Nervous System and Brain

To understand behavior, we need to know about the engine that drives our actions – the brain. I'm not sure if there's an easy way to talk about the brain, but I'll give it a try in my own words.

Before discussing the brain, let's talk about the nervous system. What words come to mind with "nervous"? Probably nerves, maybe neurologist, the more curious might know the word neuron, and experts know many other words. All these words are related to the nervous system, but what is this nervous system?

The nervous system is the part of our body responsible for processing stimuli collected or produced by the body to provide a response (that is, a behavior). In humans, we can categorize the nervous system into:

- Central Nervous System
- Peripheral Nervous System
- Autonomic Nervous System.
Are you with me so far?

The Central Nervous System comprises the brain and spinal cord. The brain is the main organ of the Central Nervous System. You all know where it's located, right? You also know it's protected by bones forming the skull. The main cells that make up the brain are called neurons, which connect to each other using something called axons. The spinal cord is an organ made up of a bundle of neurons that travels within our vertebrae.

The Peripheral Nervous System deals with the "periphery" of our body, like our limbs. It ensures that the brain can receive information from and send information to the periphery. If you accidentally touch a hot pot, there needs to be something telling the brain "danger" and something to execute the brain's command "remove your hand." The Peripheral Nervous System consists of nerves (bundles of axons) and nerve ganglia, which are neuron "clusters" that act as signal relay stations.

The Autonomic Nervous System handles the interior of our body. If it's true that we need to gather and recognize signals from the outside, we also need to know when our stomach hurts or we're fatigued. That's where the Autonomic Nervous System comes in, an "unknown master" that does many things.

The Autonomic Nervous System can be categorized into three parts:Sympathetic Nervous System: Activated whenever there's a need for a rapid response, like reacting to an immediate demand. If I run, my heart needs to beat faster, and I need to breathe more frequently. Parasympathetic Nervous System: Activated to maintain a state of calm, like regular heartbeats and breathing. Enteric Nervous System: Manages organs like the intestines and pancreas.

Sources: Since I've provided only an introductory overview, you can verify the information on any popular science website related to neuroscience or even on Wikipedia. The primary text I studied from is:
- Kandel, E. (2000) - Principles of Neural Science.

Did I tell you something new or did you already know all of this?

If you want me to describe a psychology topic in my own words, write it in the comments.