What does brain activity mean?
To answer this question, we should first establish what the brain actually is. The brain is the part of the central nervous system located in the head - at least this is the case in vertebrates, including humans. According to current knowledge, most things in the human body are controlled from the brain. This happens through strongly interconnected neurons or nerve cells. Thinking, perceiving, feeling, acting, moving, reacting, etc. are, in simple terms, impulses that take place between these neutrons and information that is passed on.
Since a human brain is made up of about 100 billion neurons, there is a lot of communication going on, which is called brain activity (or brain activity). Information is constantly zipping back and forth in the brain. Even when we are sleeping, there is amazing brain activity. Scientists can make this activity visible by using an EEG (electroencephalography). This measures and records the voltage fluctuations in the brain.
How do you measure brain activity?
In order to measure brain activity using an EEG, a scientist, researcher or doctor places electrodes on the test subject's head (individually or as a cap), depending on the reason for the study. The voltage fluctuations that occur in different states and during different activities in the brain or between the neurons also lead to voltage differences on the scalp and thus between the electrodes. The frequency and intensity of these voltage fluctuations can be displayed using curves on a computer screen.
Why measure brain activity?
Brain activity is measured for a variety of reasons: for general research purposes, for medical reasons such as a suspected illness, but also to understand sleep disorders that can be better investigated with the help of a measurement. Depending on the results of an EEG, it may make sense to carry out further investigations using a so-called functional magnetic resonance imaging. This is a tomography of the brain or parts of the brain.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging is more commonly used in studies of repeated stimuli. A repeated stimulus means that subjects have to react to certain conditions or solve certain tasks and perform actions when a previously defined result is achieved (e.g. "Press button A when you see object B"). The recorded data can be compared with the results of another task or with the data from a rest phase in which no tasks have to be solved.
Brain activity also has a lot to do with good blood circulation in the brain. If a body or a brain is active, this can have a positive effect on the blood circulation in the brain. Brain wave measurement can be used to determine the state of the blood circulation and mental fitness of a brain. If the brain is well supplied with blood, this also leads to changes in the voltage between the neurons, which can be measured with an EEG. Brain tomography can also show very clearly which areas of the brain are better or less well supplied with blood during rest or active phases.
Movement and brain activity
One thing is certain: exercise has a positive effect on brain activity. Several studies and investigations have shown that dynamic or active sitting - for example on an Aeris Swopper - promotes better blood circulation in the brain, resulting in greater brain activity. This results in better concentration and performance.
