Genetics

Describing the genes associated with the sixth sense

To perform coordinated movements, we rely on special sensory neurons in our muscles and joints. Without them, the brain wouldn't know what the rest of our body was doing. A team led by Niccolò Zampieri has studied their ...

Medical research

Vagus nerve active during exercise, research finds

The vagus nerve, known for its role in 'resting and digesting,' has now been found to have an important role in exercise, helping the heart pump blood, which delivers oxygen around the body.

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes

How COVID-19 smell loss differs from the common cold

New research from a European group of smell disorder experts, including Prof Philpott at the University of East Anglia, shows how smell loss associated with COVID-19 infection differs from what you typically might experience ...

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Nervous system

The nervous system is a network of specialized cells that communicate information about an organism's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body. It is composed of neurons and other specialized cells called glial cells,(plural form glia), that aid in the function of the neurons. The nervous system is divided broadly into two categories: the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. Neurons generate and conduct impulses between and within the two systems. The peripheral nervous system is composed of sensory neurons and the neurons that connect them to the nerve cord, spinal cord and brain, which make up the central nervous system. In response to stimuli, sensory neurons generate and propagate signals to the central nervous system which then processes and conducts signals back to the muscles and glands. The neurons of the nervous systems of animals are interconnected in complex arrangements and use electrochemical signals and neurotransmitters to transmit impulses from one neuron to the next. The interaction of the different neurons form neural circuits regulate an organism's perception of the world and what is going on with its body, thus regulating its behavior. Nervous systems are found in many multicellular animals but differ greatly in complexity between species.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA