The vagus nerve is one of 12 cranial nerves in the body. It’s responsible for various bodily functions, including digestion, heart rate, and breathing. There are 12 cranial nerves in the body. They ...

Various nerves control bladder and bowel function, including the spinal cord, cauda equina, pudendal nerves, and the enteric nervous system, a nerve network in the walls of the digestive tract. These ...

Medically reviewed by William Truswell, MD Key Takeaways The cochlear nerve is part of the eighth cranial nerve and is crucial for hearing.Issues with the cochlear nerve can result from inflammation, ...

We’re celebrating 180 years of Scientific American. Explore our legacy of discovery and look ahead to the future. Billions of nerve cells send signals coursing through our bodies, serving as conduits ...

Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers ...

New technology is changing the way we think about the human brain. Miles o'Brien gives us a personal look at how rewiring the mind with the aid of machines is transforming the lives of those with ...

Researchers engineered the first injectable microtissue containing motor and sensory neurons encased in protective tissue, called tissue engineered neuromuscular interfaces (TE-NMIs). The TE-NMI ...

When trying to understand the health of long-past populations, sometimes you have to rely on nothing but the bones. In anthropology, porous cranial lesions (PCLs) — areas of pitting on the roof of the ...