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.

Pathology of the Nervous System

Development of the Nervous System

What are Schwann Cells?

The Impact of Hormones on the Nervous System

Bioelectronic Medicine: Hacking Nervous System Signals for Therapeutic Benefits

Function of the Nervous System

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Researchers develop low-cost scalable sensors to study genetic brain disorders

Researchers have demonstrated a new class of low-cost, scalable sensors that can be used to monitor electrical activity in human cerebral organoids.

2 Apr 2026

Internal embodiment could be the key to safer AI systems

When a person reaches across a table to pass the salt, their brain is doing something far more complex than recognizing a request and executing a movement.

1 Apr 2026

New wearable detects fatigue accurately using AI and advanced sensors

Burnout and chronic fatigue carry a substantial economic cost and pose serious risks in professions where alertness is critical.

1 Apr 2026

Vitamin D levels in midlife tied to lower dementia risk marker

Having higher levels of vitamin D in the blood in middle age is associated with lower levels of tau protein in the brain, which is a sign of dementia, years later, according to a study published April 1, 2026, in Neurology Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Apr 2026

Mono infection associated with threefold higher multiple sclerosis risk

Having the disease infectious mononucleosis, often called mono, caused by the Epstein-Barr virus is associated with an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study published on April 1, 2026, in Neurology® Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

1 Apr 2026

Highly potent opioid shows potential as therapy for pain and opioid use disorder

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a novel, highly potent opioid that shows potential as a therapy for both pain and opioid use disorder.

1 Apr 2026

Molecular switch in neurons found to limit the regrowth of damaged axonal fibers

Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered a molecular switch in neurons that limits the regrowth of damaged axonal fibers.

1 Apr 2026

Gut microbiome changes improve memory in early cognitive decline

Research shows that modifying the gut microbiome can enhance cognitive performance and mitigate dementia risk, highlighting the gut-brain connection.

1 Apr 2026

Treating autonomic dysfunction can relieve symptoms of treatment-resistant depression

Consider a house with the water main half shut. The faucets sputter. The toilet runs all night. The garden wilts. You could call a plumber for the faucet, a landscaper for the garden, a different plumber for the toilet, and every one of them would fix something while fixing nothing.

31 Mar 2026

New stem cell therapy offers permanent cure for Hirschsprung disease

Scientists are developing a revolutionary new stem cell therapy to treat a rare and life-threatening disease that leaves newborn babies unable to function without invasive surgery, thanks to a collaboration between UCL, the University of Sheffield and Queen's University Belfast.

31 Mar 2026

Gut-derived metabolites regulate immune cells in complex ways

Published on March 23, 2026, in Volume 2, article number 18 of the journal Immunity & Inflammation, the review begins by systematically outlining the sources and synthetic pathways of immune-relevant microbial metabolites, including bile acids, short-chain fatty acids, amino acid derivatives, vitamins, trimethylamine/trimethylamine N-oxide, and odd-chain fatty acids.

31 Mar 2026

Scientists use living muscle to reanimate paralyzed organs

What if a technology could reanimate parts of the body that have lost their connection to the brain - like a bladder that can no longer empty due to a spinal cord injury, or intestines that can't push food forward due to Crohn's disease? What if this technology could also send sensations such as hunger or touch back to the brain?

31 Mar 2026

Alcohol impacts gene expression differently across brain regions

Erica Periandri and Gabor Egervari, from Washington University in St. Louis, led a study to explore how alcohol exposure in male mice influences gene expression and mechanisms that regulate gene function-or epigenetics.

30 Mar 2026

Study opens the door for future treatments for Sleeping Sickness

To survive in the human bloodstream, the African trypanosome parasite wears a "cloak" made of proteins known as a variant surface glycoprotein (VSG).

30 Mar 2026

Gut immune responses found to trigger brain inflammation in MS

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating neurological disorder caused by malfunctioning immune responses that target the brain and spinal cord of the central nervous system (CNS).

27 Mar 2026

Drugs targeting TIE2 protein could help prevent formation of cerebral cavernous malformations

Researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a cell surface receptor protein called TIE2 as the missing link between two key signaling pathways that drive the growth of blood vessel abnormalities known as cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs).

27 Mar 2026

Early testosterone surge triggers rare muscle disease

Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy (SBMA) is a rare inherited disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting in men.

27 Mar 2026

Hormonal contraception not associated with prevalence of idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Hormonal contraception, including birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs), is not associated with an increased prevalence of a brain pressure disorder called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, according to a meta-analysis published on March 25, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

25 Mar 2026