10 Fascinating Facts about the Nervous System
Nerves and the nervous system are truly fascinating! Here are 10 super-interesting facts about your nervous system.
1. Incredible Signal Transmission Speed
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.
2. The Power of Alpha Lipoic Acid for Nerve Health
Alpha lipoic acid was discovered in 1937 and has been investigated since 1999 (over 20 years!) for nerve health.
3. Pain and Pressure Receptors in the Skin
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.
4. The Discovery of Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 was the first of the neurotropic B vitamins to be discovered in 1897 by Dutch physician and pathologist Christiaan Eijkman, who was researching the causes of beriberi. Eijkman was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1929 for his research around vitamin B1.
5. Unique Structure of Peripheral Nerve Cells
In the peripheral nervous system, nerve cells can be threadlike—their width is microscopic, but their length can be measured in feet.
6. Vitamin B12 and Myelin Formation
A deficiency of Vitamin B12 can inhibit myelin formation, making Vitamin B12 supplementation a commonly known therapy to help with re-myelination1.
7. Size Variation of the Nervous System Across Species
The size of the nervous system ranges from a few hundred cells in the simplest worms, to around 300 billion cells in African elephants.
8. Daily Replenishment of B Vitamins
B vitamins must be replenished daily2 as they are only stored in the body in a very small amount.
9. Sensitivity to Pain in Different Body Parts
Ouch! Our forehead and fingertips are the most sensitive to pain due to their greater density of nerve fibers that react to pain triggers.
10. The Role of the Myelin Sheath
The myelin sheath is responsible for increasing the speed of nerve impulses by 15 times. Without the myelin sheath, the speed is only 0.5-10 meters per second, whereas with the myelin sheath the speed is around 150 meters per second.
Understanding Your Nervous System
Understanding these facts about the nervous system can help you appreciate the complexity of your body and the importance of maintaining nerve health through proper nutrition and care.
Nervive products have different combinations of B Complex Vitamins, known to support critical components of nerve health, and Alpha lipoic acid, which is a vitamin-like compound that is present naturally in the body and plays a role in your metabolism*.
References:
- Miller, Ariel, et al. “Vitamin B12, Demyelination, Remyelination and Repair in Multiple Sclerosis.” Journal of the Neurological Sciences, vol. 233, no. 1, 15 June 2005, pp. 93–97, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022510X05000870, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jns.2005.03.009.
- Hanna, Mary, et al. “B Vitamins: Functions and Uses in Medicine.” The Permanente Journal, vol. 26, no. 2, June 2022, pp. 89–97, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9662251/, https://doi.org/10.7812/tpp/21.204.
