How does nicotine affect the nervous system?
The nervous system is one of the most delicate, carefully balanced parts of your body. Most people your age — including most smokers — have healthy nervous systems. However, your nervous system is still developing, and therefore it is sensitive to toxic substances, such as those found in cigarette smoke. Smoking now could upset the delicate balance of your nervous system, leading to problems later in life. Smoking can make several serious diseases of the nervous system worse. It may also increase your risk of developing some of these diseases in the first place. Most of the diseases that we will mention in this chapter are quite rare. However, smoking also worsens a relatively common nervous system disease called multiple sclerosis. definition What does the nervous system do? Your nervous system consists of your brain, your spinal cord, and the nerves that connect your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body. Your nervous system is your body’s central control system. It’s invo
