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“How does the brain think ? This question is at the heart of neuroscience research . The brain is the most complex organ one can imagine. Made of 100 billion neurons, each one connected to 10,000 others, the brain is a vast network of connections between neurons that communicate through electrical and chemical messages. Progress in brain research has been closely dependent on available technologies. In the 19th century, the possibility of preserving the brain in formalin allowed us to study its internal anatomy. Then, there was the discovery of the electrical activity
produced by the brain, and the identification of the chemical substances released from neurons. Nowadays, our understanding of the human brain has progressed drastically with brain imaging techniques such as MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), that allow to see the living brain at work.

Brain imaging has led to a “revolution” in neuroscience and questions former conceptions of how the brain works. A major advance is the revelation of the “plasticity” of the brain, which reorganizes itself according to learning and life experience. At birth, the brain is by no means hard-wired. Only 10% of the 100 billion neurons are already inter-connected. The remaining 90% of synapses will then be progressively constructed in ways which are influenced by family, education, culture and society.
This cerebral plasticity provides new insights on the construction of our brains and our identities as girls and boys, women and men. It is a key concept to support the principle of equal opportunities for girls and boys in education and professional careers.”

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