NERVOUS SYSTEM ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
- Network of brain, spinal cords, nerves
- Sensory/afferent, integrative, motor/efferent functions
Sensory/afferent
- Receptors monitor external, internal environment
- Conscious stimuli (e.g. vision, hearing, touch)
- Unconscious stimuli (e.g. pH, blood pressure)
Integrative
• Sensory/afferent input received by central nervous system → information processed→interpreted →response initiated
Motor/efferent
- Brings motor information from central nervous system to periphery
- Controls actions of effector organs (e.g.muscles, glands)
ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Central nervous system (CNS)
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
- Nerves connect PNS with CNS
- Includes 12 pairs of cranial nerves, 31 pairs of spinal nerves
- Efferent (motor), afferent (sensory) divisions
- Efferent divided into somatic (voluntary), autonomic (involuntary) nervous system
- Autonomic nervous system comprised of sympathetic, parasympathetic nervous systems
- Sensory receptors: structure at nerve ending: detects physical, environmental stimulus; e.g. pain, temperature
- Ganglia/ganglion (plural/singular): collection of neuron cell bodies outside CNS
- Plexuses/plexus (plural/singular): network of nerves outside CNS
