[Biology Class Notes] on Facts About Nervous System Pdf for EXAM

The Nervous system, a coordinated group of cells that are specialized in conducting electrochemical stimuli from sensory receptors through a network to the location where a reaction is taking place.

Parts of Nervous System

The nervous system is composed of the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system:

The human brain is extremely compact and only weighs 3 pounds. However, it does have many folds and grooves. These offer it the additional surface area required to store important information about the body.

The spinal cord is a long bundle of about 18 inches long and 1/2-inch-thick nerve tissue. It travels through the spine from the lower part of the brain downwards. Nerves branch out towards the entire body along the way.

Both the brain and the spinal cord are protected by the bone: the brain is protected by the skull bones, and the spinal cord is protected by a set of rings – shaped bones called vertebras. Both are cushioned by membrane layers called meninges, and a special fluid called the cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid assists in preserving the nerve tissue, keeping it healthy, and eliminating waste products.

In this article, some of the human nervous system facts are discussed

10 Interesting Facts About the Nervous System

Fact – 1

There are over millions of nerve cells in our central nervous system, 100 billion neurons in the human brain and around 13,500,000 neurons in the spinal cord.

Fact – 2

Sciatic nerve is the longest and broadest single nerve in the human body. It starts or originates from the lower back of the spine and runs through the buttock and down to the lower limb till the toe. The sciatic nerve works by providing sensation to the skin of the foot ‘s sole, lower leg and upper surface.

Fact – 3

Vitamin-B, sodium, proteins, and other mineral ions, including potassium, magnesium, and calcium ions, are equally essential nutrients needed to keep our nervous system healthy and functioning properly.

Fact – 4

Nerve damage is usually permanent and can cause any nerves in the body to lose control. This is because the nerve cells do not undergo the cell division process, and thus they cannot expand or rebuild themselves.

Fact – 5

An optic nerve, also known as the cranial nerve, is the fundamental part of the central nervous system, and the human eye’s most significant sensory nerve. The eye structure comprises mainly millions to billions of optic nerve fibers and is involved in the transmission of visual information from the eye to the brain.

Fact – 6

The nervous system is our body’s primary control system as it is involved in all functions, from respiring, generating and receiving responses, controlling the muscles and sensing heat , cold and much more.

Fact – 7

Other systems can act as a damage to the nervous system. For the human body,  the nervous system is essential as it provides the ability to interact with the world.

Fact – 8

Alpha motor neurons are the speediest signal transmission in the human body. It is the biggest, multipolar lower brainstem and spinal cord motor neurons. Transmission of the signal occurs at 260 to 268 miles per hour.

Fact  – 9

The slowest signal transmission occurs inside the skin of the human body.

Fact  – 10

As we grow older the human nervous system begins to shrink. The human brain often shrinks with an individual’s age, which each year shrinks by about 1 to 2 grams and is mainly caused by neuron loss.

Thus these are some of the nervous system facts.