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

The Impact of Hormones on the Nervous System

Pathology of the Nervous System

Bioelectronic Medicine: Hacking Nervous System Signals for Therapeutic Benefits

Development of the Nervous System

What are Schwann Cells?

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Pregnancy-related stroke linked to long-term risk of cardiovascular events

Having an ischemic stroke during pregnancy or three months after pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack or second stroke, heart disease and depression later in life.

21 Jan 2026

GLP-1 weight-loss drugs show early promise for treating addiction

This systematic review evaluates preclinical and clinical evidence on glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists as potential treatments for substance use disorders. Findings show consistent reductions in drug- and alcohol-seeking behaviors in animal models, while human evidence remains limited, heterogeneous, and preliminary.

21 Jan 2026

Suppressing brain immune cells enhances memory recall in young mice

Babies of every species from mouse to human rapidly forget things that happen to them-an effect called infantile amnesia.

20 Jan 2026

Blocking microglia can prevent infantile amnesia

Scientists have found that blocking microglia (specialist immune cells in the brain) prevents infant forgetting ("infantile amnesia") and improves memory in mice, suggesting that microglia may actively manage memory formation and dictate what, and when, we forget.

20 Jan 2026

Prolonged exposure to air pollution linked to elevated risk for ALS

Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, report researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

20 Jan 2026

Brain structure changes linked to adaptability decline in aging adults

As people age, structural brain changes influence their ability to adapt to the environment. New from eNeuro, Tatiana Wolfe and colleagues at the University of Arkansas characterized changes in the brain across two periods of adulthood that may correspond to changes in adaptive behavior.

19 Jan 2026

Understanding the trends of various neurological disorders in the Chinese population

Neurological disorders represent a mounting public health crisis in China, exacerbated by rapid population aging.

19 Jan 2026

New blood biomarker tracks brain injury progression after ischemic stroke

A new blood marker reflects the extent of brain injury after an ischemic stroke and can predict patient outcomes months to years later.

15 Jan 2026

Study reveals genetic signatures linked to HIV-related cognitive impairment

Using participant skin cells reprogrammed into neurons, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have identified genetic signatures associated with HIV infection that may contribute to the cognitive impairment that often occurs in people living with HIV, even when the virus is controlled.

14 Jan 2026

Hearing aid use has little impact on cognitive test scores

A new study has found that for people with moderate hearing loss, being prescribed hearing aids had little impact on cognitive test scores.

14 Jan 2026

Cannabidiol could become a therapeutic tool for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Cannabidiol (CBD) could become a therapeutic tool to address some of the most frequent and disabling consequences of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a condition caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

14 Jan 2026

Research finds persistent prescribing of risky medications to older adults with dementia

Despite years of clinical guidelines warning against the practice, one in four Medicare beneficiaries with dementia is prescribed brain-altering medications linked to falls, confusion, and hospitalization, according to new research to be published January 12 in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA.

12 Jan 2026

Rare sugars activate metabolic signaling to reduce alcohol consumption in mice

While investigating the FGF21-oxytocin-dopamine system, a mechanism that regulates sugar appetite, a team of researchers at Kyoto University noticed reports suggesting that the protein FGF21 may regulate alcohol ingestion.

12 Jan 2026

SPINECRAFT: Engineering a 4D human spinal cord for disease research

Zaida Álvarez Pinto, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant, one of the most prestigious and competitive sources of funding in the European Union.

9 Jan 2026

Sex-based differences and role of BMP signaling in neurogenesis in Alzheimer's mice models

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a serious neurodegenerative disease largely affecting older adults. Apart from age, it also shows sex-based differences, with women being more at risk. However, the origin of these differences remains unknown.

9 Jan 2026

$Neural pain pathways found to play crucial role in bone fracture healing$

Neural pain pathways found to play crucial role in bone fracture healing

When a house catches on fire, we assume that a smoke alarm inside will serve one purpose and one purpose only: warn the occupants of danger.

8 Jan 2026

Scientists discover how stem cells navigate and repair brain damage after stroke

Some parts of our bodies bounce back from injury in fairly short order. The outer protective layer of the eye-called the cornea-can heal from minor scratches within a single day.

8 Jan 2026

CIRM awards $7.4 million to advance stem cell-based gene therapy for Friedreich's ataxia

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded $7.4 million to support a University of California San Diego team developing a first-of-its-kind stem cell-based gene therapy for Friedreich's ataxia, a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive loss of coordination, muscle strength, heart function and overall mobility.

8 Jan 2026

Stimulating immune cells could offer new treatment for nerve injury pain

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that targeting a specific immune process could help improve recovery after nerve injury and reduce chronic pain.

7 Jan 2026

Pain-sensing neurons in the gut spark inflammatory immune responses

Pain sensing neurons in the gut kindle inflammatory immune responses that cause allergies and asthma, according to a new study by Weill Cornell Medicine.

7 Jan 2026