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Medicine Subject Spotlight

How do we think, move and feel? Exploring the Central Nervous System
with Dr Stephen Hughes from Anglia Ruskin University

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In this fascinating Subject Spotlight, join Dr Stephen Hughes as he explores the anatomy and functions of the system that allows us to think, move and feel: the Central Nervous System. Stephen begins by introducing the core components of the Central Nervous System: the brain, the spinal cord, and grey and white matter. He then explores the functions of the Central Nervous System, and how it controls our thought and behaviour, seeing and hearing, and moving and sensing. Stephen then takes a deep dive into the anatomy of the spinal cord, and its role in our reflex reactions. Finally, Stephen gets you to test your own reflexes in real time! He demonstrates how to do a safe knee-jerk reflex test, and shows how it can also be augmented and controlled. To conclude, he reflects on how essential reflexes are, both in our daily lives and in clinical settings. 

Dr Stephen HughesAnglia Ruskin UniversityMedicine

All episodes
1. What is the Central Nervous System?
2. What are the Central Nervous System’s functions?
3. What are the functions of the spinal cord?
4. Activity: test your reflexes

About the university


Anglia Ruskin University
Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin University is an innovative global university with students from 185 countries at our campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle. These students are at the heart of our University, and we're delighted that our final-year undergraduates are positive about their educational experience. Our community is also incredibly important to us, and we're proud of the role we play in our cities and the wider region – including the positive effect on jobs and the local economy. It is this impact that helped us become the THE University of the Year 2023, a prestigious award that recognises our success in delivering high impact projects focused on the difference we make in the region and communities where we’re based as well as the contributions our students and graduates make to society.

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Meet the academic
Dr Stephen Hughes

Dr Stephen Hughes is a Senior Lecturer in Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University’s Chelmsford campus. He is also a practising consultant in emergency medicine. He qualified from St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in 1990 and spent over 30 years as a doctor, during which time he served as a consultant in the British Army. He currently teaches anatomy, physiology, and medicine and also undertakes research into respiratory rate measurement.

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