Within an hour of a person falling asleep, slow waves will have covered his entire cortex, affecting every nerve cell in it.

ECONOMIST: Memory formation

Every nerve in my body fired: I dove into the throng.

WSJ: Diana Abu-Jaber on Traveling with a Toddler | Traveler's Tale

For their part, the western banks have squabbled mightily among themselves, losing their collective nerve at every critical juncture.

ECONOMIST: Grudge match

Provided that Brazil regains its nerve on fiscal policy and makes every effort to pass the tough measures it promised, the loan package should stay in place.

ECONOMIST: Storm clouds from Brazil

So far that nerve has held remarkably well, as Mr Zardari has at every turn outsmarted his enemies in the opposition, the army and the courts.

ECONOMIST: Banyan