...the spinal cord.
Most life forms don't need much more than this, thanks you. Maybe a brain stem.
The cord is a part of the central nervous system, which means that it does a lot of its processing, bit afferent and efferent, with no help from the brain. In fact, without spinal cord reflexes we probably wouldn't survive infancy.
It has been in the area of spinal cord injury that a good deal of stem cell research has been aimed hopefully. Neurons in general don't reproduce themselves (mitose), though they may regenerate to a degree, especially along the axon, and we know that new interneuronal connections can be made. Unfortunately stem cells have not panned out here, as in so many other places.
So, protect your spinal cord! Wearing seat belts, not doing stupid things--whatever it takes!
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