The Nervous System
Provided By The ICPA
Your body is amazing—and your brain is in charge of it all. From blinking your eyes to remembering your favorite song, your brain sends messages faster than lightning through tiny pathways called nerves. These signals help you move, feel, and think every second of every day. Pretty incredible, right?
Your brain is the leader of your nervous system, the communication network that keeps everything in your body working together. It’s so important that it’s wrapped in strong protection— your skull, a layer of bone that acts like built-in armor. But your brain doesn’t work alone! It’s constantly talking to every organ, muscle, and cell in your body through its special connection: the spinal cord.
The spinal cord is like a long tail that extends from the base of your brain all the way down to your tailbone. It’s your body’s information superhighway—a busy roadway full of messages zooming back and forth between your brain and body. When you decide to wiggle your fingers, run, or take a deep breath, the instructions travel down your spinal cord, through the nerves, and out to your muscles. When you touch something hot or cold, the message races right back up to your brain so you know what to do next.