How Your Nervous System Works

The nervous system has two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS), which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), which includes all other nerves.

The brain can be divided into three main regions: the hindbrain, which controls basic functions like breathing; the midbrain, which helps with alertness; and the forebrain, which handles thinking, sensing, and emotions.

Neurons communicate using action potentials, which are rapid changes in electrical charge that travel down the axon and signal the release of neurotransmitters to communicate with other neurons.