Facts at a Glance

The brain is the control center for the entire body. It controls all of the systems of the body including our reflexes, senses, and memory. Our brains are basically a huge knot of nerve cells connected to a nerve highway that runs throughout the body.

The basic function of the nervous system is to be irritable. Irritability is the ability to sense changes in the environment and adjust to them.

Neurons - nerve cells are able to build up a tiny electric charge. One nerve cell fires off the charge to the next nerve cell. This cell then fires off a charge to the next nerve. This happens in a microsecond. A nerve can actually fire 1,000 charges in one second. There are about 12,000 million nerve cells in the human body.

Spinal Cord - the spinal cord is where reflexes are controlled. This would include pulling your hand away from a hot pan. A reflex happens before you have time to think about it.

Base - the base of the brain deals with actions we don't normally notice such as digestion and breathing.

Forebrain - This is the part of our brain that controls emotions such as anger and fear. It also deals with hunger, thirst, and smell.

Cerebrum - The cerebrum is the top of your brain. It is the wrinkly part of the brain. This is the part of the brain that deals with memory, reasoning, and our voluntary control. These are considered to be higher functions.