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.

The Impact of Hormones on the Nervous System

What are Schwann Cells?

Function of the Nervous System

Development of the Nervous System

Pathology of the Nervous System

Bioelectronic Medicine: Hacking Nervous System Signals for Therapeutic Benefits

Latest Nervous System News and Research

First-in-the-world gene therapy delivers missing gene directly to infant’s brain, marking historic milestone in precision medicine

An eight-month-old baby from Israel has become the first human ever to receive an experimental gene therapy designed to replace a missing gene responsible for a devastating neurological disease that until now offered no hope of survival.

11 Jun 2026

Scientists reveal how cGAS-STING fuels brain inflammation and neurodegeneration

The cGAS-STING pathway is emerging as a key driver of chronic neuroinflammation through its effects on glial activation, neuronal stress, blood-brain barrier integrity, and type I interferon signaling. The review highlights why selective, context-dependent modulation of cGAS-STING could help treat neurodegenerative diseases, while preserving its essential roles in antiviral defense and tumor surveillance.

10 Jun 2026

Western diet weakens the gut’s nervous system through iron-dependent damage

A JCI study found that exposure to a Western diet in mice and to palmitic acid in murine and ex vivo human enteric nervous system models triggered ferroptosis, characterized by iron loading, lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial stress, and enteric neuronal loss. Boosting Nrf2 signaling protected enteric neurons and prevented Western diet-induced delayed colonic transit in mice, pointing to a potential pathway linking dietary fat exposure to gut motility dysfunction.

10 Jun 2026

Many stroke patients miss intensive rehabilitation after hospitalization

Fewer than one in four people with stroke and fewer than one in seven people with traumatic brain injury receive inpatient rehabilitation care after being hospitalized, according to a study published on June 10, 2026, in Neurology Open Access, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jun 2026

Elevated blood pressure linked to lower dementia risk in people with physical frailty

For people with physical frailty, having high blood pressure may be associated with a lower risk of dementia, according to a study published on June 10, 2026, in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Jun 2026

New AI system classifies brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy

Experts in Heidelberg have developed an AI system that can classify brain tumors with unprecedented accuracy using standard microscopic tissue sections.

10 Jun 2026

Large genetic study discovers new risk factors for spinal stenosis

An international research team has identified dozens of new genetic risk factors linked to lumbar spinal stenosis, a common degenerative condition of the lower spine.

9 Jun 2026

Study explains why walking slows and tires with age

Reasons why our walking becomes slower and more tiring with age have been uncovered by new Australian research - with findings showing the body increasingly sacrifices efficiency to stay upright.

9 Jun 2026

Brain-targeted estrogen reduces breast cancer treatment side effects

Most breast cancers are worsened by estrogens. To combat the recurrence of these cancers, clinicians treat patients with inhibitors for estrogen production, like letrozole. But many patients do not adhere to this treatment due to negative side effects.

8 Jun 2026

Researchers induce sleep-like brain activity to reverse memory loss

By inducing specific patterns of activity in small portions of the brain in awake mice, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have triggered a recalibration of neural connections that normally only occurs during sleep.

8 Jun 2026

Infant receives world's first gene therapy for WOREE syndrome

An eight-month-old infant with a severe genetic epilepsy has become the first patient in the world to receive an experimental gene replacement therapy designed to restore the function of the WWOX gene directly in the brain.

8 Jun 2026

GLP-1 therapies linked to fewer complications in adults with both obesity and autoimmune disease

Among adults with both obesity and an autoimmune disease, those taking a glucagon-like peptide-receptor 1 agonist (GLP-1RA) medication had lower rates of emergency department visits and were less likely to experience serious cardiac events, such as stroke, pulmonary embolism or death when compared to similar adults who were not taking these medications, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

7 Jun 2026

Study links rural living to worse epilepsy health outcomes

For people with epilepsy, living in counties that are more rural was associated with poorer health outcomes than for people living in more urban counties, according to a study published June 3, 2026, in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

3 Jun 2026

Higher genetic pulse pressure risk associated with dementia-related mortality

When looking at genetic variants in a person's DNA that predispose them to disease, a new study has found having a higher number of genetic variants for increased pulse pressure is associated with a small, increased risk of dementia as a contributing cause of death.

3 Jun 2026

Acupuncture improves muscle function recovery in stroke patients

Paralysis on one side of the body is common after stroke. A new study in CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics demonstrates that acupuncture can significantly improve muscle function recovery in patients who experienced a stroke, with this recovery correlating to increases in grey matter volume in certain regions of the brain related to cognitive-motor integration.

3 Jun 2026

AI-assisted model based on blood proteins could help predict retinal degeneration in diabetics

An AI-assisted model based on 71 different blood proteins could help doctors better predict retinal degeneration in diabetic patients before symptoms occur, according to a study published June 2nd in the open access journal PLOS Medicine by Huangdong Li from the Guangdong Provincial Clinical Research Center for Ocular Diseases in Guangzhou, China, and colleagues.

2 Jun 2026

Magnetic microrobots deliver stem cells to heal spinal cord injuries

A research team from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich (UZH) has developed a novel approach to treating spinal cord injuries: controllable microrobots deliver stem cells directly to the site of an injury, where they promote nerve cell regeneration.

2 Jun 2026

Study shows how HIV leads to chronic pain

Over half of the people carrying HIV experience chronic pain at some point, which is difficult to treat. In a new JNeurosci paper, Hui-Lin Pan, from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues used mice to explore how HIV leads to chronic pain.

1 Jun 2026

Higher-dose ocrelizumab depletes more B cells but does not slow MS progression

Higher-dose ocrelizumab produced greater peripheral B-cell depletion than the approved 600 mg regimen in two phase 3b trials of relapsing and primary progressive multiple sclerosis. However, the higher doses did not significantly delay disability progression, supporting the 600 mg dose as the current standard regimen with a favorable benefit-risk profile.

31 May 2026

How common spices may improve gut, brain, and metabolic health

The health effects of spices are explored, revealing their potential to influence blood sugar, inflammation, and brain function through various mechanisms.

28 May 2026