The human nervous system
©HowStuffWorks.com
Every animal you can think of -- mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians -- has a brain. But the human brain is unique. Although it's not the largest, it gives us the power to speak, imagine and problem solve. It is truly an amazing organ.
The brain performs an incredible number of tasks including the following:
Advertisement
- It controls body temperature, blood pressure,heartrate and breathing.
- It accepts a flood of information about the world around you from your various senses (seeing,hearing,smelling,tastingand touching).
- It handles your physical movement when walking, talking, standing or sitting.
- It lets you think,dream, reason and experience emotions.
所有这些任务都是协调, controlled and regulated by an organ that is about the size of a small head of cauliflower.
Your brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves make up a complex, integrated information-processing and control system known as yourcentral nervous system. In tandem, they regulate all the conscious and unconscious facets of your life. The scientific study of the brain and nervous system is calledneuroscienceorneurobiology. Because the field of neuroscience is so vast -- and the brain and nervous system are so complex -- this article will start with the basics and give you an overview of this complicated organ.
We'll examine the structures of the brain and how each section controls our daily functions, including motor control, visual processing, auditory processing, sensation, learning, memory and emotions.
HealthAllergy BasicsNothing to Sneeze at: Allergies May Affect the Brain
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemWhat is the extrasensory brain?
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemCan brain foods make you smarter?
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemTest Your Brain
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemThe Brain and Mental Health
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemThe Brain and Nervous System: The Body's Command Center
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemAre teensâ brains fully developed?
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemBrain Teasers and Mind Games
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemScientists Discover Your Brain Makes Fructose
HealthBrain & Central Nervous System5 Things You Didnât Know About Donating Your Brain to Science
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemBrain and Central Nervous System
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemThe Cerebellum Is the Body's Little Brain
HealthBrain & Central Nervous SystemHow 'Savant Syndrome' Makes Some People, and Their Brains, Extraordinary
HealthDreamsHow does the brain transform reality into dreams?
HealthDrugs & AlcoholWeed Enthusiast Arrested for Keeping Human Brain Under His Porch
HealthFitness InformationMind Games: Creating New Brain Cells
HealthHuman BehaviorIntrovert and Extrovert Brains Aren't the Same
HealthInfant HealthFemale Newborns May Fare Better After Some Brain Injuries
HealthNeurological ConditionsQuestions to Ask Brain Specialists
HealthNeurological ConditionsWhen Wisecracks and Puns Are Symptoms of Brain Damage
HealthNeurological ConditionsAgitation and Depression in Patients with Brain Disease
HealthNeurological ConditionsTotally Tone-deaf? The Problem Is in Your Brain, Not Your Ears
HealthModern Medical TreatmentsGroovy News: Shrooms Help Reset Depressed Brain
HealthPreventive CareHow to Prevent Brain Infections
HealthRespiratory ConditionsDoes altitude sickness cause brain swelling?
HealthSenior Health & LifestyleDon't Forget -- Give Your Brain a Workout, Too
HealthStress ManagementEffect of Stress on the Brain
HealthStress ManagementIsolation and Monotony Stress the Brain. Here's How to Cope
HealthTeenage HealthCertain Adolescent Brains Can't Stop Gaming. That's Good and Bad â Here's Why
HealthWeight LossIs a Hormone in Our Brains the Key to Burning Fat?
HealthWomen's General HealthWomen's Brains Harder Hit by Alcohol
ScienceBiological FieldsHow Does a Slime Mold Make Decisions Without a Brain?
ScienceEmotionsIs morality located in the brain?
ScienceEmotionsIs emotional intelligence a better indicator of brain health than IQ?
Science日常的神话Can our brains see the fourth dimension?
ScienceEvolutionDid Schizophrenia Evolve Along With Our Brains?
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Your Brain Works
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Brain Death Works
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Brain Mapping Works
ScienceThe Human BrainAre teenage brains really different from adult brains?
ScienceThe Human BrainWhy are people's brains different sizes?
ScienceThe Human Brain人类的大脑还在进化吗?
ScienceThe Human BrainIs my brain making me buy things I don't need?
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Albert Einstein's Brain Worked
ScienceThe Human BrainIs the brain hardwired for religion?
ScienceThe Human BrainDoes Your Brain Get Tired Like the Rest of Your Body?
ScienceThe Human BrainCan brain damage lead to extraordinary art?
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Deep Brain Stimulation Works
ScienceThe Human BrainIs the computer a good model for the brain?
ScienceThe Human BrainCould a brain scan tell you if you're going to become a criminal?
ScienceThe Human BrainAre you really only using 10 percent of your brain?
ScienceThe Human BrainDo men and women have different brains?
ScienceThe Human BrainNeanderthals Had Bigger Brains Than Modern Humans â Why Are We Smarter?
ScienceThe Human BrainThe Human Brain Is Hardwired for Poetry
ScienceThe Human BrainUnderstand? Your Brain Signals Will Tell
ScienceThe Human BrainYes, Conspiracy Theoristsâ Brains Really Are Different
ScienceThe Human BrainCan your brain have a traffic jam?
ScienceThe Human BrainRelying on GPS Prevents Parts of Your Brain From Activating
ScienceThe Human Brain'Aleppo Moments': What Causes Our Brains to Freeze Under Pressure?
ScienceThe Human BrainThe Human Brain
ScienceThe Human BrainHow Brainwashing Works
ScienceThe Human BrainHow does your brain impact your survival chances in the wilderness?
ScienceThe Human BrainBinaural Beats: Does This Auditory Illusion Really Calm Your Brain?
ScienceThe Human BrainHow does the brain create an uninterrupted view of the world?
