Open Brain & Nervous System on the body map
Body system
Brain & Nervous System
Open the Brain & Nervous System on the body map
The brain, spinal cord and nerves that carry signals through the body.
How nutrients support this system
Each nutrient plays a different part. Open a profile to follow the process, its sources and the foods that carry that nutrient.
- CalciumSmall amounts of calcium in body fluids and tissues help nerve cells transmit signals. Calcium is therefore involved in communication as well as structure.
- MagnesiumMagnesium supports movement of charged particles across cell membranes, a process involved in carrying nerve impulses.
- PotassiumNerve cells pass signals using a difference in potassium levels between the inside and the outside of each cell.
Explore the scientific terms
Functions associated with nutrients in our reference-food profiles. System groupings are editorial and can overlap; they do not establish health outcomes from eating a crop.
- Nerve transmissionNerve transmission carries electrical and chemical signals between nerve cells and other tissues.
- Nerve functionNormal nerve function includes the generation, transmission and processing of signals throughout the nervous system.
- Neurotransmitter synthesisNeurotransmitter synthesis produces chemical messengers used by nerve cells to communicate.
Foods that carry those nutrients
Sources & references (5)
- Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsCalcium's role in bone structure, muscle function and nerve transmission.Source details in the Atlas: Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/
- Vitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsVitamin B6's role in metabolic and neurological functions.Source details in the Atlas: Vitamin B6: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/
- Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsMagnesium's role as an enzyme cofactor and in nerve, muscle and heart-rhythm function.Source details in the Atlas: Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium-HealthProfessional/
- Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals · National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary SupplementsPotassium's role in electrochemical gradients, nerve transmission, muscle contraction and heart function.Source details in the Atlas: Potassium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionalshttps://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Potassium-HealthProfessional/
- Got Calcium? · U.S. government sourceSource details in the Atlas: Got Calcium?https://www.nigms.nih.gov/biobeat/2023/02/got-calcium