I am not sure if there is a right or wrong answer here but I don’t think there is a best answer either. I do know the best way to explain it is to say that the brain is the central nervous system and the rest of our physical body is our peripheral nervous system.
This is a confusing area of neurobiology because our nervous system is so complex, so many areas of it are disconnected. The brain is the only part of our nervous system the human body can directly touch and physically interact with. The rest of our body is the peripheral nervous system, which is made up of two different kinds of nerves, including sensory nerves and motor nerves. For example, during any activity, the sensory nerves are activated and sent signals along our skin to muscles and organs.
Motor nerves are the ones that carry signals to the muscles. These are the ones that allow us to move our arms and legs. Our sensory nerves are responsible for the majority of movements, but are also responsible for a certain type of internal motor activity.
This can be seen when you run, or when you do any other activity where you feel a sense of motion. Our skeletal system is made up of many different organs, and there are different things going on with each one. The most obvious example is when you swallow. You experience a sensation of motion in the stomach. That motion is an electrical signal that’s sent to the nerves that control your heart.
Well, for the most part, we understand that the nervous system is comprised of neurons and synapses (or links) between different parts of the nervous system. Every single cell in our body (including our brain) is made up of roughly 100 trillion neurons. It might sound like a lot, but you’ve probably never even heard of a hundred trillion cells.
Our neurons and the nerves of other parts of our body are all connected at the synapses of the brain. So if you want to move your heart, your heart is controlled by your brain. That being said, the neurons and the nerves that control our muscles are not connected to our brain. So when you pull on a muscle, you pull on the nerves that control the muscle.
For example, you might say that you’re pulling on an arm, but you’re actually pulling on the nerves that control the muscles that move your arm. So the central nervous system controls your muscles, which control your body, which controls your mind.
I use the term “neurons” in a generic sense here so I don’t have to worry about any one nerve being an individual. But for purposes of illustration, you might consider the two main nerves that control the muscles of your hand. They are called “Primary Motor Neurons” and “Secondary Motor Neurons” because the neurons that control these two nerves are the ones that control the muscles of your hand.
The central nervous system is what our brain uses to figure out what to do, while the peripheral nervous system is what your body uses to figure out what to do. In short, the peripheral nervous system is what controls your heart, your breathing, your bowel movements, etc. So you have to be careful when using the word “central” when describing your brain versus the peripheral nervous system.
The peripheral nervous system is also what controls the muscles in your hand. The central nervous system is what controls your brain. The central nervous system is what controls the muscles in your hand. The peripheral nervous system is what controls your heart, your breathing, your bowel movements, etc. So you have to be careful when using the word central when describing your brain versus the peripheral nervous system.
