Related topics: proceedings of the national academy of sciences , brain , neurons , nerve cells , multiple sclerosis
Nervous system
hideThe nervous system is a network of specialized cells that communicate information about an organism's surroundings and itself. It processes this information and causes reactions in other parts of the body. It is composed of neurons and other specialized cells called glial cells,(plural form glia), that aid in the function of the neurons. The nervous system is divided broadly into two categories: the peripheral nervous system and the central nervous system. Neurons generate and conduct impulses between and within the two systems. The peripheral nervous system is composed of sensory neurons and the neurons that connect them to the nerve cord, spinal cord and brain, which make up the central nervous system. In response to stimuli, sensory neurons generate and propagate signals to the central nervous system which then processes and conducts signals back to the muscles and glands. The neurons of the nervous systems of animals are interconnected in complex arrangements and use electrochemical signals and neurotransmitters to transmit impulses from one neuron to the next. The interaction of the different neurons form neural circuits regulate an organism's perception of the world and what is going on with its body, thus regulating its behavior. Nervous systems are found in many multicellular animals but differ greatly in complexity between species.
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News tagged with nervous system
One step closer to closure: Neuroscientists discovery key to spinal cord defects
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 28, 2009 |
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Spinal cord disorders like spina bifida arise during early development when future spinal cord cells growing in a flat layer fail to roll up into a tube. In the Dec. 6 issue of Nature Cell Biology, researchers from the Jo ...
Emerald BioStructures announces discovery of small molecule modulators of PDE4
Dec 27, 2009 |
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Emerald BioStructures (formerly deCODE biostructures) announced a publication in the December 27, 2009 advance online issue of Nature Biotechnology, detailing the application of structure-based drug design (SBDD) to engine ...
Ladder-walking locusts show big brains aren't always best
Dec 24, 2009 |
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Scientists have shown for the first time that insects, like mammals, use vision rather than touch to find footholds. They made the discovery thanks to high-speed video cameras - technology the BBC uses to ...
Fit teenage boys are smarter, but muscle strength isn't the secret
Dec 07, 2009 |
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In the first study to demonstrate a clear positive association between adolescent fitness and adult cognitive performance, Nancy Pedersen of the University of Southern California and colleagues in Sweden find that better ...
Protein link may be key to new treatment for aggressive brain tumor
Dec 22, 2009 |
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Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.
Scientists: Man controlled robotic hand with thoughts
Dec 02, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A group of European scientists said Wednesday they have successfully connected a robotic hand to an amputee, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial limb and control it with his thoughts.
Nerve-cell transplants help brain-damaged rats fully recover lost ability to learn
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 09, 2009 |
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Nerve cells transplanted into brain-damaged rats helped them to fully recover their ability to learn and remember, probably by promoting nurturing, protective growth factors, according to a new study.
New study links DHA type of omega-3 to better nervous-system function
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 16, 2009 |
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The omega-3 essential fatty acids commonly found in fatty fish and algae help animals avoid sensory overload, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The finding connects low omega-3s to ...
Clinical Trial Examines Drug's Potential for Protecting the Optic Nerve
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Acute optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve, doesn't occur all that often. But for those who experience it, the vision loss, pain and nerve damage that often result are no small ...
Researchers identify gene that spurs deadly brain cancer
Dec 03, 2009 |
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Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers have identified a new factor that is necessary for the development of many forms of medulloblastoma, the most common type of malignant childhood brain cancer.
The 'sci' behind the 'fi'
Dec 11, 2009 |
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As the voyagers of the Starship Enterprise boldly went to explore new worlds week after week on Star Trek, they used a host of futuristic technologies — including tricorders, holodecks, teleportation systems ...
Dessert on your mind? Your muscles may be getting the message
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Even the anticipation of sweets may cause our muscles to start taking up more blood sugar, say researchers reporting in the December issue of Cell Metabolism. That message is delivered via neurons in the brain's hypothalamus contai ...
New source discovered for the generation of nerve cells in the brain
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 01, 2009 |
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The research group of Professor Magdalena Gotz of Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich (Germany) has made a significant advance in understanding regeneration processes in the brain. The researchers ...
Glial cells can cross from the central to the peripheral nervous system (w/ Video)
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 01, 2009 |
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Glial cells, which help neurons communicate with each other, can leave the central nervous system and cross into the peripheral nervous system to compensate for missing cells, according to new research in the Dec. 2 issue ...
Seeing family for the holidays? Scientists discover how the stress might kill you
Nov 30, 2009 |
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If you ever thought the stress of seeing your extended family over the holidays was slowly killing you -- bad news: a new research report in the December 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that you mi ...
