What makes the heart beat and the brain work?
Entire medical textbooks are written on these subjects, but here are some very simple answers. The heart is a very unique organ. Essentially it is a pump and is made up of a special type of muscle called cardiac muscle. This type of muscle differs from skeletal muscle in that it has a built-in nerve supply that sends out messages for contraction. This is controlled by a center, in the upper chamber of the heart, called the SA Node. The SA Node sends out a message that spreads throughout the heart muscle and signals the heart to contract, or beat and pump. It may do this independently of the rest of the nervous system. This is why our heart beats automatically many times a minute. The brain is considered the Central Nervous System. Most of the nerve signals that travel throughout the body originate and terminate in the brain. Also our brain contains the “higher functions” such as emotions, thoughts, creativity, vision and hearing. The brain is made up of special cells called neurons and
