Nervous System Basics

Your nervous system helps your body adapt to changes in the environment through a network of specialized cells. At its center is the brain, which coordinates all bodily functions—when it stops working, life ends.

The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron. Each neuron has a cell body (soma) containing the nucleus, dendrites that receive messages, and an axon that carries signals away. Axon terminals release neurotransmitters into synapses—the gaps between neurons. These chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins control everything from mood to pain perception.

Neurons are protected by a fatty myelin sheath, which helps signals travel faster. Between sections of myelin are Nodes of Ranvier, where action potentials occur during signal transmission. Supporting cells called glial cells hold neurons in place and remove dead cells.

💡 Think of neurons like a text message system: dendrites receive messages, the cell body processes them, and the axon sends them to the next neuron through neurotransmitters!

Information travels in specific directions: afferent (sensory) signals go from body to brain, while efferent (motor) signals travel from brain to muscles and glands. Associative neurons connect these pathways to create complete responses.

Nervous System Organization

Your nervous system divides into two main parts: central and peripheral. The central nervous system (CNS) includes your brain and spinal cord. Your brain, weighing about 3 pounds, reaches full size by age 6 and contains about 100 billion neurons. It uses 20% of your body's oxygen despite being only 2% of your body weight!

The brain has gray matter (containing cell bodies and dendrites) and white matter (mostly axon bundles). Three protective layers keep your brain safe:

• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cushions it from jolts
• Meninges form protective membranes around brain and spinal cord
• The blood-brain barrier filters out harmful chemicals

The peripheral nervous system connects your CNS to the rest of your body. It splits into sensory division (carrying information to the CNS) and motor division (carrying commands from the CNS). The motor division further divides into somatic (voluntary movements) and autonomic (involuntary functions).

🧠 Your autonomic system has two opposing parts: the sympathetic system activates your "fight-or-flight" response during stress, while the parasympathetic system promotes "rest-and-digest" when you're calm!

The brain itself organizes into lobes with specialized functions—frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital—each handling different aspects of your experience.

Brain Anatomy and Function

Your brain's hemispheres connect through the corpus callosum, allowing the left and right sides to communicate. The cerebrum handles higher-level functions like thinking, judgment, memory, and speech.

Beneath it, the brainstem contains three critical regions:

• Midbrain (controls eye and ear function)
• Pons (manages chewing, tasting, and some breathing)
• Medulla oblongata (regulates vital signs like heartbeat)

The diencephalon houses the thalamus (a sensory relay center) and hypothalamus (controls autonomic functions like temperature). Your cerebellum coordinates balance and posture, while also helping with cardiac and respiratory functions.

The spinal cord extends from the base of your skull down to the L2 vertebra. It's protected by vertebrae and meninges, and serves as the highway for messages traveling between your brain and body. From it emerge 31 pairs of spinal nerves, while 12 pairs of cranial nerves extend directly from the brain.

🔄 Reflexes are automatic reactions that don't require conscious thought—they take a shortcut pathway through the spinal cord rather than traveling all the way to the brain for processing!

The limbic system, located beneath the cerebrum, handles emotions, learning, and memory formation, connecting your thoughts with your feelings.

Altered States of Consciousness

Your level of consciousness can change dramatically based on various factors. Altered states range from temporary conditions like syncope (fainting due to weather, hunger, or dehydration) to more serious states like coma (deep unresponsiveness).

In between are conditions like lethargy (drowsiness and apathy), stupor (decreased response to stimuli), and delirium (acute confusion with disorientation and hallucinations). Each represents different levels of brain function disruption.

Sleep disorders affect your consciousness too. Insomnia is the inability to sleep, while narcolepsy involves sudden episodes of falling asleep during the day. Sleep deprivation accumulates over time, affecting performance and health. Some people even experience somnambulism (sleepwalking)—performing activities without waking up!

😴 Your brain needs quality sleep to function properly! Most teens need 8-10 hours of sleep each night, but many get much less, which can affect memory, mood, and learning ability.

Mental health conditions also alter consciousness. Depression causes persistent sadness and lethargy, while dementia leads to progressive decline in mental abilities. Posttraumatic stress disorder develops after experiencing threatening events, causing ongoing distress and altered awareness.

Mental Health and Wellness

Health means being free from illness, but wellness represents a more holistic lifestyle of good physical and mental functioning. Mental health conditions can significantly impact your overall wellness.

Psychosis involves radical personality changes and distorted reality perception, often seen in conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These conditions are studied by professionals in different fields: psychologists (who study behavior and mental processes) and psychiatrists (medical doctors who treat mental illness).

Your ego (sense of self) plays an important role in mental health. When basic needs aren't met, reactive behaviors can develop—including demanding or manipulative actions, or maladaptive responses like depression.

Stress occurs when circumstances tax your ability to cope, creating mental and emotional strain. It can lead to anxiety—intense feelings of tension and apprehension without clear cause. Severe cases become anxiety disorders, characterized by physiological arousal and intense worry.

🛡️ Your mind naturally develops defense mechanisms to protect itself from uncomfortable thoughts or feelings. These unconscious strategies help manage internal conflicts but can become problematic if overused.

Depression involves persistent sadness, hopelessness, and difficulty functioning normally. Despite its prevalence, mental health conditions often carry stigma—unfair beliefs that can prevent people from seeking help when they need it.

Behavioral Disorders and Changes

Mental health affects behavior in profound ways. Personality disorders involve characteristic patterns of behavior that persist across situations and time. One severe condition is schizophrenia, a form of psychopathology characterized by disturbed thought processes and withdrawal from reality.

Some behavioral disorders involve antisocial patterns. Sociopathic individuals show extreme antisocial attitudes and lack of conscience, often due to environmental factors. Their behavior tends to be erratic, though they can form attachments. Psychopathic individuals have chronic disorders with abnormal social behavior that may be present from birth.

Our behaviors aren't just about our individual perceptions—they're influenced by social interactions and learning. Some behaviors promote health, while others don't.

Mental health changes can stem from various sources:

• Congenital abnormalities present from birth
• Physical injuries or changes to the brain
• Substance abuse that damages brain cells and causes depression
• Effects of medications or therapies

⚠️ Substance abuse is particularly damaging to the teenage brain, which is still developing. Drugs and alcohol can permanently alter brain structure and function during these critical years.

These factors rarely act alone—most behavioral changes result from a combination of influences that affect brain function. Understanding these causes helps us approach mental health with compassion rather than judgment.