Malcolm Rivera
The nervous system is the body's command center, regulating everything from thoughts and memories to involuntary actions like blinking and digestion. It is divided into two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord, while the PNS consists of everything else, including nerves that travel from the spinal cord and brain to supply the face and the rest of the body. The PNS plays a key role in sending information from different areas of the body to the brain and carrying out commands from the brain to various parts of the body.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Central nervous system | Brain and spinal cord |
| Peripheral nervous system | Nerves outside the brain and spinal cord |
| Main function of the peripheral nervous system | Connect the central nervous system to the limbs and organs |
| Peripheral nervous system branches | Autonomic and somatic |
| Peripheral nervous system function | Sends information from the body to the brain and carries out commands from the brain to the body |
| Brain function | Responses, sensation, movement, emotions, communication, thought processing, and memory |
| Brain composition | Two hemispheres, the left and the right |
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What You'll Learn
- The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord
- The peripheral nervous system includes nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
- The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to the limbs and organs
- The peripheral nervous system has two subsystems: autonomic and somatic
- The central nervous system is responsible for receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information
The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord
The nervous system is divided into two main parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord, while the peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of everything else.
The brain and spinal cord are the two organs that make up the CNS. The brain is an organ of nervous tissue responsible for responses, sensation, movement, emotions, communication, thought processing, and memory. The skull, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluids protect the human brain. The nervous tissue is extremely delicate and can be damaged by even the smallest amount of force. In addition, the brain has a blood-brain barrier that prevents harmful substances in the blood from reaching it. The spinal cord is a vital part of the CNS found within the vertebral column. It differs in width throughout its structure due to cervical and lumbar enlargements. The white matter is present outside the spinal cord, with grey matter in its core and cerebrospinal fluid in the central canal.
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, the left and right, which are in constant communication and are responsible for different behaviours, known as brain lateralization. The left hemisphere is dominant in language, logic, and math abilities, while the right hemisphere is more creative and dominant in artistic, musical, and intuitive situations. The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain and is composed of grey matter and billions of neurons for conducting high-level executive functions. The cortex is divided into four lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.
The CNS's responsibilities include receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information. The nervous system plays a role in everything we do, such as moving, thinking, and feeling, as well as regulating unconscious processes like digestion, heartbeat, and breathing. It sends messages or electrical signals between the brain and other parts of the body, telling us to breathe, move, speak, and see.
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The peripheral nervous system includes nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
The nervous system is divided into the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS, or central nervous system, includes the brain and spinal cord, which combine to form the central axis of the human body. The peripheral nervous system, on the other hand, includes nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. It is responsible for connecting the CNS to the limbs and organs.
The peripheral nervous system branches outward from the spinal cord and brain, reaching every part of the body. It is a vital component of the human body's functioning, playing a key role in sending information from different areas of the body back to the brain. It also carries out commands from the brain to various parts of the body. The PNS is responsible for feeding information into the brain from most of our senses. It carries signals that allow us to move our muscles and also delivers signals that the brain uses to control vital, unconscious processes like our heartbeat and breathing.
The peripheral nervous system has two main subsystems: the autonomic and the somatic. The autonomic subsystem is responsible for processes that the brain runs automatically and without conscious thought, such as digestion, blushing, sweating, and blinking. The somatic subsystem, on the other hand, is responsible for functions that require conscious thought and intention, such as voluntary movements.
The peripheral nervous system is made up of a network of nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. These nerves further branch out into smaller nerves that spread throughout the body, reaching places like the tips of the fingers and toes or just underneath the skin. These nerves are responsible for relaying information from the brain and spinal cord to the organs, arms, legs, fingers, and toes.
The peripheral nervous system is susceptible to various conditions and disruptions. Malignant tumours, or cancers, can affect the PNS, as can benign tumours. Additionally, conditions that affect the central nervous system may also impact the functioning of the peripheral nervous system, even if they do not directly affect it. Damage to the peripheral nerves can result in a range of symptoms, including muscle cramps, spasms, tremors, and a decreased sense of touch.
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The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to the limbs and organs
The nervous system is the body's command centre, regulating everything from thoughts and memory to movement and sensation. It is divided into two main parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system.
The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord. The brain is an organ of nervous tissue responsible for responses, sensation, movement, emotions, communication, thought processing, and memory. The skull, meninges, and cerebrospinal fluids protect the human brain. The spinal cord is a vital part of the CNS found within the vertebral column.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is everything else. It includes nerves that travel from the spinal cord and brain to supply the face and the rest of the body. The PNS is a key part of how the brain receives information about the world around it. It carries signals that allow us to move our muscles and delivers signals that the brain uses to control vital, unconscious processes like our heartbeat and breathing.
The PNS has two main subsystems: autonomic and somatic. The autonomic system is responsible for functions we don't have to think about, such as digestion, blushing, sweating, and blinking. The somatic system, on the other hand, guides our voluntary movements.
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The peripheral nervous system has two subsystems: autonomic and somatic
The nervous system consists of two main parts: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes nerves outside the brain and spinal cord.
The peripheral nervous system has two main subsystems: autonomic and somatic. The autonomic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological processes, such as heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and sexual arousal. It functions automatically and continuously without conscious effort, sending motor impulses to the visceral organs. It is concerned with heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and other visceral activities that work together to maintain homeostasis.
The somatic subsystem, on the other hand, consists of functions that are consciously managed, such as voluntary movements. The peripheral nervous system, through its autonomic and somatic subsystems, performs its three main jobs: sensing, sending information from different areas of the body to the brain, and carrying out commands from the brain to various parts of the body.
The autonomic nervous system has two parts: the sympathetic division and the parasympathetic division. Many visceral organs are supplied with fibres from both divisions, with one stimulating and the other inhibiting, creating a balance to help maintain homeostasis. The peripheral nervous system is susceptible to various conditions, including malignant and benign tumours, which can disrupt its functioning.
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The central nervous system is responsible for receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information
The nervous system is divided into two main parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS comprises the brain and spinal cord, while the PNS consists of everything else, including nerves that travel from the spinal cord and brain to supply the face and the rest of the body.
The CNS is responsible for receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information. The brain and spinal cord work together to regulate how we think, move, and feel. The brain is an organ of nervous tissue that controls responses, sensation, movement, emotions, communication, thought processing, and memory. It is divided into two hemispheres, the left and the right, which are in constant communication and are responsible for different behaviours, known as brain lateralization. The left hemisphere, for example, is dominant in language, logic, and math abilities, while the right hemisphere is more creative and dominant in artistic, musical, and intuitive situations.
The spinal cord is a vital aspect of the CNS found within the vertebral column. It differs in width throughout its structure due to cervical and lumbar enlargements. The white matter is present outside the spinal cord, with grey matter in its core and cerebrospinal fluid in the central canal. Afferent neurons in the dorsal roots carry impulses from the body's sensory receptors to the spinal cord, where the information begins to be processed. The ventral horns contain efferent motor neurons, which control the body's periphery. These neurons extend to the skeletal and smooth muscles, regulating involuntary and voluntary reflexes.
The PNS plays a key role in sending information from different areas of the body back to the brain and carrying out commands from the brain to various parts of the body. It is made up of a network of nerves that branch out from the spinal cord and brain to reach every part of the body. The PNS is a crucial part of how the brain receives information about the external environment. It includes 11 of the 12 pairs of cranial nerves that connect directly to the brain, relating to the senses of smell, sound, taste, and touch in the skin of the head, face, and neck.
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Frequently asked questions
The central nervous system (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord.
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) consists of everything else, including nerves that travel from the spinal cord and brain to supply the face and the rest of the body.
The CNS is responsible for receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information. It also helps regulate thoughts, memory, learning, feelings, movements, senses, wound healing, heartbeat, and breathing patterns.
The PNS plays a key role in sending information from different areas of the body to the brain and carrying out commands from the brain to various parts of the body. It also helps control unconscious processes like heartbeat and breathing.
