Our brain needs to send messages to the body to tell it what to do, and for this the body needs 'roads' for the messages to be carried on. These 'roads' are the nerves.
Impulses are send from one place to another and that way your body can function and you can also feel heat and cold and pain, make us taste something or smell or hear.
The nervous system is a complex structure of nerves of neurons that transmit signals around the body to coordinate actions. It is in effect our body's electrical wiring.
Our nervous system can be divided into two parts. The central system and the peripheral system. The central system is the brain and the spinal cord and the peripheral system is the parts outside the brain and spinal cord but it helps to connects the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body.
Nerves are made up of nerve cells. One type of nerve cells are a neuron and this is used to send messages to and from different parts of the body.
- Have a look at the video - read very carefully and answer the questions.
- What does the nervous system help with?
- What makes up the nervous system?
- What is the job of the neuron?
- Name the 3 things a neuron does.
- Name the 3 parts a neuron is made up of.
- What is a synapse?
There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human brain and 13.5 million neurons in the human spinal chord.
The transmission (sending) of messages through the nervous system and sending the message back, happens very fast. If it did not happen fast, we would all move very slowly or would be able to do just one thing at a time.
The brain and the nervous system is like a huge computer that works very fast and can open a lot of tabs at once.
The field of science that focuses on the study of the nervous system is called neuroscience. Neurology is the medical branch of study and treatment, while doctors and surgeons in this field are called neurologists and neurosurgeons.
Nerves can be damaged if you are in an accident for instance and this can have an influence on how you move or talk or use your senses. It all depends on what nerves are damaged. If a nerve is damaged, it can also cause a lot of pain.