According to Wikipedia[1], citing [2], the human brain has 'as many as' a quadrillion (10e15) synapses. I presume this includes the entire central nervous syste

According to Wikipedia[1], citing [2], the human brain has 'as many as' a quadrillion (10e15) synapses. I presume this includes the entire central nervous system (including the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, and subcortical structures). [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_brain [2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527499 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8527499 Edit: I just skimmed that paper, and it doesn't look like a reliable source. It's an estimate based on a mathematical analysis, and the authors say "We emphasize that these conclusions are preliminary, based as they are on an incomplete database and simplified models of the brain". I also don't see where the Wikipedia article gets the 10e15 number.