• Question: what are nerve cells used for?

    Asked by billbill to Callum, Sam on 23 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Sam Godfrey

      Sam Godfrey answered on 23 Nov 2012:

      In our body nerve cells are used for sending all the messages. When you thought of that question they were what made the thought happen. Nerve cells sent the messages to your finger muscles to do the typing and other nerve cells in your finger tips and your eyes sent back signals to the brain telling it what you were typing. Nerve cells are also used to detect when you are not hungry any more, whether you are balanced, the sounds you hear, your reflexes, your heart beat and everything that your brain does to keep you alive. In my lab we are looking at ways of trying to help nerve cells fix themselves because they are very important to us but not that good at healing themselves (paralysed people for example don’t get better easily.)

    • Photo: Callum Johnston

      Callum Johnston answered on 23 Nov 2012:

      In the brain the nerve cells carry out all the different functions our brains do. A lot of nerve cells are called sensory nerve cells, these carry signals from our body to tell the brain what is happening around us. They tell the brain what we see, hear, taste, smell and touch. Then other nerve cells respond to this input and tell the body what to do in response. These are called motor neurones and they trigger our muscles to move. They send these signals using electricity so that our brain can react as quickly as possible. For example if you if you are playing Bop It your brain has to listen to the instruction, see which corner the item is on and then move ur hand correctly to pull it, twist it or whatever, and it has to do all that in just a second or 2.

      The nerve cells also control all the thoughts that go through your head, form you memories and dreams and even keep your lungs breathing and bowels moving!

      Basically they do everything!

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