Neurologist and Assistant Professor Dr. Natalie Cheng joins WIRED to answer your questions about neurology from Twitter. Why do our limbs sometimes “fall asleep?” Why do we experience headaches? Or itchiness? Is the sympathetic versus parasympathetic nerve system concept real? Dr. Cheng answers these questions and many more—it’s Nerve Support.
Director: Justin Wolfson
Director of Photography: Constantine Economides
Editor: Edward Simpson Jr.
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Nicholas Sawyer
Camera Operator: Claudio Corredor
Sound Mixer: Kurt Seery
Production Assistant: Sonia Butt
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Paul Tael
Assistant Editor: Lauren Worona
Still haven’t subscribed to WIRED on YouTube? ►►
Listen to the Get WIRED podcast ►►
Want more WIRED? Get the magazine ►►
Follow WIRED:
Instagram ►►
Twitter ►►
Facebook ►►
Tik Tok ►►
Also, check out the free WIRED channel on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
ABOUT WIRED
WIRED is where tomorrow is realized.
funsunshineawakens
September 5, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Over the line.
Oussama Cheta
September 5, 2023 at 5:02 pm
Thank you so much, I appreciate the non-explicit content
Chrizz
September 5, 2023 at 5:08 pm
Wow, that really got on my nerves!
Brandon Robinson
September 5, 2023 at 5:31 pm
One of the least interesting presenters so far. Sure she answers questions but so does google, and it has more personality ????
Matt Passos
September 5, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Really cool vid, would have been cool to see her speak about some neurological diseases like Parkinson’s or MS
stevied7777
September 5, 2023 at 5:37 pm
Little disappointed in the anesthetic question response. She described what it is, not how it works. Was hoping far a mention of the “lipid raft hypothesis”. Safe to say the answer to that question is not entirely understood, and would take way more than 1 minute to explain. Very much enjoyed the video.
Yo Pomdpin
September 5, 2023 at 5:44 pm
Clinical trials on acupunctures have shown that there are very little difference between “real” acupuncture and sham acupuncture. It’s only more efficient than no treatment, but it’s simply the act of stabbing your with needles.
The whole “acupuncture principles” are pseudo science,
Clare
September 5, 2023 at 5:47 pm
Is it just me or were some of these answers kinda sus? The tickle and itch answers were weird.
Alexander Peterson
September 5, 2023 at 6:08 pm
When I hold in a pee and am about to finally let go, I get a weird feeling in my teeth. That makes no sense to me that those parts would be connected. It isn’t painful, it seems like the only thing that activates all of my nerves in my teeth.
daetrg
September 5, 2023 at 6:24 pm
The german word for funny bone is Musikantenknochen, wich literally means musicians bone. Don’t ask me why it’s called like that
KosongIce
September 5, 2023 at 6:26 pm
Lol neurologist= FAILED TO BE NEUROSURGEON
Hope Gold
September 5, 2023 at 6:31 pm
Who moved your toes when she said “let’s say you want to move your toes”?
Becky B
September 5, 2023 at 6:38 pm
How many of you wiggled your toes while she was talking about it? Asking for a friend…
Hugo Levesque
September 5, 2023 at 6:55 pm
It’s still not funny.
Lu
September 5, 2023 at 7:03 pm
So cool I want to be a neurologist
Mengar Bitoon
September 5, 2023 at 7:20 pm
Hey Wired, i want you to do Electricity Support and ask Electroboom (Mehdi Sadaghar). I want to see him on your channel????
Raman Sinclair
September 5, 2023 at 7:29 pm
Half of the questions were good, but the other half felt a bit underexplained. Like she’s just gliding over it.
Xero Day
September 5, 2023 at 7:41 pm
Wired does not always find the right people, but this doctor is great! Excellent explanations.
Mike
September 5, 2023 at 7:42 pm
Liar
qwaqwa1960
September 5, 2023 at 7:54 pm
Accupuncture…seriously?!?
Mindi Hunt
September 5, 2023 at 8:05 pm
Can we get a rheumatologist on?
Words
September 5, 2023 at 8:07 pm
I beat the algorithm.
Tayya
September 5, 2023 at 8:13 pm
Bless anesthesia, imagine a colonoscopy or endoscopy awake and just alert ????????
Words
September 5, 2023 at 8:19 pm
What are thoughts? Not what are action potentials, what are thoughts?
I. Warren Hastings
September 5, 2023 at 9:23 pm
More Dr. Natalie Cheng, please! Just more of all the doctors, please!
Sam
September 6, 2023 at 8:13 am
That first question is very interesting, I suffered a pineal germinoma, which blocked a brain fluid drainage ventricle, which caused pressure, which led to headaches, terrible headaches. Are you able to explain more about that scenario?
Philly Jawn Lolo
September 6, 2023 at 8:17 am
The funny bone is a dad joke ????
Daniel Williams
September 6, 2023 at 8:42 am
Broke my elbow at 15 yrs old, the doctors never properly reset my ulnar nerve, and if I hit that side, the pain can put me to the ground. Nothing “funny” about that.
Lewis Sckolnick
September 6, 2023 at 8:53 am
Doctors like to believe someone else’s earlier diagnosis for that makes things so easy for them
108U
September 6, 2023 at 9:00 am
6:00 so you’re telling me Tickle Me Elmo has a brain
cynthia van teylingen
September 6, 2023 at 9:30 am
Food has a great impact on our nervous system. I notice when i eat something im allergic too like msg an e number that my nervous system is overloaded and not happy.
Dralha Eureka
September 6, 2023 at 11:13 am
A medicine doctor talking about teeth!? Careful, Dr. Cheng, the dental mafia won’t like this! To them, it is a slippery slope between a medicine doctor mentioning teeth and the medical industry recognizing teeth as crucial to overall health!
Joseph Cheng
September 6, 2023 at 11:14 am
I like how she replaced the censored words with “freaking”
Roy Black
September 6, 2023 at 11:20 am
What is a Soma holiday? Is that similar to anaesthesia…
Phanuel Chew
September 6, 2023 at 12:03 pm
if she recommends toothpastes, I would buy.
Ri
September 6, 2023 at 12:20 pm
Love seeing women in medicine!!!❤
Justin
September 6, 2023 at 12:49 pm
7:09 updated research has shown that pain is not only influenced by the biological mechanism but may also be affected by the psychosocial factors (PMID: 29408484) of course the video doesnt go into detail to keep it succinct but thought it might be important to point it out here
Vaibhav Kumar
September 6, 2023 at 3:46 pm
????
hesmo
September 6, 2023 at 4:32 pm
PLEASE WE NEED A DARKMODE FOR WIRED
RacecarRik
September 6, 2023 at 5:03 pm
Honestly love the funny bone even more now that I know it’s a dad joke ????
RacecarRik
September 6, 2023 at 5:07 pm
Is she single? ????
XPNDBLhero
September 6, 2023 at 5:23 pm
I have a bit of a tangent on the Reflex Hammer…. Why do I not have a reflex after having severe lymphedema in both legs¿? Would that cause damage to the nerves and if not what would cause me to not have a pain sensation in my legs anymore¿?
Erin McDonald
September 6, 2023 at 5:44 pm
Ah, brain zaps. They are real.
MrsSaxophonegirl
September 6, 2023 at 6:39 pm
Ok so I gotta know… why am I not ticklish at all? I was extremely ticklish as a kid but at some point I just stopped being ticklish altogether.
Nebuchadnezzar19
September 6, 2023 at 6:45 pm
I’ve experienced brain zaps or brain shivers. Really weird feeling.
dustin long
September 6, 2023 at 7:33 pm
It’s funny watching someone hit their funny bones
acox132
September 6, 2023 at 7:41 pm
Great stuff. A side note: Isn’t it the case that, in addition to “fight or flight,” there is the “freeze” response (Jaak Panksepp). If it is more common among non-human animals, it is among the human responses to threat.
Brian Peiris
September 6, 2023 at 8:16 pm
Uhh, I’m going to need a citation on that acupuncture info. Wikipedia mentions that it’s on par with placebo, or that sham acupuncture sometimes does better. So save yourself the money and get a friend to randomly pin cushion you.
Adam Bechtol
September 6, 2023 at 8:33 pm
would.
Benjamin the Tortoise
September 6, 2023 at 10:24 pm
Very interesting… great topic, great host! Wired, Maybe consider highlighting certain medical conditions or diseases?… would be a great next step on this series. Cheers and thanks!!
Lauren Jedrysik
September 6, 2023 at 10:35 pm
I’m now confused because I get “brain zaps” but have never been on long-term medications
asha
September 7, 2023 at 11:51 pm
Same, ever since i was young. But i do it on command
Amy Stanley
September 6, 2023 at 11:19 pm
Did she just say that women have a lower pain tolerance (8:46)? There’s no way. Evidence please?
youdosuck
September 7, 2023 at 12:53 am
Hello Doctor
Omari
September 7, 2023 at 2:31 am
Oh my gosh. Someone asked if the parasympathetic, and sympathetic nerve system was real. Is it real?!?!?!?!?
My gosh this generation is doomed ????????????????????????????????????????????????
Just another face in the crowd
September 7, 2023 at 2:44 am
Some answers were too short. Also, used too much jargon, if youre going to explain in lamens terms, then explain it all in lamens terms for everyone.
Kelsie Rouchleau Jordan
September 7, 2023 at 2:56 am
So glad someone asked about how our body moves. Like your brain just knows to move… that is something I think about often and it can sometimes low key freak me out. Still blows my mind and I don’t quite understand it lol
Pterodactyl Pilot
September 7, 2023 at 3:09 am
We are brains just learning about ourselves
Vishnu Prasath.A.R
September 7, 2023 at 4:30 am
Wired, where is Annie onishi
Snoowwe
September 7, 2023 at 7:26 am
She didnt explain how general anesthesia works, only said why we use it (duh).
Mica Ela
September 7, 2023 at 9:07 am
I think this is the most I’ve learned in a video ever. Amazing! Dr. Cheng and the editors made a perfectly paced informative piece! ????????????
Maayan Stern
September 7, 2023 at 11:46 am
I want to know what’s up with redheads and our pain tolerances! It’s weird af!
Mark DeSimone
September 7, 2023 at 12:26 pm
Is she wearing one of those “pear” rings???
Moises John Barien
September 7, 2023 at 12:29 pm
I love that you still refer to X as Twitter ❤
Martha
September 7, 2023 at 12:30 pm
Who immediately moved their toes?
Ahmer Mirza
September 7, 2023 at 1:19 pm
Anyone with a bulging disc here??
Terp311
September 8, 2023 at 12:38 am
I like to show a lot of respect to the doctor. She has a lot of nerve doing this video.
garcipat
September 8, 2023 at 1:45 am
Why all of the sudden either people are Sweang. Ore or they are not removing but cencoring it now. Weird.
nachoyacho
September 8, 2023 at 2:08 am
i was in the middle of a cycle of antianxiety meds when i first experienced brain zaps, i stopped taking my meds instantly bc it made my full body go into high alert and any partial movement felt like i was getting electrocuted, when i described the experience to my doctor she had NEVER heard of them before… was a very scary experience
alia sheikh
September 8, 2023 at 3:07 am
After a simple cold my face on the right side started to burn and tingle all over. When i spoke to me GP she diagnosed it as Trigeminal Neuralgia. She has given medication, its controlling the pain but it made certain parts of my face numb. I have been told to improve my immune system, will this ever go away?
alia sheikh
September 8, 2023 at 3:08 am
Could you please send me your email address thank you.
DJ BIS
September 8, 2023 at 6:35 am
Still waiting to learn the why and how of human hick-ups!
Razar Campbell
September 8, 2023 at 10:11 am
That was a really BAD explanation of how your brain operates the various nerves and muscles to move your body!!
It wasn’t WRONG, it was just very BADLY explained.
That poor question-asker probably has even MORE confusion about the process now…
He should ask a neurologist/ psychologist/ psychiatrist. They all have to study neurology and neuropathy. They can all give better answers.
H BUISCOKZOR
September 8, 2023 at 11:29 am
Does anyone have any new information about MCAS (MCAD) in combination with EDS and POTS? I am also very curious if there are solutions in eastern (Chinese) medicine.
Braden Irwin
September 8, 2023 at 3:36 pm
You lost me at “pain receptors.” Pain receptors are a myth. Nociceptors is what she is referring to. Pain is interpreted in the brain not by the receptor.
Nicki nurse
September 8, 2023 at 7:44 pm
They call it a funny bone bc it is connected to the HUMOROUS…get it ?
S Reddy
September 9, 2023 at 12:03 am
I wish she would talk about Obama’s wired article on “neural nets” and the “future of the world” as in the Obama 2016 wired article…(who are the other people that have it again?), neurology patients…Remember for future reference the doctors that spoke out for you and the messaging to them dear patients.. More importantly, Wonder what doctors would absolutely not talk about it because they were approached by the powers that be (that I am quite sure don’t like the people) (if that ever happened)
S Reddy
September 9, 2023 at 12:06 am
y’all might want to ask a few influencers and influencer doctors that promote certain corporations of their opinion on it, it might help you out…
S Reddy
September 9, 2023 at 12:08 am
(maybe they will speak up for you as you are um hoping)
Bruce Lee
September 9, 2023 at 2:52 am
I have had the slept on arm before wake up touch it scares you because think it was someone else’s arm
Beatrice Gibson
September 9, 2023 at 10:06 pm
She’s so informative and a great communicator !!. Wonderfully entertaining and educational. Thank you..
GambiNova
September 10, 2023 at 1:20 pm
please make a darkmode for wired
missjaygh
September 10, 2023 at 3:44 pm
I LOVE THESE SOO MUCH. THANK YOU WIRED!!!
missjaygh
September 10, 2023 at 3:53 pm
I love how she substitutes a “bad” word ????
M O
September 10, 2023 at 4:44 pm
More with this guest please. Also, what’s up with the lower back/sciatic nerve. Why are the majority of us evolved to have it in a pinch-able area?
Guillermo Ramirez
September 11, 2023 at 1:21 am
Greatly done Dr! 😀
Kellyann Taylor
September 11, 2023 at 6:17 pm
Please give more details and information. Answers too short and not enough medical terms.
lalalalith2k4
September 12, 2023 at 1:24 pm
7:05
philosophical(the pain part)
Tommie McCarthy
September 13, 2023 at 12:02 am
How do you naturally fix high blood pressure?
Patrick Thomas
September 13, 2023 at 7:39 am
Ask your dr first…but generally limit salt to 2000 mg’s/day (which requires reading food labels), get down to your ideal weight if you’re overweight, exercise regularly, avoid cigarettes, alcohol, energy drinks etc…
Nichapha Rømyr-Kruse
September 13, 2023 at 9:42 am
There’s a difference between book smart and actual smart.
You know she’s actually smart because she’s able to dumb it down without coming off as “I’m better than you”
@annika5893
December 1, 2025 at 1:04 pm
I remember the first time I had my knee reflex checked when I was a teenager. The doctor must have wanted to face palm so hard. Cos I kicked my leg up because that’s what I had seen in cartoons and thought I was supposed to do that instead of just letting my leg twitch a little.
@girlidk-c6g
December 4, 2025 at 10:41 pm
1:05 hey that’s not a bad joke I thought I made that up myself 😭 I’m 16 and my friends are really irritated at me because I’ll say “yeah that’s really funny, quite humorous. One might even say….femur.” because humorous and humerus
@Nora-b3h1x
December 7, 2025 at 2:40 am
سبحان الله 6:06
@dannil666
December 8, 2025 at 5:37 am
It is not a saber-toothed tiger its is a saber-toothed cat or better yet a smilodon
@missashleeymarie
December 9, 2025 at 12:21 pm
I loveeeeeee how straight to the point she is
@tomlives
December 10, 2025 at 8:51 am
She’s hot
@mjudec
December 13, 2025 at 4:46 pm
I’ve met many many people who, apparently, have a “very high pain threshold” but none who have a low pain threshold, also none who can tell me how they know how theirs compares. I see it as a red flag, actually.
@BasicsofMedicine618
December 21, 2025 at 4:55 am
As a third-year medical student, I’m proud that I knew answers to a lot of these questions obviously not to all of them
@candicedoss1112
December 27, 2025 at 8:53 pm
Women having a lower pain tolerance than men is a myth.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that doctors are still taught this.
@YourPeepingTom
January 4, 2026 at 7:45 pm
Why is the audio so whack
@chriss5266
January 6, 2026 at 10:42 am
Always funny to see an adult refuse to swear even when reading something 😂
@Cymone8510
January 7, 2026 at 12:17 am
9:31 “Frequent Manual Labor” huh… that is most PC of describing handball with your own equipment as I’ve ever heard😂😂
@ayladavis6257
January 17, 2026 at 4:23 am
Coulda fooled me about the brain not being able to feel pain. I had an all day crainiotomy several years ago. I sure was in a lot of pain when I woke up.
@enkephalin07
January 17, 2026 at 7:04 pm
There needs to be studies into a connection between the tickle response and anxiety. I’ve done experiments in which I pointed my finger very conspicuously at someone’s armpit or the arch of the foot, then progressively drew closer until contact. I noticed that the more tension they displayed in their torso — especially shoulders and upper chest, and hips and abdomen — the more intense and uncontrollable their laughter. But I myself don’t tense up when the same is done to me, and I’m not ticklish on the contact.
@JonathanJollimore-h8v
January 18, 2026 at 9:18 pm
Because I died 1000 hundred thousand times protecting 1 million times protecting you ingrate
@chilly-pew
February 27, 2026 at 11:35 pm
She gave like the most layman answers, with half of them not even being addressed. Maybe it got cut in the production, but like.. if i sit and think about those questions myself I would come to the same conclusions without any medical background.
@Velvetec
March 8, 2026 at 12:12 pm
3:18 I was playing football and my tummy was aching; why was this? I guess I was in danger due to the pain but I wasn’t _in_ danger? And maybe the pain was during digestion or after so I can’t be sure.
@waltersstreet
April 7, 2026 at 6:19 pm
I wish that I could be as beautiful as I am intelligent instead of as dumb as I am ugly
@MadeleineMontague
April 17, 2026 at 2:07 pm
She is charming, but so quick! A little pause between each segment would help digest the information she gives.
@NightDriverFive
May 11, 2026 at 10:41 pm
Early childhood trauma results in nervous system overdevelopment and hypersensitivity.
@edgarfez4727
May 12, 2026 at 12:52 pm
Frequent manual labor 👀
@Exayevie
May 19, 2026 at 6:08 pm
0:40 lmao they blurred the wrong word 😂😂
@happy_bubble7
May 22, 2026 at 10:09 pm
Why is it that I can brake an upper rib and not notice but an ingrown hair may take me out entirely?! I can walk in broken bones in my feet but if my 9 pound cat walks on my upper leg….. Im calling 911. (Jk)
@blacksheepdigitalmedia
May 24, 2026 at 9:57 am
Nobody cares but someone left the boom and lav mics both active causing phase cancellation which is why it sounds weird. The nerve of them 🤷♂️
@foxley95
May 26, 2026 at 5:32 am
In my whole experience, races with darker skin color have lower pain tolerance, does anyone have the same thought?
@matthewhutton8275
May 27, 2026 at 4:57 am
Of course I itch the moment she brings up itching.
@Euridicey
May 27, 2026 at 2:38 pm
Watching this video while torturing myself with epilating my legs.