Has the brain a maximum capacity for knowledge?

Question

and if not, does it grow more cells to compensate?

Answer 1

Yes and no. When we are first born, the human brain is the biggest part of the body. We literally have personalities the second we get out of the womb. Technically, we only use about 5 percent of our total brain capacity, so we know where we are, but what is keeping us here is what is known as stimulus overload, where we have soaked so much up that we cant get any more. (That is why cramming for a test/ exam is bad for you) The other thing is that the blood cells can only transport so much O2 (oxygen), so if we could increase O2 absorption efficency, then we could open up more possibilities. Assuming of course we can overcome stimulus overload. And yes, for the first few years we are growing connections to neurons exponentially. But when we get to about 20, they stop growing and start going the other way. So if we can increase O2 absorption, maintain connections, and overcome stimulus overload, then we can start unlocking our mind. Further more, it has been postulated that the human mind can store about 200 terabytes of info! (1 terabyte equals one thousand gigabytes)

Answer 2

Probably!

You brain does grow new cells, but also they start dieing away from a very young age!

In terms of what we can store (remember & relate to).... The more we exercise our brains, the larger the capacity we seem to have..... and this also seems to be a good defence against the likes of Alzimers and other problems!

But figuring that we only have a certain theoretical amount of mental endurance.... there must be a limit to which we can excercise our brains, and therefore we may reach a limit in Knowledge?

People often share ideas, and 'bad learning' is then often lost, so this again may push forward our abilility to be knowledgeable!

I think we all need to exercise our brains everyday, and we'll all become more able to take in information and store it as knowledge!!!

One to THINK about!!

Answer 3

No, your brain knows no boundaries for knowledge.

Your brain functions at its best with small amounts of information over short periods of time.

20 minutes study is worth more than 2 hours. But 2 hours divided up into 20 minute blocks is ideal for anyone wishing to expand upon the memory capacity of their brain.

Repetition can increase longterm memory if information is reviewed regularly over weeks and months. For short term memory you only a have to study up to the point of taking any exams.

The human brain does reproduce brain cells as old ones are dying however the older you are the new brain cells do not promise to be as healthy as the ones you've lost. Hence exercises for the brain are very useful in maintaining an active and intellectual enquiring mind.

Answer 4

The important thing to remember is the mind is a muscle. This means everyones mental capacity will differ according to its own natural strength and the level to which its owner keeps it maintained. It is like a super computer but now where near as simple as some of the other answerers think. There are not many people who keep their minds maintained to perform at the highest level of performance, as the old saying goes "there are more old drunks in this world than old doctors"
Our subconscious records EVERYTHING we do in our lives what we read and experience so keeping our minds healthy gives us better access to these records. Creatine is a mind/muscle strengthening powder and omega 3 fish oil helps also to create new cells but avoid alcohol and drugs if you want a fully functional mind. Also a passion for knowledge and learning are the real hallmarks of a healthy and fully operational mind and with an open mind there really are no limits.

Answer 5

I heared from a trusted source that the brain has a very huge capacity for knowledge. But it is surely limited, because of the physical limitation of the brain. If there is no limit for the capacity for knowledge then the brain would be of an infinite physical size!

Note: the capacity of the brain is huge enough that no one will ever have his brain completely filled.

Answer 6

The brain can't grow more cells. It does make more connections between them so there is no limit except the limit placed on it by size and complexity
Although you should define what you mean by knowledge as some seem to gain little knowledge from learning and some learn little from knowledge

Answer 7

no, we can cram an incredible amount of knowledge in. just like a computer we compress memories into synaptic zip files, which we can access with lightening efficiency.

though there does seem to be a barrier to rememberiing anything much before your 4th birthday. prehaps someone knows why...

but we have the largest brain capacity of any mammal on the planet.. and behold the wonders of our world... now all we have to do is not kill each other or the planet in the process... and our brain has been the size it is for over 30 000 years.

Answer 8

Hi. The connections in a brain (synapses) are much more numerous than the actual cell count. We use no where near the capacity.

Answer 9

yes, the brain has a maximum capacity for knowledge
can you know absolutely EVERYTHING in the world without forgetting anything?
no, the number of brain cells you have doesn't get bigger

Answer 10

I saw on TV a long time ago a programme that claimed:

'to fill the human brain to it's limits you would need to learn (and remember) a new thing every second for 10 years.'

I doubt its true. And how did they work that out? The silly monkeys

Answer 11

Your brain doesn't store everything. Yes, it would probably grow new neurons as the new knowledge comes in..