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10 fun facts about the nervous system

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Nerves and neurons, Pixabay.
Nerves and neurons, Pixabay.

The central nervous system helps all the parts of the body, such as the digestive, endocrine, immune, lymphatic and muscular systems to communicate with each other.

Did you know that you have 43 different pairs of nerves that connect your central nervous system to the rest of your body, and that 12 of these nerve pairs connect to the brain, while the remaining ones connect with the spinal cord?

Here are some more 10 fun facts about your nervous system:

  • There are more nerve cells in the human brain than there are stars in the Milky Way.
  • If we lined up all the neurons in our body it would be around 965 km long.
  • There are 100 billion neurons in your brain alone.
  • A newborn baby's brain almost triples in size during the course of its first year.
  • The left side of human brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.
  • A new born baby loses about half of their nerve cells before they are born.
  • There are about 13 500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.
  • The nervous system can transmit nerve impulses as fast as 100 meters per second, and in some cases, the speed of transmission is around 180 miles per hour
  • A man's brain has 6.5 times more grey matter compared to women, but a woman's brain has 10 times more white matter compared to men.
  • Your nervous system cannot function properly in the absence of potassium and sodium ions. Vitamin B is equally essential for your nervous system.

Sources:

Allaboutthenervoussytem, http://allaboutthenervoussystem.weebly.com/

http://www.newhealthadvisor.com/Central-Nervous-System.html

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