The Incredible Power of Your Nervous System

Your nervous system has 86 billion neurons, and each one can fire up to 200 times per second.

That's more calculations than the world's fastest supercomputer. Here's what makes it insane.

Your brain only weighs 3 pounds but uses 20% of your body's total oxygen.

The spinal cord stops growing at age 5, but your neurons keep making new

connections your entire life. Signals travel through myelinated axons at 268 miles per

hour, that's faster than a race car. The myelin sheath wrapping your axons

works like insulation on a wire, making everything 100 times faster. Without it,

you'd move in slow motion. Your brain has 4 ventricles constantly producing cerebrospinal