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Brain blast: Best of TODAY's 'Mysteries of the Brain' series

This week, TODAY investigated the mysteries of the brain. Here's what you might have missed.
/ Source: TODAY.com

This week, TODAY investigated the mysteries of the brain. NBC's chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman covered how the brain works, how it recovers from an injury and how we can keep our brains in shape. Here's what you might have missed.

Recovering from traumatic brain injuries
Just 20 years ago, a traumatic brain injury was almost certainly a death sentence. Today, advances in medicine mean that some of the injured survive — and even thrive. Meet two patients who survived severe brain trauma and defied the odds by relearning how to live.

Understanding concussions: The 'silent epidemic'
It's one of the most common sports injuries for both kids and adults — but it's often underreported and underdiagnosed. A former Brown University basketball player who suffered four concussions discusses her experience.

Plus, Linda Carroll, co-author of "The Concussion Crisis," talks with NBC chief medical editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman about what parents and coaches should know about recognizing and preventing concussions.

Boosting your brain power
Blinking, tying your shoe, even breathing — our brain controls every little thing we do, but how much do we really know about it? Snyderman decodes the complex control center of the body and spotlights how the brain manages everything from memories to addictions and the senses.

And if you experience more "brain glitches" than you'd like, Snyderman offers some simple ways to fight against those slips of the memory.

Answering your questions
Snyderman answered questions from viewers about migraines, concussions, recovering from injuries, the teenage brain ... and is it true that we actually use only 10 percent of our brain? (No! Snyderman says that's one of the big myths about the brain.)

For more on how the brain works, check out this graphic "road map" of the brain.