Medicine & Health
How does the nervous system work?
The nervous system works like the body's electrical wiring. Sensors detect a stimulus and fire tiny electrical signals along neurons to the spinal cord and brain, which decide what to do and send signals back to muscles — all in a fraction of a second. It's how you feel, think, and move.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how the nervous system works.
Step by step
- 1Neurons carry fast electrical signals.
- 2Path: sensors → spinal cord/brain → muscles.
- 3The brain processes and decides the response.
- 4All in a split second — sense, think, act.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the nervous system send signals?
- Neurons pass tiny electrical impulses along their length and chemical messengers across the gaps between them.
- What's the difference between the brain and the nervous system?
- The brain is the control centre; the nervous system is the whole network of nerves connecting it to the rest of the body.
- What is a reflex?
- A fast automatic response handled by the spinal cord without waiting for the brain — like pulling your hand off something hot.