World Brain Day: "The potential of this organ is very wide and every day we have surprises"

Patrícia Oliveira-Silva is a neuroscientist and her entire professional career has been dedicated to the study of the brain. Despite her great experience in the neurosciences, the professor at the Faculty of Education and Psychology at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa says that "studying the brain is a constant challenge, because it is an organ with much still to be discovered.

On the day that marks World Brain Day, the researcher stresses the importance of using this date to "celebrate all the knowledge and investment in the area of neurosciences", but above all "it is an occasion to share information that helps people make better use of their brain."

Patrícia Oliveira-Silva doesn't like to talk about "the degree of importance of this organ in the physiological system", but admits that "it has an essential, if not priority role in our functioning".

But if the importance of the brain is unquestionable, according to the scientist, its physical appearance is "disappointing due to its unappealing appearance". Weighing approximately 1.5 kg, "this organ controls emotions, thoughts, memories and the way we function".

Leading the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory (HNL), the Universidade Católica's laboratory for the study of neurosciences, since its creation in 2014, Patrícia Oliveira-Silva points out that this is a space where, "from the first year of the degree, any UCP student can have contact with research in this area."

The researcher was invited to develop this project as soon as she finished her PhD and confesses that "it has been very rewarding to know that research is accessible to everyone, with strong mentoring support, but where everyone can collaborate and even participate in international networks."

"When the HNL was created, one of its pillars was to allow UCP students to have a rich and practical context in which to learn about research in the neurosciences, but that we could then sustain this training based on research," says the researcher, adding that "then, over the years, a third pillar emerged that has to do with the dissemination of information, opening up communication with society."

Therefore, she said, "this date is also important to remember all the achievements made in the early detection of dementias, such as Alzheimer's".

"We now use techniques, which already existed, to find brain patterns that allow us to anticipate both cognitive decline and some early signs of dementia," the researcher adds.

But if a cure for Alzheimer's has not yet been found, what is certain is that "today we know that cognitive stimulation is important and can be done by learning a new language or learning to play an instrument".

Despite the great discoveries, the brain is still "a mystery" and perhaps because of this it generates great speculation, as can be seen by the various myths surrounding this organ of the human body.

Based on scientific research, we clarify just two of them: "there are no differences between the brains of a man and a woman and bigger brains are not the most intelligent."

"The big differentiator is not volume at all, but rather how the different brain areas communicate ", clarifies the researcher.