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Nervous System

The body’s fast control and communication network — electrical signaling that operates in milliseconds.

The nervous system A stylised body with the CNS (brain and spinal cord) inside, the PNS branching out as nerves, and a chain of sympathetic ganglia for the ANS. A separate inset shows a neuron and glia at cell level. Each label links to the article for that part. at cell level Neurons Glia Central nervous system (CNS) Peripheral nervous system (PNS) Autonomic nervous system (ANS) The nervous system — CNS (brain + spinal cord), PNS (peripheral nerves), ANS (autonomic chain) and the cells they are built from.
  • Senses — gathers information from inside and outside the body.
  • Integrates — interprets that information and decides on a response.
  • Commands — directs muscles and glands to act.
  • Autonomic control — runs background functions (heartbeat, digestion) without conscious effort.

The nervous system is the body’s fast controller, working alongside the slower, chemical endocrine system. Note that the physical brain is described here; thinking, feeling, and behavior — what the brain produces — are covered separately under the the-mind root.