Bhagavad Gita

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Brain and Spinal Cord - Nervous System

We discuss here about our nervous system, which is the one which the network which connects many things, which are not understood by us, to understand the secret behind this we need to go deep into our Nervous System, which can give us more information about us and also our connection to this universe.

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.

The human nervous system has two main divisions, the central nervous system (CNS), and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes the somatic motor nervous system, and the sensory nervous system. The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord.

The central nervous system of vertebrates (such as humans) contains the brain, spinal cord, and retina.

The brain is made up of many cells, but the neurons are the primary players in brain functions. There are 100 Billion neurons in the brain. A typical neuron has about 1,000 to 10,000 synapses (that is, it communicates with many other neurons, muscle cells, glands, etc.). It has been estimated that there are 1 quadrillion synapses in the human brain.

The peripheral nervous system consists of sensory neurons, clusters of neurons called ganglia, and nerves connecting them to each other and to the central nervous system.

Neurons send signals to other cells as electrochemical waves travelling along thin fibers called axons, which cause chemicals called neurotransmitters to be released at junctions called synapses. A cell that receives a synaptic signal may be excited, inhibited, or otherwise modulated. Sensory neurons are activated by physical stimuli impinging on them, and send signals that inform the central nervous system of the state of the body and the external environment. Motor neurons, situated either in the central nervous system or in peripheral ganglia, connect the nervous system to muscles or other effector organs. Central neurons, which in vertebrates greatly out number the other types, make all of their input and output connections with other neurons. The interactions of all these types of neurons form neural circuits that generate an organism's perception of the world and determine its behavior. Along with neurons, the nervous system contains other specialized cells called glial cells (or simply glia), which provide structural and metabolic support.

Here I have given the simple explanation regarding the nervous system and the neurons. Its purely the science, now we are going to combine our science into our world of meditation, to know more secrets.