the Nervous System
By Christina Senter
Neurology
Neurologists study the nervous system. The nervous system gives humans the ability to monitor their environment, control many of their body's functions, and gives people their coordination. Messages are sent to the brain through neurons which are networks that control the flow of the messages. A persons reflexes or reactions are based on their nervous system and how efficient it is.
PNS and CNS
There are two parts of the nervous system: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS consists of the brain and spinal chord and it's the primary control of the nervous system. The PNS connects all the nerves together and are spread throughout the body. The nervous system sends messages to the brain which causes people to respond to internal and external stimuli. The spinal chord makes it possible for information to travel from the body to the brain which is the control center of the nervous system. The PNS is divided into somatic and autonomic groups. Somatic nerves allow a person to control their bodily functions such as excretion, and autonomic nerves control involuntary functions, such as digestion.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a problem with the nerves reaching the brain efficiently. Epilepsy can cause seizures, anxiety, depression, fear, aura or pins and needles, muscles spasms, mental confusion or amnesia, fainting, staring spells, headache, sleepiness, or temporary paralysis after a seizure. Epilepsy can be cured by getting surgery by a specialized surgeon called a neurosurgeon. It can also be treated by multiple prescription drugs.
Discovery of the Nervous System
Nerve originates from the Greeks. Ancient Medieval practitioners did know that the nerves controlled movement and sensation, but not much about it. Aristotle believed that the control center of the nervous system was the heart. Six centuries later Galen discovered the correct information in which the brain is the control center.