Nervous System Information
The brain contains billions of neurons that all work together to coordinate thought, feeling, movement, and more!
On average, the nervous system sends signals at a rate of 115,197 feet per second.
The brain has enough electrical current running through it to power a lightbulb!
Background:
The Nervous System is responsible for transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of the body, playing a vital role in controlling movement, respiration (breathing), vision, cognition (thinking), and much more. It consists of the Central Nervous System (made up of the brain and spinal cord) and Peripheral Nervous System (made up of neurons in the rest of the body).
The Nervous System is responsible for transmitting signals between the brain and the rest of the body. It helps regulate every other system playing a vital role in controlling movement, respiration (breathing), vision, cognition (thinking), and much more.
The Nervous system can be divided into the Central Nervous System (made up of the brain and spinal cord) and Peripheral Nervous System (made up of neurons in the rest of the body). Within the peripheral nervous system, the Autonomic division helps you respond to threatening situations, as well as maintain your daily rhythm. The Sympathetic branch of the Autonomic nervous system is responsible for is the body’s “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” response. When facing a dangerous or threatening situation, the body tends to go into a “fight or flight” mode. During this stage, heart and breathing rate increase, hormones such as adrenaline are released into the bloodstream, and unessential functions such as digestion are slowed down so that all the body’s energy can go towards dealing with the situation at hand. After a stressful or dangerous situation is resolved, the Parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system returns the body to a normal state. During this phase, heart rate and respiration slow down, and digestion and other functions resume.
The nervous system is also responsible for helping keep the body safe, as well as helping you learn, by regulating reflexes. For example, the withdrawal reflex helps protect you when you step on a sharp tack or put your hand on a hot stove, by causing you to remove the affected limb from the offending tack/stove.
Nervous System Anatomy:
The Central Nervous System consists of the brain and spinal cord. The brain, which is a complex organ made up of billions of neurons, has many different parts:
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Cerebrum: is the largest and uppermost part of the brain. It is divided into left and right hemispheres, and functions in generating thought, controlling conscious activity, and processing conscious sensation.
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Frontal Lobe: the frontal lobe of the brain, which is located directly behind the forehead, plays a vital role in producing voluntary movement, expressing language, and managing higher level executive functions such as planning and organization.
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Cerebellum: the cerebellum, located under the occipital lobe, is responsible for maintaining posture and balance.
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Corpus Callosum: there are two halves of the brain, a left half, and a right half, that are connected via the corpus callosum. The corpus callosum contains millions of myelinated nerve fibers and allows for communication between both halves of the brain.
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Thalamus: the thalamus is located above the midbrain, near the center of the brain. It relays all sensory information except for smell, and regulates consciousness.
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Hypothalamus: the hypothalamus is located between the thalamus and the pituitary gland. It releases hormones to maintain homeostasis, control appetite, manage sexual behavior, and regulate emotions and body temperature.
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Pituitary Gland: the pituitary gland is a small gland found just below the hypothalamus. It releases hormones to control growth, metabolism, reproduction, stress response, childbirth, and salt and water balance.
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Olfactory Bulb: there are two olfactory bulbs in the brain, one at the end of each olfactory tract. They are responsible for sending information to the brain relating to the sense of smell.
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Midbrain: the midbrain is the frontmost part of the brainstem that aids in motor movement, auditory, and visual processing.
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Brainstem: the brainstem, which connects the brain and spinal cord, is responsible for regulating the autonomic functions that are necessary for life. Some of those functions include respiration, heart rate, and sleep.
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Temporal Lobe: the temporal lobe, which is located behind the temples of the head, plays a role in processing emotions, language, and certain aspects of vision.
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Parietal Lobe: the parietal lobe, which is located above the temporal lobe, is responsible for processing somatosensory information such as touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception (the body’s position in space).
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Occipital Lobe: the occipital lobe, which is found behind the temporal and parietal lobes, functions in visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.
(Image retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-different-regions-and-parts-of-the-human-brain-The-cortex-is-located-at-the_fig1_318507477)
Neurological Disease:
There is a difference between a disorder and a disease. A disorder is likely intrinsic to the person resulting from genetics or damage, while a disease is caused by external circumstances like infection.
Anxiety is a neurological disorder which includes symptoms of intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Not only can feelings of anxiety be distressing mentally, but they also produce physiological changes to the body such as:
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increased heart rate
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increased breathing rate
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sweating
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tiredness
While science still has much to learn about mental health, the causes, and how it can be managed, many believe that anxiety can come from malfunctions of neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that are released by the neuron into the synapse (space between neurons) to bind with receptors on the dendrites (tree-like part) of another neuron. When problems occur within the synapse, messages can be damaged, confused, or lost entirely. To learn more about anxiety and different anxiety disorders, click here.
Alzheimer’s is an example of a neurological disease. It is progressive, meaning that symptoms worsen over time. Typical symptoms of Alzheimer’s can include:
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mental decline
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difficulty thinking and understanding
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confusion in the evening (sundowning)
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delusions
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disorientation
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forgetfulness
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making things up
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mental confusion
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difficulty concentrating
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inability to create new memories
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inability to do simple math
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inability to recognize common objects
Alzheimer’s is not a normal part of aging, but it does affect more than 1 in 9 adults aged 65 or older. As it currently stands, there are no treatments to cure Alzheimer’s, but there are medications that can slow its progression. To learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, click here.
Developments:
Check out the following links to learn more about new developments:
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Mediterranean diet and cognitive health:
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Brain Training: