what is a neurological disease? A neurological disease is a disease that affects the nervous system. The nervous system consists of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. Some examples of diseases that affect the nervous system are Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, amnesia, brain tumours, bipolar disorders, and polio. It doesn't matter what they cause, if it affects the nervous system, it's a neurological disease.
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diagram of a neuron. |
the nervous system
DIAGRAM OF the nervous system. |
The nervous system is separated into two parts; the central nervous system, and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system consists of nerves, which extend along your entire body.
The brain is the organ that is the "control centre" of the body, and regulates all body activity. It allows us to think, and to be conscious of everything. It calculates equations, tells cell to perform digestion, and your lungs to breathe. A spinal cord serves in between the brain and nerves, allowing messages to move across its length. It's protected by the spine, and is a bundle of nervous tissue that each specific area commands a specific part of the body. Nerves relay messages to each other and provide the communication between cells for the body. Each nerve is made of nerve cells called neurons. As seen to the right, neuron cells are specialized for their job. Electric impulses travel from the dendrite to the axon ending, where synaptic terminals transfer the message to the next cell. |