ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Neural top–down control of physiology

Okay kiddo, so you know how your brain tells your body what to do? Well, there's another way that your brain can control your body, called "top-down control."

When your brain uses top-down control, it starts with the big picture and works its way down to the little details. For example, if your brain wants you to eat a piece of pizza, it doesn't just tell your hand to grab the pizza. It first has to tell your digestive system to get ready for food, and your mouth to start watering.

Neural top-down control of physiology is when your brain uses this top-down approach to control things like your heart rate, blood pressure, and even your immune system.

Your brain is like a boss who tells the rest of your body what to do. It sends signals down through your spinal cord and to the different parts of your body, making sure everything is working together properly.

Sometimes, if your body is under stress or is sick, your brain might use top-down control to kick your immune system into gear. It's kind of like giving your soldiers orders to go fight off invaders.

So basically, neural top-down control of physiology is just a fancy way of saying that your brain is in charge of keeping your body working properly, and it does this by sending signals to different parts of your body to get them to do what they need to do.