Exclusive: Brain and Nervous System - Pain, Painkillers & Sleeping Pills
The human brain contains more than 100 billion nerve cells (called neurons). These neurons receive electro-chemical impulses from everywhere in the body, interpret the impulses and then send the relevant signals back to various glands and muscles. From the brain is attached the brain stem and the spinal cord, all of which make up the central nervous system. The spinal cord is cushioned by the cerebrospinal fluid in the centre of the bones of the spine. From the Central Nervous System, the signals are transmitted to the Peripheral Nervous System, which comprise: (a) Skin and muscle (eg. feel itchiness from mosquito bites, feel pain) (b) Head, brain, eyes, ears, nose and tastebuds (eg. migraine) (c) Automatic nervous system, which controls the unconscious body functions (eg. breathing, digestion, glandular activities such as insulin production, T3, T4 production). Cause of Pain Pain is caused when there is damage to the tissues due to injury or infection. It leads to a chemical reaction,...