Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) is the part of your central nervous system (CNS) that controls unconscious activities like breathing and digestion. This system is always working, whether or not ...

How Does the Nervous System Work? The messages traveling in your nerves are sent through billions of nerve cells called neurons. The spaces between these cells are called synapses. The cells are ...

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is the system of nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord. The PNS consists of the peripheral nerves, neuromuscular junctions, cranial nerves, and ...

The sympathetic nervous system, which helps your heart and other vital organs function all the time, increases activity in response to danger or stress, preparing the body for extra demands. Stress is ...

Each part of the nervous system uses internal checks and balances to regulate its activity, responding to various factors like mood, health status, and the external environment.¹ These regulatory ...