My Fascination with the Nervous System Has Me Neglecting Sleep and Food

This past week I have been utterly absorbed in studying the nervous system, as if possessed. I have always had a very strong interest in the nervous system, but the number of class hours at school is limited, and teachers can hardly go into it in depth with us. My mother had a stroke, and I myself have been researching stroke sequelae for many years; in the field of oncology, my work on neuroblastoma has also drawn the attention of many parents of affected children.

One could say I am no stranger to the nervous system. I have rich clinical experience in nervous system diseases, but to be honest, my previous knowledge of neuroanatomy was limited. Through this semester's courses in anatomy, histology and embryology, and physiology, I have gained a clear understanding of the nervous system. Yet I cannot be satisfied with such a superficial grasp; I want to study the nervous system more deeply.

So I bought several classic works on the nervous system, planning to study them diligently during the winter break. The nervous system is not only related to many diseases, but is also closely bound up with human personality, intelligence, and learning ability. Even whether we can live well in our old age depends chiefly on whether major problems arise in our nervous system after midlife.

My interest in it did not begin now; I have been studying it all these years, only from different angles at different times. The nervous system still holds many unsolved mysteries; to this day, human understanding of our own brain remains very limited. Nervous system diseases are notoriously difficult to treat, and in the past doctors even pessimistically regarded them as incurable.

But in recent years I have also found, in the classics of traditional Chinese medicine, many methods by which the ancients treated nervous system diseases; tested in the clinic, they still yield quite good results. Moreover, the latest research shows that the nervous system also contains stem cells; when neurons are damaged, these stem cells can differentiate anew into neurons, playing a repair role for the injured nervous system.

During much of my free time this week, I have been listening to various neuroscience courses, almost obsessively—indeed to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. But final exams are approaching, so I have had to set aside some time to prepare for them. If I could carve out a large block of time to integrate knowledge from every aspect of the nervous system and search for more effective therapies for nervous system diseases, it would surely be a deeply rewarding undertaking.