Nervous System

The nervous system is an organ system containing a network of specialized cells called neurons that coordinate the actions of an animal and transmit signals between different parts of its body. In most animals the nervous system consists of two parts, central and peripheral. The central nervous system contains the brain and spinal cord.

What is the Nervous System?

The nervous system is a complex network of neurons and cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord to various parts of the body.

Function of the Nervous System

Development of the Nervous System

Pathology of the Nervous System

What are Schwann Cells?

Bioelectronic Medicine: Hacking Nervous System Signals for Therapeutic Benefits

The Impact of Hormones on the Nervous System

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Researchers identify genetic markers linked to neuropathic pain

European researchers have mapped the most comprehensive phenotyping of neuropathic pain and identified genetic markers associated with this serious condition.

30 Oct 2024

Research reveals effects of resistance training break on muscle and strength

A study conducted at the University of Jyväskylä's Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences investigated how a 10-week break from resistance training affected maximum strength and muscle size.

25 Oct 2024

Study reveals misuse of scientific evidence by opioid makers

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that makers and marketers of prescription opioid painkillers misused scientific evidence to advance five common and inaccurate claims about the safety and effectiveness of prescription opioids-;including that they were not addictive.

25 Oct 2024

Mechanisms of neurogenesis after stroke revealed

Researchers at the University of Freiburg have studied what happens immediately after a stroke in the stem cell niche known as the subventricular zone, using a mouse model.

24 Oct 2024

Research uncovers new insights into neuronal aging and rejuvenation

When a neuron ages, it loses synaptic connections with other neurons, it is less able to transmit nerve impulses, and its metabolism is also altered. This process of neuronal aging — inevitable with the passing of time — is particularly accelerated and becomes a risk factor in neurodegenerative pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease.

24 Oct 2024

Innovative pain assessment tool receives $8 million funding

Pain assessment in medicine often relies on imprecise visual rating scales featuring smiling or crying faces, frustrating patients and physicians alike. Children's National Hospital researchers aim to change this with a new device designed to precisely measure pain, backed by an $8-million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Sprint for Women's Health.

24 Oct 2024

Healthy habits in middle age may protect against neurological conditions

In middle-aged people, having risk factors like blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol that are not well-controlled combined with not following certain healthy habits including exercise, diet and sleep, are linked to a higher risk of stroke, dementia or depression later in life, according to a study published in the October 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Oct 2024

Poor sleep quality linked to increased brain aging in middle age

People in early middle age who have poor sleep quality, including having difficulty falling or staying asleep, have more signs of poor brain health in late middle age, according to a study published in the October 23, 2024, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Oct 2024

New drug shows promise for motor neurone disease treatment

A pioneering study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences by researchers at Durham University has revealed promising results for a new treatment targeting motor neurone disease (MND).

22 Oct 2024

New diagnostic test aims for same-day detection of leptomeningeal disease

With time being of the essence for patients facing one of cancer's most dire complications, UCLA researchers are working to create a new test to detect cancer's spread to the central nervous system on the same day as the doctor's visit.

17 Oct 2024

Clot-busting drug tenecteplase shows promising results for stroke recovery

For people with ischemic stroke, treatment with the clot-busting drug tenecteplase is associated with a slightly higher likelihood of an excellent recovery and reduced disability three months later than the drug alteplase, according to a meta-analysis published in the October 16, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

16 Oct 2024

Boost your heart, save your brain: How better heart health fights dementia

Research highlights the strong connection between heart and brain health, showing that improving cardiovascular health can help prevent cognitive decline and dementia. It underscores the shared biological mechanisms that link cardiac diseases to neurological impairment.

13 Oct 2024

Indiana University scientists pioneer oculomics research with NIH support

Indiana University scientists with expertise in optometry and artificial intelligence are among the first three groups of researchers to receive support from a new program from the National Institutes of Health supporting the emerging field of "oculomics," which uses the eye as a lens on diseases that affect the whole body.

12 Oct 2024

Unique protein complex found to influence brain function and anxiety

Scientists at Université de Montréal and its affiliated Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) have uncovered unique roles for a protein complex in the structural organization and function of brain cell connectivity, as well as in specific cognitive behaviors.

12 Oct 2024

Multidisciplinary approach improves quality of life in functional movement disorders

The research team of the Neurology Department Movement Disorders Unit at the Virgen del Rocío University Hospital and the Movement Disorders group of the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville - IBiS, in collaboration with researchers from the Mental Health Clinical Management Unit and the Translational Psychiatry group coordinated by Benedicto Crespo Facorro (HUVR-IBiS/CIBERSAM), has published a randomized clinical trial demonstrating for the first time that a multidisciplinary approach integrating specific physiotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in improving the symptoms and physical aspects of the quality of life of patients with functional movement disorders.

12 Oct 2024

Mount Sinai launches new center for complex chronic illnesses

Mount Sinai's Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance has announced the grand opening of the Cohen Center for Recovery From Complex Chronic Illnesses (CoRE), providing clinical care for patients with conditions such as long Lyme disease/Lyme+, long COVID, and other infection-associated complex chronic illnesses such as myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).

10 Oct 2024