the way it does. Some unusual brain disorders include Imposter Syndrome, Face Blindness, Walking Corpse Syndrome, and more.