The Conversation
26 May 2023, 12:08 GMT+10
How does your brain know how to move your body? - Ivy, age 8, Victoria
Hi Ivy, thanks for asking such an interesting question!
To answer it, we'll need to look at some different parts of the brain and what they do.
The front part of the brain plans and makes decisions. It does this after considering the different types of information it receives from "nerve cells".
This information is called "sensory" information. It comes from touch, pain, temperature, hearing, seeing, and so on.
This is what happens when, for example, we spot someone giving out chocolate on the street, we turn our heads to look at them and walk towards the chocolate.
Read more: Curious Kids: how much does a brain weigh?
The brain lives in the brain box in our head. The spinal cord lives in the spinal canal, in the back part of our body.
Tiny nerve fibres that come out of the lower part of the brain and the spinal cord connect many muscles. When they tighten, they make things move.
Some nerve fibres connect to muscles that cross the joints. Others attach to the tongue and eyeball and make them move.
Nerve cells send signals among each other, and between all the muscles and glands, including those responsible for making saliva in the mouth and digestive juices in the stomach.
A human brain has more than 100 billion nerve cells and sends messages to make us do things like walk, skip or stand up from a chair.
Read more: Curious Kids: what is a headache? Is it our brain hurting?
The brain has many regions that coordinate how we move.
One part helps us work out how much force is necessary in making the movement. It also tells the brain to start the movement.
Another part plays a role in the timing of movements.
Different types of nerves also have different roles. Some help us move voluntarily - when we choose to. These nerves connect to the muscles responsible for moving our joints in different body parts, like our arms and legs.
Read more: Curious Kids: when I stop spinning, why do I feel dizzy and the world looks like it's tilting?
Another group of nerves work automatically. They sense what is happening inside our body without us consciously knowing. These nerves control the muscles in our heart, blood vessels, stomach, intestines, kidneys and other organs, helping them work properly.
So Ivy, to sum up, the brain receives information from our senses and uses this to control our body movements.
Different parts of the brain send messages to different parts of the body to get these movements right.
Our brain can also store movements into memories that will be recalled for future use. That's why you can remember how to ride a bike, even if you haven't ridden one for months.
Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you'd like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to [email protected]
Author: Arjun Burlakoti - Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Neuroanatomy, University of South Australia
Get a daily dose of Perth Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Perth Herald.
More InformationGENEVA, Switzerland: A new United Nations report alleges that dozens of global corporations are profiting from and helping sustain...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
LONDON, U.K.: British oil giant Shell has denied reports that it is in talks to acquire rival oil company BP. The Wall Street Journal...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...
BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- No dull rows of chairs and tables, no endless slides of charts and numbers -- instead, a gleaming statue...
KHARTOUM, July 5 (Xinhua) -- After more than two years of devastating conflict, Sudan's capital Khartoum is slowly emerging from the...
Nearly three months after a devastating earthquake struck Myanmar, the country remains trapped in a deepening crisis, compounded by...
MELBOURNE, Australia: A second embryo mix-up in just two months has pushed one of Australia's largest IVF providers back into the spotlight,...
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia will not ease its strict biosecurity rules during trade talks with the United States, Prime Minister Anthony...
Birmingham [UK], July 6 (ANI): Indian bowling coach Morne Morkel hailed skipper Shubman Gill after a record-breaking outing at Birmingham,...
Washington [US], July 5 (ANI): Australian actor Julian McMahon, best known for his roles in 'Charmed', 'Nip/Tuck', and the 'Fantastic...
Washington [US], July 5 (ANI): Actor Regina Hall recently weighed in regarding Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio's characters in the...