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Brain, nerves and senses

Brain, nerves and senses: a chapter of The Human Body Book, with the facts about your own body that are worth knowing.

10 cards · Science

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Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the deck a few at a time.

Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 26 Oct 2026

Sources: Human body (Encyclopaedia Britannica), Health A to Z (NHS)

Preview

  • Cells that carry messages in the nervous system

    Show answer: Cells that carry messages in the nervous system

    Neurons

    Learn more: They pass signals as tiny electric pulses, some faster than 100 metres per second.

  • Brain part that controls balance and coordination

    Show answer: Brain part that controls balance and coordination

    Cerebellum

    Learn more: It fine-tunes movement, so you can walk, ride a bike or catch a ball without thinking about it.

  • Brain part that keeps you breathing

    Show answer: Brain part that keeps you breathing

    Brainstem

    Learn more: It runs breathing, heartbeat and swallowing, the work that never stops, even in sleep.

  • Brain part key to making new memories

    Show answer: Brain part key to making new memories

    Hippocampus

    Learn more: Without it, a person can recall old memories but can't store new ones.

  • Side of the brain that moves your right hand

    Show answer: Side of the brain that moves your right hand

    The left side

    Learn more: Most nerve pathways cross in the brainstem, so each side of the brain handles the other side of the body.

About this topic

Your brain runs everything through billions of nerve cells. Some of its parts keep you breathing, others keep your balance or store memories, and your senses feed it a constant stream of news about the world. Not every message goes through the brain: a reflex takes a shortcut through the spinal cord, which is why you pull your hand off a hot pan before you even feel the pain.

This is a chapter of The Human Body Book. Each card asks one question, with a hint before you answer and a short reason after. Once you know most of this chapter, the next one starts arriving in your Daily Zap.

All 10 cards

  1. Cells that carry messages in the nervous system

    Neurons

    Learn more: They pass signals as tiny electric pulses, some faster than 100 metres per second.

  2. Brain part that controls balance and coordination

    Cerebellum

    Learn more: It fine-tunes movement, so you can walk, ride a bike or catch a ball without thinking about it.

  3. Brain part that keeps you breathing

    Brainstem

    Learn more: It runs breathing, heartbeat and swallowing, the work that never stops, even in sleep.

  4. Brain part key to making new memories

    Hippocampus

    Learn more: Without it, a person can recall old memories but can't store new ones.

  5. Side of the brain that moves your right hand

    The left side

    Learn more: Most nerve pathways cross in the brainstem, so each side of the brain handles the other side of the body.

  6. Eye cells that see colour

    Cones

    Learn more: Rods see in dim light but only in grey, which is why colours fade at night.

  7. The black hole in the middle of the eye

    Pupil

    Learn more: The coloured iris around it tightens or relaxes to let in more or less light.

  8. The snail-shaped part of the inner ear

    Cochlea

    Learn more: Tiny hair cells inside it bend with sound waves; very loud noise can damage them for good.

  9. The fifth basic taste, after sweet, sour, salty, bitter

    Umami

    Learn more: Named in Japan in 1908, it is the taste of glutamate, found in tomatoes, cheese and soy sauce.

  10. A fast, automatic response that skips the brain

    Reflex

    Learn more: The signal goes to the spinal cord and straight back to the muscle, saving precious time.

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