61 Interesting Nervous System Facts [Free Fact Crads]

Ready to explore why our body works the way it does? These 61 Interesting Nervous System facts will have you in awe as you learn all about your body! Ready to explore? Let’s get started!

Have you ever wondered how you can feel a tickle on your toes or why you pull your hand away super fast from a hot pan? The answer lies within a super cool part of our body called the nervous system. It’s like the boss in charge of sending and receiving messages all over our body.

Let’s dive into some fun and exciting nervous system facts, and by the end, you’ll be amazed at how spectacular our bodies truly are!

Imagine you’re a superhero with a special communication gadget that lets you know what’s happening everywhere, anytime. Well, did you know that’s what your nervous system does for you? The nervous system helps us communicate with the outside world and keeps all our body parts in check.

Did you know that our nervous system is split into two main parts?

First, there’s the central nervous system (imagine it as the main control center), which includes our brain and spinal cord. Then, we have the peripheral nervous system, which is like the network of super-speedy messengers that carry information to and from the control center.

Are you ready to discover some awesome facts about the nervous system? Strap in because it’s going to be a wild, brainy ride! While you are exploring, don’t forget to download your free nervous system fact cards! While you are at it, grab our Interesting Facts about Bananas cards as well!

Best Nervous System Facts

1. The fastest signal transmission in the human body occurs by alpha motor neurons.
2. The brain is about 85% water.
3. By age 20, we begin to lose neurons to aging.
4. By age 75, nearly 1/10 of the neurons die out from your original neuron count.
5. ScientistsTrusted Source is now developing ways to “hack” into the immune system, gaining the ability to control brain cells with a flash of light. The cells can be programmed to react to light through genetic altering

6. As we age, our brain shrinks by about 1-2 grams every year due to the loss of neurons.
7. In the peripheral nervous system, nerve cells can be threadlike—their width is microscopic, but their length can be measured in feet.
8. A man’s brain has 6.5 times more gray matter compared to women, but a woman’s brain has 10 times more white matter compared to men.
9. Electrical impulses within the nervous system are triggered by ions or chemical signals that pass through channels in the neuron.
10. Research shows that being curious increases the number of connections between brain cells.

11. Our forehead and fingertips are the most sensitive to pain because of their greater density of nerve fibers which react to a pain trigger.
12. Neurons may look different from one another.
13. A newborn baby’s brain almost triples in size during the course of its first year.
14. There are two parts to the nervous system namely the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS).
15. The size of the nervous system ranges from a few hundred cells in the simplest worms, to around 300 billion cells in African elephants.

16. The human brain weighs about 3 lbs (1.4 kg or 1336 grams).
17. Involuntary reflexes are not controlled by your brain. They are controlled by a reflex arc.
18. Reflexes that are involuntary are not interpreted and processed by the brain.
19. There is a nervous system for controlling the body at rest.
20. Nerve damage is usually irreversible and can result in loss of function of any nerves in the body. This is because the nerve cells do not undergo the process of cell division, and therefore they cannot grow or repair themselves.

21. The brain’s structure is not static; it changes with acquiring new knowledge.
22. Axons and dendrites act as cables to carry messages to and from the brain and spinal cord.
23. Every square inch of your skin contains around 1,300 pain receptors but only about 100 receptors for pressure, 40 for cold, and 6 for warmth.
24. The nervous system can transmit signals at speeds of 328 feet (100 meters) per second, more than 8 times faster than the top speed of Usain Bolt.
25. If we lined up all the neurons in our body it would be around 599 miles long.

26. The hypothalamus is a small part of the brain that regulates body temperature.
27. Damage to the nervous system may result in the functioning of other systems.
28. It would take more than 3,000 years to count all neurons in your brain!
29. The body has its own nervous system that controls the bowel. The enteric nervous system automatically regulates bowel movements as a part of digestion.
30. Neurons receive signals in a short antennae-like part called the dendrite, and send signals to other neurons with a long cable-like part called the axon. An axon can be up to a meter long.

31. The brain is 60% fat. It’s built on fat, although it runs on glucose.
32. The slowest signal transmission in the human body occurs within the skin. It is the largest organ of the body and sense organs, which transmit signals at 1 mile per hour.
33. An optic nerve, which is also known as the cranial nerve, is the fundamental part of the central nervous system and the most significant sensory nerve of the human eye. 
34. Some neurons have an insulating layer known as the myelin sheath. This allows nervous impulses to travel faster, with less energy lost.
35. There are 43 pairs of nerves in the peripheral nervous system.

36. Vitamin B, Sodium, proteins, and other mineral ions, including potassium, magnesium, and calcium ions, are equally essential nutrients required for maintaining the healthy and proper functioning of our nervous system.
37. Our brains have that wrinkly, walnut shape because the white matter constrains the fast maturity of the brain’s external or outer brain (the gray matter).
38. Glial cells are support cells for neurons. They can make myelin to surround part of the neuron. They can also get rid of microbes and help supply nutrients to the neurons.
39. Info in the nervous system can travel as fast as 268 miles per hour (431 kph)!
40. The nervous system cannot efficiently repair itself.

41. Every person’s body contains billions of nerve cells (neurons).
42. The longest and widest single nerve in the human body is the sciatic nerve.
43. The basic unit of the nervous system is the neuron. These specialized cells have a cell body or soma, axons, and dendrites.
44.  The average human brain contains about 86 billion neurons.
45. Every square inch of your skin contains around 1,300 pain receptors but only about 100 receptors for pressure, 40 for cold and 6 for warmth.

46. A newborn baby loses about half of their nerve cells before they are born,
47. There are about 13,500,00 neurons in the human spinal cord.
48. The neuron consists of long cables-like extensions that protrude out of its body termed axons and short, thick extensions termed dendrites
49. Primates, including humans, have a group of neurons called mirror neurons. These are responsible for some behaviors being contagious, such as yawning.
50. Your nervous system cannot function properly in the absence of potassium and sodium ions. Vitamin B is equally essential for your nervous system.

51. The body has a nervous system for preparing the body for action.
52. The nervous system is the primary control system of our body as it is involved in every function, from breathing, generating and receiving responses, controlling the muscles, and sensing heat, cold, and a lot more.
53. The brain uses more of the body’s energy than the rest of the organs, using over 20% of the energy reserves in the body.
54. The brain is hard at work even when you’re sleeping.
55. The right optic nerve crosses over the left and transmits a signal to the left side of the brain, while the left optic nerve transmits signals to the right side.

56. The more we learn, the more electrical connections are generated in our brains.
57. We lose neurons as we age, starting at around 20 years old in humans. 1/10 of our neurons are gone by the time we turn 75.
58. Neuronal cells do not undergo the process of mitosis or cell division; hence they do not have growth or repair capacity.
59. The left side of the human brain controls the right side of the body and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.
60. The brain requires and utilizes more energy than any other organ in the body.
61. Neurons are programmed to do different things.

Do you have even more interesting facts about the nervous system? Share them with us in the comments! Also, don’t forget to grab your free banana fact cards to add to your collection!