1581. You may have heard that we have more brain cells than there are stars in the Milky Way, but this is not true.

1582. Best-guess estimates are that we have 86 billion neurons while there are 200-400 billion stars in the Milky Way.

1583. It's often said that there are 10,000 miles of blood vessels in the brain when, actually, that number is closer to 400 miles.

1584. Contrary to the prevailing medical belief, having high total cholesterol is not bad for your brain.

1585. In fact, high cholesterol actually reduces your risk of dementia.

1586. Until recently, it was a "fact" that you were born with a set level of intelligence and number of brain cells.

1587. But it has since been discovered that your brain has the capacity to change throughout your lifetime due to a property known as brain plasticity.

1588. The brain can continue to form new brain cells via a process known as neurogenesis.

1589. Facts about the Brain and Memory

1590. It was once thought that the brain recorded memories like a camera, but this is not how memory works.