9. Does our physical health affect our brain health?

“Yes. If you’re fit, healthy and do exercise, you’ll have a good cardiovascular system. Your blood vessels will be healthy and the blood supply to your brain will be healthy. Also, when we exercise, we release endorphins and neurotransmitters that make us feel happier, so it’s good for our mental health in that way. So physical exercise affects our brain in two ways: by improving our cardiovascular health and by releasing endorphins and raising serotonin levels to improve our brain health in that way.”

10. Is it true that some people are more right or left-brained?

“In more traditional medicine and neuroscience, we say ‘left brain’ and ‘right brain’ and we talk about dominance. That’s more about language. So in about 90% of the population, the left side of the brain controls language and is dominant.

“Now, people have done a lot of neuropsychological studies on where right and left brain dominance comes from, so there is truth to it and evidence behind it. A difference between the brains does exist. The left brain is meant to be slightly less creative, so it’s more for language, procedural tasks and serious-minded things. The right brain is more creative, artistic and free thinking.”

11. Do our brains create our unique personality?

“Many factors make up our personality. Nature and nurture both go into it. Your brain wiring and genetics are part of it, but a lot of your personality is nurtured. It’s how you were brought up and your experiences.

“There have been twin studies on this: children who have the same genetic make-up but were brought up in different households have been found to have very different personalities. Twins, or children with the same genetic make-up, who are brought up in the same household can also have very different personalities. So, it goes to show that nurture is a big element in our personality and most of it comes from environment, experiences and learned behaviour from parents, siblings and friends.

18 questions you’ve always wanted to ask a neuroscientist, answered