2.03: The Nervous System

• Introduction
• Learn
• Try It
• Task

Introduction

You're in the middle of a lecture in science, but your mind keeps drifting to the date you have tonight ... and the car you have to pick up at the shop on the way home from school, and how you wish you hadn't skipped lunch because the rumbling in your stomach is driving you nuts. Then, suddenly, you're back in the moment, hoping nobody noticed your brief "departure."

It may seem as if your brain is always on the go. It actually is always on the go.The brain not only controls what you think and feel, how you learn and remember, and the way you move and talk, but also many things you're less aware of such as the beating of your heart, the digestion of your food, and yes, even the amount of stress you feel. Like you, your brain is quite the juggler.

The brain is an essential part of the nervous system. It is a complex, highly coordinated network of tissues that communicate via electrochemical signals. We use our brains in virtually everything we do. Within our brains lie our deepest secrets, our earliest memories, our most amazing capabilities, and the keys to the mystery of consciousness itself. And while the brain is very important for you to be able to function, there are also other parts of the nervous system that you will learn about now.