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

Why your heart works harder at night after a few drinks, according to new research

Researchers at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich found that moderate alcohol consumption transiently raises nocturnal resting heart rate without altering objective sleep stages. However, it worsens subjective sleep quality, highlighting subtle cardiovascular stress even at low alcohol doses.

28 Apr 2025

AI model enhances early diagnosis of multiple sclerosis

To provide the right treatment for MS, it is important to know when the disease changes from relapsing-remitting to secondary progressive, a transition that is currently recognized on average three years too late.

28 Apr 2025

Study illuminates a general principle of neural processing in the brain’s serotonin system

Our lives are filled with binary decisions – choices between one of two alternatives. But what's really happening inside our brains when we engage in this kind of decision making?

25 Apr 2025

Gene therapy offers hope for children born with metachromatic leukodystrophy

If administered early, gene therapy has the potential to change the medical history of children born with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD), a rare and lethal neurodegenerative disease of genetic origin which leads to the progressive loss of the ability to walk, talk and interact.

25 Apr 2025

Mouse study confirms early inflammation in hereditary paralysis condition

A joint study conducted by the University of Bonn and the DZNE has confirmed early-stage brain inflammation in mice.

25 Apr 2025

Shingles vaccine eligibility lowers dementia risk in older adults

A large quasi-experimental study in Australia found that adults eligible for free shingles vaccination based on their date of birth were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over a 7.4-year period. The findings reinforce previous results from Wales and suggest a potential preventive role for HZ vaccination.

24 Apr 2025

Rethinking stroke prevention for patients with mild carotid narrowing

Ischemic stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide, with narrowing of the carotid artery due to atherosclerosis contributing to up to 30% of all cases.

24 Apr 2025

New compound shows promise in treating hard-to-treat inflammatory conditions

Irritable bowel syndrome, chronic itching, asthma and migraine are in many cases hard-to-treat conditions.

24 Apr 2025

Metabolic syndrome in midlife linked to higher dementia risk

Having a larger waistline, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of young-onset dementia, according to a study published on April 23, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Apr 2025

Researchers create detailed 3D map of parasite behind sleeping sickness

Millions of people worldwide are affected by African sleeping sickness, Chagas disease and other life-threatening infections caused by microscopic parasites borne by insects such as the tsetse fly.

23 Apr 2025

New approach may prevent neurotoxic protein aggregates in ALS

Researchers at Goethe University, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and Kiel University discover possible method for preventing protein aggregates – Cluster4Future PROXIDRUGS research project.

23 Apr 2025

Genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia associated with thinner retinas

A new study led by the University of Zurich has shown that evidence of genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia can be found in the retina. This finding could help improve the early detection of the disorder.

22 Apr 2025

Single psychedelic dose boosts long-term cognitive flexibility in mice

University of Michigan researchers have found that certain psychedelic compounds improve the brain’s ability to adapt and flexibly learn new concepts over long periods.

22 Apr 2025

Disruption of sterol biosynthesis by prescription drugs: A hidden threat to brain development

A powerful editorial published today in Brain Medicine raises alarm about a previously overlooked threat to brain development and public health: the disruption of sterol biosynthesis by common prescription medications.

22 Apr 2025

New approach to treating chronic pain without opioids

Chronic pain, a common and debilitating condition, often leads practitioners to prescribe opioids in escalating doses.

22 Apr 2025

Transcendental meditation greatly reduces PTSD symptoms, meta-analysis shows

Just published is the third new study showing that TM is highly effective in reducing stress in a wide array of populations.

21 Apr 2025

Engineered brain cells offer new hope for treating Alzheimer's

A new way to deliver disease-fighting proteins throughout the brain may improve the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders, according to University of California, Irvine scientists.

21 Apr 2025

Existing drug shows potential to revive immune cells in sepsis patients

When the immune system does not function properly, individuals become more susceptible to infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi.

18 Apr 2025

Discovery sheds light on protein's role in myelin formation and schizophrenia

Research published in the Journal of Neurochemistry has detailed the role of a protein, hnRNP A1, in the formation and stability of myelin, suggesting an important impact on neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders such as multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia.

17 Apr 2025

Researchers identify gene targets that may protect against Alzheimer’s

A study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital provides solutions to the pressing need to identify factors that influence Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk or resistance while providing an avenue to explore potential biological markers and therapeutic targets.

17 Apr 2025