Submitted by placidbeans t3_11x3fm3 in askscience
Vis233 t1_jd4j03v wrote
I don’t know how anyone counts neurones, but even vertebrates have lots of them outside the brain. We have the huge junction of nerves called the caeliac (or solar) plexus, as well as cervical, brachial, bronchial, cardiac, coronary, gastric, sacral, choroid, lumbar, venous, pelvic and vesicle plexuses (or is it plexi?!)
Add to that all the other areas where our nerves are bundled together to form the spinal column, ganglia, and all nerve junctions, internal body sensors and external receptors. It has to add up to a huge number of neurones. Has anyone counted up the ratio of all of these to the number of neurones in our human brain? I would be interested to know.
placidbeans OP t1_jd5p8id wrote
Me too! To me it’s hard to picture at least just vertebrates with more neurons outside the brain then in, I mean how could it run all these systems u mentioned without having more neurons than the actual system needs, or is the reason it is called a neuron because it can function without needing direct signals from the brain?
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