One of the most important components of our body is the nervous system. It is thanks to her that we can feel, see, hear, move, think and, therefore, receive information about the external and internal worlds, interacting with them. Naturally, this system of the human body has been studied quite well, but it is possible that scientists do not yet know some facts about it. However, science does not stand still, which cannot but rejoice us.
The most interesting and surprising facts about the human nervous system.
The basis of the human central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord. It is our brain that is more developed, and in some extinct dinosaurs, the spinal cord performed the main functions.
One or another problem with the nervous system occurs on average in every fifth inhabitant of the Earth.
The speed of movement of a nerve impulse in the human body exceeds 300 km / h.
The total length of nerve fibers in the body of an adult is approximately 75 kilometers.
There are about 100 billion neurons in the human brain. If you put them in a row, you get a line about a thousand kilometers long.
The nervous system is also interesting because its constituent cells are larger than any other in our body.
Despite the fact that the brain is the main one in the human body, the spinal cord also sometimes makes decisions on its own. This is called reflexes.
Mental retardation is often caused precisely by problems with the nervous system. If the brain is not sufficiently supplied with oxygen, thought processes will be slowed down.
Contrary to popular myth, not all diseases can be caused by nervous tension.
Another interesting myth says that the human brain is used only 5-10%. This is not so, on average we use the resources of our brain a little less than half, and with intense mental work, the load increases rapidly.
The main difference between the human nervous system and a computer is that the neurons of the brain perform all actions simultaneously, while the computer performs them sequentially.
The total amount of memory that the human brain can hold is approximately 1,000 terabytes.
All five basic human senses - smell, touch, hearing, sight, taste - are directly related to the nervous system.
There are many more nerve cells in the human body than there are people on Earth.
All nerves in the human body are connected in 43 pairs.
The lack of water in the body leads to a slowdown in the brain and a general slowdown in the nervous system.
All signals between nerve nodes are transmitted using electricity. At the same time, for the work of all neurons in the human nervous system, less energy is needed than it would be required to turn on a low-power light bulb.
The brain is still the most mysterious organ of the human body, over the unraveling of the principles of which the best minds of mankind have been struggling for more than a hundred years. Without a doubt, scientists have managed to reach hitherto unseen heights of knowledge, but so far this is a huge number of disparate facts that can contradict each other, hindering the formation of a harmonious system.
We will not join the large camp of scientists working on the mystery - no, let's just remember the interesting facts that not a very large number of people know about.
1. The brain is the leader in energy consumption in our body. Indeed, although the percentage of brain mass to total body mass is only 2%, 15% of the heart “works” for it, and the brain itself consumes more than 20% of the oxygen captured by the lungs. That's really really - "you like to ride, love to carry sleds." To deliver oxygen to the brain, three large arteries work, which are designed exclusively for its constant replenishment.
2. The brain is almost fully developed by the age of seven. Scientists confirm that about 95% of brain tissues are finally organized by the age of seven, making up a complete organ. By the way, it is precisely because of the rapid development of the brain that the energy consumption of the nervous system of a two-year-old child is twice the energy consumption of the nervous system of an adult. By the way, men have more brains than women - but this does not mean that men are smarter (pay tribute to feminism, this is really true). By the way, an interesting fact is also the difference in the size of different areas in the brain of men and women.
3. Despite the huge number of nerve endings (in fact, the entire brain is one large nerve ending), our brain is not able to feel pain. The thing is that there are no pain receptors in the brain at all: why should they, if the destruction of the brain leads to the death of the organism? Here the pain is not needed at all, nature has decided correctly. True, pain is felt by the shell in which our brain is enclosed. That is why we so often feel various types of headaches - it all depends on the nature of the shell and on the physiological characteristics of our body.
4. A person uses almost all the resources of his brain. There is one myth of unknown origin, according to which the brain works only at 10% - however, this myth appeared in the early 20th century as a result of a couple of inaccurate laboratory experiments. How could scientists in the early 20th century even count the number of neurons involved in the work? Of course not. But modern scientists have conducted relevant experiments many times, which have shown that we almost completely use the resources of the brain.
5. Brain cells are restored. The opposite claim is the result of another myth that is also over 100 years old. Nerve cells in the brain do regenerate, although not as fast as the cells in our body. Indeed, if the cells did not regenerate, how would people recover from traumatic brain injuries? The synapses that serve as "bridges" between brain cells are indeed restored - and so are the neurons themselves. Interestingly, alcoholism, contrary to many years of assertions, does not kill brain neurons - however, synapses do die. It is clear that with the destruction of brain connections, the thought process begins to "slow down", and then generally barely smolders
The value of the state of the nervous system for the normal functioning of the body. The human nervous system functions continuously day and night. The coordinated work of organ systems is carried out under the constant influence of the nervous system. With any reflex, excitation is conducted to the cerebral cortex. Numerous reflexes, unconditioned and conditioned, all the time ensure the interaction of our body with the environment. Distinguishing stimuli perceived by different receptors is carried out in the cerebral cortex.
The complex nervous processes occurring in the human brain are the basis of its conscious activity, which manifests itself in all aspects of society. Any work of a person - in production, in various fields of science, culture, art, teaching at school and other educational institutions - is associated with manifestations of higher nervous activity, ranging from the simplest conditioned reflexes to complex thought processes. Therefore, in any type of human activity, fatigue develops mainly in its central nervous system.
The normal activity of the body largely depends on the state of the central nervous system and especially the brain. That is why overfatigue of the central nervous system leads to a breakdown in a number of vital functions of the body, leads to a sharp decrease or even loss of ability to work.
The development of fatigue in the central nervous system is largely delayed by the processes of inhibition that constantly occur in it.
Protective role of inhibition. Braking is one of the body's defenses. It prevents the rapid build-up of fatigue in the central nervous system.
You already know that the occurrence of strong excitation in any part of the central nervous system leads to the development of inhibition in its other parts. Through the inhibited area of excitation does not pass, and during this time they restore their performance.
But if a person does not follow the rules of hygiene, then inhibition in the central nervous system can harm it. So, for example, some people talk and read while eating. These extraneous stimuli cause inhibition of unconditioned and conditioned food reflexes. Then the secretion of digestive juices weakens, the wave-like contractions of the esophagus and intestines become sluggish. All this greatly stimulates the processes of digestion.
Hygiene of physical labor. Physical labor is usually associated with prolonged work of the same muscle groups. Therefore, certain parts of the central nervous system that regulate the activity of these muscles are in a state of excitation for a long time. Over time, they begin to develop fatigue. To prevent excessively rapid fatigue, it is useful to carry out industrial gymnastics during breaks in work. During its execution, the main load is transferred to those muscles that are little involved in the work, which leads to the excitation of new parts of the brain. In those parts of it that were excited during work, inhibition develops. During this time, they restore their performance.
Today, mechanization and automation of labor-intensive processes are being widely introduced into production, which facilitates the work of workers. In those sectors of the economy where production has not yet been fully mechanized, the rationalization of labor is of great importance. As a result of rationalization, unnecessary movements of workers are eliminated, a favorable rhythm of work of various muscle groups is established. This rhythm provides alternate excitation! and inhibition of brain regions that regulate muscle function at a pace favorable to the nervous system. This helps prevent her from overburdening herself.
Hygiene of mental work. Mental work is associated with the activity of a huge number of cortical cells that are involved in complex processes that determine thinking. Prolonged mental work causes an increase in fatigue in the central nervous system. Inhibition in it begins to prevail over excitation. During mental work, the inflamed areas of the central nervous system need rest. A good means of such rest is gymnastics or other physical activity during breaks in work. Classes in training workshops, on the school site not only prepare us for future work, but also prevent the development of fatigue in the central nervous system. In those parts of the brain that were excited during lessons in the classroom, inhibition develops. Of the same importance are physical education lessons at school, five-minute breaks for gymnastics in institutions.
The alternation of physical and mental labor is of paramount importance for protecting the central nervous system of a person from increasing fatigue.
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The nervous system is a complex structure of cells that transmit signals from the brain to other parts of the body. The basics of her work are known to us from biology lessons, but part of the knowledge remained a mystery. about the human nervous system that we weren't taught about in school.
What is known about the nervous system?
First, let's remember what the nervous system is. It consists of a central section, including the brain and spinal cord. As well as peripheral, through which information is transmitted through neurons located in other parts of the body, with the exception of the brain and spinal cord. Five basic senses are associated with the activity of the nervous system - taste, sight, hearing, touch and smell. What interesting facts exist about the human nervous system:
- The human body is filled with billions of nerve cells. There are far more of them than people on Earth. There are over 100 billion nerve cells in the brain. If you put them all in one line, you get a path of 966 km. The spinal cord is made up of 13.5 billion neurons. Despite their huge number, cells do not have the ability to divide.
- The speed of transmission of impulses is from 100 m per second.
- During the formation of the fetus in the womb, the volume of cells increases at a rate of 250,000 neurons per minute. By the time of birth, the brain consists of 10 million nerve cells.
- Men's brains are heavier than women's. In the strong half, the average weight is 1375 grams, in the weak half - 1275 grams. The heaviest brain in 2012 gr. was with Ivan Turgenev.
- The nerves are connected in 43 pairs. They connect the brain and spinal cord with other parts of the body.
- The normal functioning of the nervous system requires potassium, sodium and vitamin B ions, as well as a sufficient amount of water. The lack of substances or liquid leads to a decrease in the performance of the brain.
- Scientists from the Lozzana Federal Political School have found that an innate picture of the world is encoded in the neurons of the brain. During the experiment, they found that approximately 50 neurons have the same structure, which indicates an identical perception of the environment.
- The state of joy has a good effect on the functioning of the nervous system. However, you don't have to feel happy yourself. Supporting your neighbor and expressing compassion will help you gain strength, and make your nervous system less susceptible to pain and stress.
- During prayers, the frequency of breathing decreases and wave oscillations in the cerebral cortex normalize. This process contributes to the self-healing of the body. It has also been found that during the pronunciation of prayer words, the human brain is not active. That is, there is a certain separation from reality. In the neurons of the brain, delta waves occur, which are observed only in children under six months of age. It has been found that believers are 38% less at risk of contracting infections than others.
- Brain neurons require less energy to operate than a light bulb in a refrigerator. Signals between brain cells are transmitted using electricity. One action requires approximately 12 watts of energy.
How to save the nervous system
A few tips for those who care about the state of their nervous system:
- The main source of irritation for neurons is ordinary noise. Some are accustomed to sleeping with the TV turned on or music on the phone and do not even suspect that this has a detrimental effect on the nervous system. This results in fatigue, decreased immunity and other negative health effects.
- Chronic stress negatively affects the work of all organs that depend on the productivity of the functions of the nervous system. There are many ways to create a favorable psychological mood and get out of a difficult situation. You can choose the most suitable for yourself and follow the new methodology. The result will definitely have a positive effect on health.
- To maintain health, it is recommended to carry out the prevention of infectious diseases. During the weakening of the immune system, we feel pain and weakness - this is how the nervous system reacts to a state of health. Constant acute respiratory infections and flu can have a bad effect on neurons, and, as a result, work productivity and general condition will decrease, not only physically, but also emotionally.
What is good for the nervous system? Walks in the fresh air, water procedures, good sleep, proper nutrition containing cereals, meat and legumes. A good state of neurons affects the standard of living, mood, and even has a positive effect on the condition of the skin and slowing down the aging process. At the heart of the work of this most important component of the body are
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE NERVOUS SYSTEM Scientists from the Lozzana Federal Political School have found that the innate picture of the world is encoded in the neurons of the brain. During the experiment, they found that approximately 50 neurons have the same structure, which indicates an identical perception of the environment. There are over 100 billion nerve cells in the brain. The normal functioning of the nervous system requires potassium, sodium and vitamin B ions, as well as a sufficient amount of water. The lack of substances or liquid leads to a decrease in the performance of the brain. The state of joy has a good effect on the functioning of the nervous system. Moreover, it is not necessary to feel happiness yourself. Supporting your neighbor and expressing compassion will help you gain strength, and make your nervous system less susceptible to pain and stress. Brain neurons require less energy to operate than a light bulb in a refrigerator. Signals between brain cells are transmitted using electricity. One action requires approximately 12 watts of energy. If you put all the nerve cells in the brain of one person in one line, you get a path 966 km long. During prayer, the frequency of breathing decreases and wave oscillations in the cerebral cortex normalize. This process contributes to the self-healing of the body. It has also been found that during the pronunciation of prayer words, the human brain is not active. That is, there is a certain separation from reality. In the neurons of the brain, delta waves occur, which are observed only in children under six months of age. It has been established that believers are 38% less at risk of contracting infections than others. Signals in the human nervous system reach speeds of 288 km/h. By old age, the speed decreases by 15 percent. During the development of a child in the womb, the number of neurons in him increases at a rate of 250,000 cells per minute. When we accidentally touch a hot object, the nerves that are in our skin transmit a pain signal to the brain. The brain responds by telling the muscles in the affected body part to pull it away from the source of the pain. There are billions of nerve cells in the human body. Whether they outnumber the stars of the Milky Way galaxy is debatable, but their number is definitely greater than the number of people on Earth. In one year, the brain of newborns increases three times, and as a person ages, his brain decreases by one gram every year. Thanks to the nervous system, our body has the function of sweating. Without it, every hot day would end for a person with a fatal heat stroke. The normal respiratory rate is also monitored by the central nervous system. Your five senses—touch, sight, hearing, taste, and smell—deliver a large amount of sensory data to your brain for processing. The nervous system in this case serves to highlight the sensory information that is most important.