Video narration
The nervous system is the body’s communication network—sending messages that help you sense, think, and act. It has two main divisions: the Central Nervous System, or CNS, and the Peripheral Nervous System, or PNS. The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord. The brain has three parts. In the forebrain, the cerebrum supports intelligence, memory, speech, and thinking. The thalamus processes sensations like touch, taste, temperature, and pain. The hypothalamus helps control hunger, thirst, emotions, and internal body temperature. The midbrain is linked to vision and hearing. The hindbrain includes the cerebellum, which manages balance and voluntary actions, plus the pons Varolii and the medulla oblongata. The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body through 12 cranial nerves and 31 spinal nerves, carrying signals back and forth. It also splits into the sympathetic system—adrenaline and increased organ activity—and the parasympathetic system—acetylcholine and decreased organ activity.