Nervous system

The nervous system plays a role in all actions of the body: controlling muscles and organs as well as processing stimuli from the senses. In addition, the nervous system plays a major role in emotional and cognitive processes.

The nervous system consists of:

  • Central nervous system.
  • Peripheral nervous system.
  • Autonomic nervous system.

The entire nervous system is made up of so-called nerve cells (neurons). Nerve cells provide information processing in the body.

Functioning of the nervous system
The nervous system is the control system of the body; it controls and regulates all processes in the human body. A distinction can be made between conscious and unconscious actions, such as breathing, digestion, and metabolism. The unconscious actions are regulated by the autonomic nervous system.

The nervous system is made up of billions of nerve cells that can conduct impulses to other body cells and also exchange them with each other. The transmission of impulses between two nerve cells takes place by means of chemical transmitters. The impulses travel at a speed of 50–100 meters per second. This explains why we need reaction time to, for example, quickly step on the brake to prevent an accident.

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