The Brain and the Nervous System

The brain is the most complicated organ in the human body. It gives us our personality and our feelings, and is responsible for consciousness, self-awareness, time perception, and memory functions.

 

The nervous system receives and stores information, processes and interprets sensory information, and controls bodily functions.

The brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves within a human being contain 100 billion nerve cells, called neurons, of at least 10,000 different types. Studies of the molecular energy mechanisms that control specialization have revealed that neurons are not controlled by a single regulatory gene, but by a sequential, combined effect of many regulatory genes and their unique interaction with the brain’s neural pathways.
Research into the nervous system has made great strides in recent years.

It has been passably well demonstrated today how neurotransmitters in various parts of the brain contribute to stimulating or impeding signals from being transmitted further. The new molecular biology, and new imaging techniques and surgical methods, have radically increased the opportunities to understand and fix injuries and diseases in the nervous system.

Research

Two scientists are sitting infront of an MRI

Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV)

CMIV conducts focused front-line research providing solutions to tomorrow’s clinical issues. The CMIV mission is to develop future methods and tools for image analysis and visualization for applications within health care and medical research.

Close-up dandelion seeds on black background.

Epistemologi och post-Covid

The pandemic has impacted us all, but some more than others. For those who are suffering from post-Covid, the lingering impact is particularly tangible. Interdisciplinary research is needed to understand this new health challenge.

A research group sits on a bench at Campus US in Linköping.

Young Survivor Unit - YoSU

Our research aims to better understand the development of children who have been seriously ill early in life. Furthermore, to develop and study interventions that, in the long term, increase the children's functioning in everyday life.

Research center

Research center

News

Pierre Hakizimana.

How the ear can inform the brain of whether hearing is impaired

What happens in the ear in hearing impairment caused by harmful noise? According to a study from LiU, a signal from the cochlea probably gives the brain information on whether the ear is functioning normally or not.

Close-up of an eye.

European investment in research into corneal diseases

Researchers at Linköping University are taking part in the largest European investment to date into diseases of the cornea. The aim is to restore vision in people with severe and rare eye diseases.

The Morrison Lab: The Embodied Brain Lab.

The brain reacts differently to touch depending on context

The touch of another person may increase levels of the “feelgood” hormone oxytocin. But the context really matters. The situation impacts oxytocin levels not only in the moment, but also later, as is shown in a new study.