Diagram of the nervous system The top of the picture is the brain. The line down the middle of the picture is the spinal cord. All of the blue lines in the picture are nerves.

Nervous system The nervous system is one of many major systems in the human body. It is made up of your brain, spinal cord and all of the nerves in your body. The nervous system is a network of cells that communicate information throughout your body and control everything you do. For example…walking, breathing and thinking. Without your nervous system you couldn’t do any of these things.

Neurons? The nervous system contains many petite (tiny) specialized cells that are called neurons. These small and unique cells have a big job to do in your body, the complexity and diversity of the nervous system is depending on the connections between neurons, which rely on a limited number of different signals transmitted within the neurons, to other neurons, muscles and glands. Neurons?

Brain? Your brain is in fact the boss of your entire body. It runs the show and controls just about everything you do, even when you’re asleep. The typical brain weighs about 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms). Different parts of the brain have different jobs like the cerebrum (suh-ree-brum) which controls the ability to let you move around, think and speak. The cerebellum (sair-uh-bellum) controls the ability for you to have coordination and balance. The thalamus carries messages from you sensory organs such as your tongue, eyes, ears and skin. The brain stem controls your breathing, heart beat and digestion, it also connects the brain to the spinal cord. The spinal cord acts like a highway, where messages from the body travel to the brain at over 2 hundred miles per hour. From the brain the messages are sent back again, in the messages are tiny electrical signals that also travel at the same rate.

Why is it called the nervous system? The nervous system is not called the nervous system because it is nervous, it is actually called the nervous system because it is made up of billions of nerve cells. One hundred billion of these cells can be found in the brain. You have nerves in your nervous system to help you feel sensations, like when water is too hot or too cold. Then the nerves deliver their message to the brain and the brain understands that the water is either too hot or too cold.

Eyes…why do they tear? Have you noticed when you get dust in your eye that it starts to tear, but your not sad. This is actually protecting your eyes by keeping them moist. When your eyes tear up, everything is washed away.

Nose? You just came home from school and you smell dinner…yum! Then you smell your nasty gym bag. How are you able to smell this stuff? Your nose lets you smell and it's a big part of why you are able to taste things too. Nose?

How the nervous system works with other systems The nervous system works with the respiratory system because the nose is the gateway to the lungs which is how our bodies are supplied with oxygen. The nervous system works with your digestive system by pushing your food down your esophagus and into your stomach.

Fun facts 1. Did you know that a humans cerebrum is bigger than an animals cerebrum. 2.You have over 100 billion cells in your brain. 3.Your cells travel at the speed of 200 miles per hour to the brain and back consecutively. 4.Did you know that your nose helps you taste stuff in your mouth. 5.Did you know that when the doctor taps your knee it is testing your nervous system and your reflexes.